Technical and architectural clarity on the SWEL Health intelligence layer.
Platform & Capabilities
What is SWEL Health and how is it different from my wearable’s app?
Your wearable app (Huawei Health, Garmin Connect, COROS Training Hub) is excellent at collecting and displaying raw data. SWEL Health is the intelligence layer on top — we apply peer-reviewed physiological models, AI-assisted coaching, and multi-source data fusion to tell you what those numbers actually mean for your health and performance. We answer the questions your wearable can’t.
Which wearables and devices will be supported?
SWEL supports a broad ecosystem:
- Huawei / Honor: Full integration via Huawei Health Kit — Huawei Watch GT series, Watch Fit, Band series, Honor Magic Watch, Huawei Scale 3. Learn more →
- COROS: Full GPS activity integration via COROS Open Platform — PACE 2/3, APEX 2/2 Pro, VERTIX 2/2S, DURA. Learn more →
- Garmin: Via Garmin Health API — full activity + Body Battery + stress data
- Samsung, Google Fit, Polar, Suunto: Via Android Health Connect
- Smart Scales: 14 providers via Bluetooth and cloud APIs
- Any wearable: Via workout screenshot OCR (AI-powered extraction from any watch app screenshot)
What is the Physiological Cost Index (PCI)?
PCI is SWEL’s composite measure of the real physiological cost of a workout or training block. It fuses heart rate reserve (Karvonen, 1957), training impulse (Banister TRIMP, 1991), environmental stress (Peronnet-Thibault altitude model, 1989), and recovery state into a single calibrated score. Two workouts with identical distances can have very different PCIs — PCI captures the difference.
What is Vital Drift™?
Vital Drift™ is a predictive triage engine that monitors sustained deviations in resting heart rate and body temperature across a 2-sigma baseline window. When both metrics elevate simultaneously for 48+ hours, Vital Drift™ flags systemic physiological distress — typically detecting illness 24–48 hours before you feel symptoms. Based on Seshadri et al. (2020), Scientific Reports.
What does “FHIR-First” mean for my data?
HL7 FHIR (Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources) R4 is the international clinical standard for health data. SWEL tags all your biometric observations with LOINC codes and stores them in FHIR R4-compatible format. This means your data is: (a) not locked into our proprietary format, (b) exportable in a format compatible with hospital EHR systems like Epic and Cerner, and (c) ready for clinical pathway submission if you ever need to share your health history with a physician.
Wearable Integrations
How does the Huawei Health integration work?
SWEL integrates directly with Huawei Health Kit (Huawei’s official developer API). You authorize SWEL to read specific data categories from your Huawei Health app — nothing is accessed without your explicit consent. SWEL then applies our analytical engines to your Huawei data, adding layers of insight that Huawei Health itself doesn’t provide (DFA Alpha-1, PCI, Vital Drift™, Apnea Screen). Learn more →
How does the COROS integration work?
SWEL uses the COROS Open Platform OAuth API. You authenticate with your COROS account and authorize SWEL to read your activity and workout data. No password is shared — it’s a standard OAuth 2.0 flow. Your COROS data feeds SWEL’s Training Load Engine, Race Time Predictions, and AI Coaching context. Learn more →
Can I use SWEL with multiple wearables simultaneously?
Yes — multi-source data fusion is one of SWEL’s core capabilities. Our deduplication engine intelligently merges data from Huawei, COROS, Garmin, and Health Connect sources into a single unified timeline, resolving conflicts and removing duplicate workouts automatically.
Does SWEL work without a connected wearable?
Yes. You can enter workouts manually, import data via screenshot OCR (our AI extracts structured data from any watch app screenshot), or connect smart scales directly via Bluetooth. However, real-time biometric streams (continuous HR, HRV, SpO₂, sleep stages) require a connected wearable integration.
Data, Privacy & Security
How is my physiological data secured?
- At rest: AES-256 encryption via SQLCipher on-device
- In transit: TLS 1.3 for all network communication
- In the cloud: Firebase Firestore with per-user data isolation (security rules enforce that users can only access their own data)
- Key management: Android Keystore (hardware-backed TEE/StrongBox)
Is my data sold or shared with advertisers?
Never. SWEL operates on a strict Data Sovereignty model. We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal health data to advertisers, insurers, or data brokers. Our business model is subscription-based, not data-based.
What AI providers does SWEL use for coaching?
SWEL uses a multi-LLM routing architecture:
- Google Gemini 2.5 Flash – workout screenshot OCR and medical document parsing (multimodal vision)
- Google Gemini 2.0 Flash – AI coaching text generation and daily briefings
- DeepSeek V3 / R1 – configurable alternative for text-based coaching and clinical reasoning
- Google ML Kit – on-device first-pass OCR (private; no data leaves your device)
No raw health data is transmitted to any AI provider without anonymization and context stripping.
How do I delete my data?
Go to Settings → Privacy → Delete Account. Your data is cryptographically purged — not soft-deleted or archived. You will also need to revoke access from any connected wearable platforms (Huawei Health, COROS, Garmin) directly within those apps.
Clinical & Medical
Is SWEL Health a medical device?
No. SWEL Health is an information analytics platform for educational and performance optimization purposes. Our engines detect anomalies and surface patterns worth discussing with a healthcare professional — they do not diagnose, treat, or replace professional medical judgment. Always consult a physician before making health decisions based on any SWEL insight.
What is the Apnea Screen Engine?
SWEL monitors your overnight SpO₂ data from your wearable to count oxygen desaturation events (SpO₂ drops >4% for >10 seconds) and calculate an ODI-4 index. An ODI above 15 events/hour is a validated proxy for moderate-to-severe obstructive sleep apnea risk. If this threshold is exceeded, SWEL advises you to consult a physician. This is a screening tool — not a diagnosis. Based on Chee et al. (2021), Scientific Reports.
What is DFA Alpha-1 threshold detection?
DFA Alpha-1 is a non-linear HRV metric that reflects the scaling pattern of your heart rate variability. Research by Rogers et al. (2021) established that an alpha1 value below 0.75 correlates with the aerobic threshold (VT1), and below 0.50 with the anaerobic threshold (VT2). SWEL uses HRV data from your wearable to compute these thresholds without invasive lactate testing.
What are the clinical boundaries of SWEL’s engines?
All SWEL analytical outputs — including Vital Drift™ alerts, Arrhythmia Guard notifications, SpO₂ desaturation flags, and PCI scores — are clearly labelled as informational and include clinical disclaimers. We consistently direct users toward professional medical consultation for any flag that warrants clinical evaluation.
Subscriptions & Features
What’s included in the free tier?
Free users can connect wearables, view their Home Dashboard, log workouts manually, and access basic training load summaries. They have the choice of 30 days free cloud backup.
What does a premium subscription add?
Premium unlocks: unlimited cloud backup (for the life of the solution with backup download support), extended historical analysis, full AI Coaching with long-context health briefings, DFA Alpha-1 threshold detection, Vital Drift™ engine, Apnea Screen Engine, Arrhythmia Guard, Race Time Predictions, Coach Connection, and Environmental Normalization.
How do I cancel my subscription?
Manage subscriptions via Google Play → Subscriptions → SWEL Health. Cancellation takes effect at the end of your current billing period.
Still have questions? Contact us at support@swelhealth.com