A research project called Non-Invasive Vital Signs (NIVS) Monitoring Project is aimed at recording heart rate and breathing rate data while using normal cameras (termed red-green-blue cameras) and infrared thermography cameras.
This project is a joint research effort between the University of Malta, specifically the Department of Biomedical Cybernetics, and Mater Dei Hospital, and is funded by the Malta Council for Science and Technology. Minister for Equality, Research and Innovation Owen Bonnici visited the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Malta, where work on this project is taking place. Minister Bonnici praised the achievements of this multidisciplinary collaboration that brought together academics with engineering, ICT and medical backgrounds from the University of Malta as well as medical consultants and healthcare staff working at the intensive therapy unit (ITU) at Mater Dei Hospital.
Project Coordinator Dr Owen Falzon explained that “The principle behind this, is that subtle changes in the skin colour of the face occur as fresh blood is pumped by the heart with each heartbeat, and also that the temperature around the nostrils increases each time a person exhales and warm air comes out. Special data analysis techniques can extract this information from recordings of the face taken with these cameras. This method of monitoring body parameters is contact-free and therefore comes with no uncomfortable wires or stickers attached to the person.”
Dr Bonnici emphasised the importance of research in providing innovative solutions that concretely improve people’s lives. “This project will can strongly impact the health sector, tackling the urgent international health concern highlighted by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in relation to the spread of antibiotic- resistant microbes, whilst greatly improving patients’ comfort while receiving healthcare." Dr Bonnici said.
This project aims to develop novel approaches using combined visual and thermal imaging and technique to provide reliable estimates of heart rate and breathing rate in real-world clinical settings.
Non-contact monitoring technology is an area of great interest currently in the scientific world, since it offers possibilities for monitoring patients while allowing them to be mobile and more active. It can also be used to monitor patients in their home environments, with some sensors available that can be placed under mattresses and worn in patients’ clothing.
