Using contactless technology, researchers were able to measure heart rate. A process that could prove to be very useful in severe burns.
A team of Canadian researchers from the University of Waterloo have developed a revolutionary monitor for monitoring vital signs. The originality of this device, presented in Scientific Reports, is the non-contact monitoring and detection of heart conditions.
This system is based on the technique called photoplethysmography which allows the exploration of the vessels in a non-invasive way. The principle is to illuminate the skin so that a photoreceptor can measure the small variations in light intensity associated with the blood supply to the tissues. These variations are synchronous with the beating of the heart. This measurement thus makes it possible to detect changes in blood volumes in the body. A process is very often used today.
But Canadian researchers wanted to improve it. Using their portable system, they were able to measure a person’s heart rate from a video footage of their face (see video below). Thanks to this technology, it is therefore possible to simultaneously monitor blood circulation in several parts of the body without having to resort to direct contact with the skin. A tool that could prove very useful for people with very serious burns or children hospitalized in neonatal intensive care units.
Comprehensive monitoring
“Traditional systems that are widely used today take the heart rate at a specific location in the body. While our device acts as a set of virtual sensors to assess blood flow in different parts of the body, ”explains Robert Amelard, one of the study’s authors.
This permanent data collection provides a comprehensive view of what is happening in the body and opens the door to cutting-edge surveillance, say the authors.
“This system can also remotely scan multiple patients at once, so imagine its potential in emergency or long-term home care,” enthuses Prof. Alexander Wong of the University of Waterloo’s engineering department. . It could also indicate blocked arteries that without this technology could have gone unnoticed, or even alert the elderly who are at risk of falling because they got up too quickly. “
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