To Investigate the Feasibility of Palm-Video-Based IPPG Technique

Resting heart rate is an independent predictor of cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality from cardiovascular disease. Imaging photoplethysmography (IPPG) provides a more comfortable environment for heart rate estimation than electrocardiography and photoplethysmography. However, existing studies usually focus on the videos of facial skin, rather than the other skin regions. In our research, we collected the videos containing face and palm simultaneously and compared the reliability of blood volume pulse (BVP) signals extracted from facial and palmar regions. We also collected the videos containing palms in different age groups and calculated the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) to analyze the BVP signal quality extracted from palms of different ages. Based on the video data from 17 subjects, the experimental results showed that the heart rate estimated in the palmar region is more reliable than that in the facial region. This study also revealed that the quality of palmer BVP signal extracted from the elderly is higher than that extracted from the young.