A computer-implemented method of heart rate estimation includes receiving heart beat data, detecting sequential beats within the heart beat data, identifying a beat interval of each sequential beat, and generating a beat array containing the beat intervals of sequential beats within an array window. The beat array is then sorted based on the beat intervals of the sequential beats so as to generate a sorted beat array. A weight array is calculated by applying a weight control parameter to each beat interval in the sorted beat array, wherein the weight array includes a weight value for each beat interval that is proportional to a corresponding beat interval value in the sorted beat array. A weighted median is calculated based on the weight array, and a heart rate estimation for the array window is determined based on the weighted median of the weight array and the sorted beat array.