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Updated: Nov 4, 2025
A Novel Digital Platform for a Monitored Home-based Cardiac Rehabilitation Program
Published on: April 19, 2019
Zero-Effort Ambient Heart Rate Monitoring Using Ballistocardiography Detected Through a Seat Cushion: Prototype
Ahmed Raza Malik1, Jennifer Boger1,2
1Department of Systems Design Engineering, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada.
Insights
A novel seat cushion system effectively monitors heart rate unobtrusively using ballistocardiography (BCG). This zero-effort approach offers a viable, cost-effective alternative to wearable devices for home-based health tracking.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Cardiovascular Health Monitoring
- Signal Processing
Background:
- Cardiovascular diseases are a major global health burden, necessitating continuous monitoring.
- Rising global population age increases demand for accessible cardiac assessment solutions.
- Home-based vital sign monitoring is crucial, especially for individuals with limited mobility, complementing wearable technology.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a zero-effort, unobtrusive, cost-effective, and portable system for ambient heart rate monitoring at home.
- To explore ballistocardiography (BCG) acquisition via a novel seat cushion prototype.
- To create an algorithm for accurate heart rate extraction from BCG signals.
Main Methods:
- A prototype seat cushion equipped with load cells captured ballistocardiogram (BCG) signals.
- Signal conditioning involved amplification and filtering before digital recording.
- A pilot study with 20 participants assessed BCG acquisition during daily activities; a continuous wavelet transform algorithm identified J-peaks for heart rate extraction.
Main Results:
- BCG signals suitable for heart rate extraction were obtained during all five tested real-world tasks.
- The continuous wavelet transform algorithm achieved 91.4% accuracy compared to electrocardiography.
- Excluding outliers, the algorithm's accuracy reached 94.6%, comparable to wearable device performance.
Conclusions:
- Ballistocardiography (BCG) via a seat cushion presents a feasible alternative to wearable heart rate monitors.
- The prototype seat cushion offers an accessible, affordable, portable, and unobtrusive method for frequent, zero-effort home monitoring.
- This approach supports continuous ambient heart rate monitoring, enhancing cardiovascular health management.
Background:
Cardiovascular diseases are a leading cause of death worldwide and result in significant economic costs to health care systems. The prevalence of cardiovascular conditions that require monitoring is expected to increase as the average age of the global population continues to rise. Although an accurate cardiac assessment can be performed at medical centers, frequent visits for assessment are not feasible for most people, especially those with limited mobility. Monitoring of vital signs at home is becoming an increasingly desirable, accessible, and practical alternative. As wearable devices are not the ideal solution for everyone, it is necessary to develop parallel and complementary approaches.
Objective:
This research aims to develop a zero-effort, unobtrusive, cost-effective, and portable option for home-based ambient heart rate monitoring.
Methods:
The prototype seat cushion uses load cells to acquire a user's ballistocardiogram (BCG). The analog signal from the load cells is amplified and filtered by a signal-conditioning circuit before being digitally recorded. A pilot study with 20 participants was conducted to analyze the prototype's ability to capture the BCG during five real-world tasks: sitting still, watching a video on a computer screen, reading, using a computer, and having a conversation. A novel algorithm based on the continuous wavelet transform was developed to extract the heart rate by detecting the largest amplitude values (J-peaks) in the BCG signal.
Results:
The pilot study data showed that the BCG signals from all five tasks had sufficiently large portions to extract heart rate. The continuous wavelet transform-based algorithm for J-peak detection demonstrated an overall accuracy of 91.4% compared with electrocardiography. Excluding three outliers that had significantly noisy BCG data, the algorithm achieved 94.6% accuracy, which was aligned with that of wearable devices.
Conclusions:
This study suggests that BCG acquired through a seat cushion is a viable alternative to wearable technologies. The prototype seat cushion presented in this study is an example of a relatively accessible, affordable, portable, and unobtrusive zero-effort approach to achieve frequent home-based ambient heart rate monitoring.
