Heart rate is one of the key variables for monitoring older adults and their health, and technology options, such as wearable sensors, continue to grow, as developers work to increase ease of use.
Although sensors are continuing to get smaller and less cumbersome, for now, heart rate monitors require physical contact.
New video technology, however, could provide a way to measure heart rate without any body contact whatsoever, researchers claim in a new study.
The process involves evaluating slight changes in color on the face, which traditionally have given only approximate estimates of heart rate. But by analyzing a “dynamic mode decomposition” process, which can account for data noise or misinformation, facial videos can provide meaningful measurements, the researchers stated.
Such facial/heart-rate recognition tools can even account for different lighting situations, the researchers claimed.
The study was led by investigators at the Tokyo University of Science. The authors noted that further research is needed to create a more accurate tool, although the method “holds great potential.”
At least one currently available app, Together, claims to be able to use selfies and artificial intelligence to measure vitals, including blood pressure and heart rate.
Another contactless monitor was part of a pilot study in a skilled nursing facility in New York; the tool was used to show that an elevated resting heart rate was able to predict an upcoming medical crisis up to a week in advance, the McKnight’s Clinical Daily reported last year.
In lieu of contact-free options to monitor heart rate, wearable patches such as iRythm’s Zio or a fabric-like patch being developed at the University of California, also could be used to replace electrocardiograms or protect against heart disease.
New products need to be properly marketed and implemented, however, according to existing regulatory guidelines, the US Food and Drug Administration warned companies earlier this year.
