Non-contact physiological parameters extraction using camera

Abstract

Physiological parameters such as Heart Rate (HR), Beat-to-Beat Interval (IBI) and Respiration Rate (RR) are vital indicators of people’s physiological state and important to monitor. However, most of the measurements methods are connection based, i.e. sensors are connected to the body which is often complicated and requires personal assistance. This paper proposed a simple, low-cost and non-contact approach for measuring multiple physiological parameters using a web camera in real time. Here, the heart rate and respiration rate are obtained through facial skin colour variation caused by body blood circulation. Three different signal processing methods such as Fast Fourier Transform (FFT), independent component analysis (ICA) and Principal component analysis (PCA) have been applied on the colour channels in video recordings and the blood volume pulse (BVP) is extracted from the facial regions. HR, IBI and RR are subsequently quantified and compared to corresponding reference measurements. High degrees of agreement are achieved between the measurements across all physiological parameters. This technology has significant potential for advancing personal health care and telemedicine.