Camera-based heart rate variability and stress measurement from facial videos

Remote measurement of physiological signals through facial videos is an emerging and significant field of research. Through remote photoplethysmography (rPPG), RGB cameras can measure a person’s heart rate variability (HRV) by analyzing subtle light variations on the skin. Fluctuations in HRV readings are caused by imbalances in the autonomic nervous system, such as experiencing a stressful event. This paper presents a novel method for HRV measurement from rPPG signals. We tested the model on 14 subjects participating in stress-inducing tasks. We compared our results against a contact-based ground truth device and demonstrated the potential for an off-the-shelf webcam to provide robust HRV measurement and subsequent stress estimation.