A review of non-contact, low-cost physiological information measurement based on photoplethysmographic imaging

In recent decades, there has been increasing interest in low-cost, non-contact and pervasive methods for measuring physiological information, such as heart rate (HR), respiratory rate, heart rate variability (HRV) and oxyhemoglobin saturation. The conventional methods including wet adhesive Ag/AgCl electrodes for HR and HRV, the capnograph device for respiratory status and pulse oximetry for oxyhemoglobin saturation provide excellent signals but are expensive, troublesome and inconvenient. A method to monitor physiological information based on photoplethysmographic imaging offers a new means for health monitoring. Blood volume can be indirectly assessed in terms of blood velocity, blood flow rate and blood pressure, which, in turn, can reflect changes in physiological parameters. Changes in blood volume can be determined from the spectra of light reflected from or transmitted through body tissues. Images of an area of the skin surface are consecutively captured with the color camera of a computer or smartphone and, by processing and analyzing the light signals, physiological information such as HR, respiratory rate, HRV and oxyhemoglobin saturation can be acquired. In this paper, we review the latest developments in using photoplethysmographic imaging for non-contact health monitoring and discuss the challenges and future directions for this field.