Contactless Vital Signs Monitoring From Videos Recorded With Digital Cameras: An Overview

Abstract

The measurement of physiological parameters is fundamental to assess the health status of an individual. The contactless monitoring of vital signs may provide benefits in various fields of application, from healthcare and clinical setting to occupational and sports scenarios. Recent research has been focused on the potentiality of camera-based systems working in the visible range (380–750 nm) for estimating vital signs by capturing subtle color changes or motions caused by physiological activities but invisible to human eyes. These quantities are typically extracted from videos framing some exposed body areas (e.g., face, torso, and hands) with adequate post-processing algorithms. In this review, we provided an overview of the physiological and technical aspects behind the estimation of vital signs like respiratory rate, heart rate, blood oxygen saturation, and blood pressure from digital images as well as the potential fields of application of these technologies. Per each vital sign, we provided the rationale for the measurement, a classification of the different techniques implemented for post-processing the original videos, and the main results obtained during various applications or in validation studies. The available evidence supports the premise of digital cameras as an unobtrusive and easy-to-use technology for physiological signs monitoring. Further research is needed to promote the advancements of the technology, allowing its application in a wide range of population and everyday life, fostering a biometrical holistic of the human body (BHOHB) approach.

Assessment of facial video-based detection of atrial fibrillation across human complexion

“…In the past, facial video-based monitoring technologies have been primarily used for monitoring pulse and respiratory rates, 24 but the technology is rapidly evolving due, in part, to the increased availability of good-quality video cameras (>5 MP) in consumer products. In this study, we present an application of video monitoring that goes beyond the measurements of vital signs with the ability to detect AF, which is one of the most prevalent clinical cardiac arrhythmias with significant associated morbidity.…”

Accuracy of Smartphone-based Vital Monitoring Using Remote Photoplethysmography Technology Enabled WellFie application

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“…[12] As such, remote technological solutions can increase healthcare accessibility to remote places and low-income families and remote access to variety care services including child care, chronic disease care, psychiatry care. [12] For example, hypertension is a major global public health problem affecting more than 25% of the adult population worldwide. [13] Globally, 1.3 billion adult population are estimated to have hypertension and disproportionately two-third of them living in low-and middle-income countries.…”

Radar-based remote physiological sensing: Progress, challenges, and opportunities

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