Here’s a non-contact system to measure systolic and diastolic pressure.

Researchers from the University of South Australia and Baghdad’s Middle Technical University have developed an innovative technique to monitor blood pressure using a digital camera and AI algorithms. The new method could be a vast improvement on the current system (the digital sphygmomanometer) of using an inflatable cuff tied to a patient’s arm or wrist. (University of South Australia)

How it works

In the new technique, the researchers digitally film a person from a short distance for about 10 seconds. This extracts cardiac signals from two separate regions in the forehead using AI algorithms.

The repeated the procedure on 25 people with different skin tones and under various light conditions.

In a study published in Inventions, the researchers write:

“Compared to the systolic/diastolic BP readings obtained from a commercial digital sphygmomanometer, the proposed BP system achieves an accuracy of 94.6% with a root mean square error (RMSE) of 9.2 mmHg for systolic BP readings and an accuracy of 95.4% with an RMSE of 7.6 mmHg for diastolic BP readings. Thus, the proposed BP system has the potential of being a promising tool in the upcoming generation of BP monitoring systems.”

Professor Javaan Chahl, UniSA Remote Sensing Engineer, said that in the past 30 years, the number of adults with hypertension has risen from 650 million to 1.28 billion worldwide. A system that can accurately measure blood pressure and assess cardiovascular risks from a distance and without physical contact with the patient would be highly useful in a situation similar to COVID, for example.

The team has also developed similar contactless systems to measure breathing rates from 50 meters away, oxygen saturation, temperature, and jaundice in newborns.

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