TECH

University of Tokyo researchers prototype optical measurement of blood pressure and glucose levels

University of Tokyo researchers have prototyped a new method for measuring blood pressure, hypertension, and blood glucose levels using only an optical camera. This opens the door to pain-free measurements of important indicators of health.

Researchers at the University of Tokyo in Japan have prototyped an optical, non-contact method to detect hypertension and diabetes. A multispectral camera was used and pointed at trial participants' faces to detect variations in the blood flow, which was further analyzed by AI software.

Even though humans cannot see the minute changes in the pulses of blood flow across the body, multispectral cameras can because they can see into the IR and UV range. Also, their sensitivity to such changes is much higher. Nonetheless, the detection of such health conditions is difficult without AI software because of the great amount of thermal noise and other factors that make the processing of image data difficult under traditional means.

The AI software was trained by comparing images against actual blood measurements taken at the same time and was able to predict important health factors with a good deal of accuracy.

An optical camera with AI-processing of image data enables contact-free measurements of blood pressure with good accuracy. (Image source: Circulation)

Optical measurement of the face to measure blood flow detected abnormal blood glucose levels with about 75% accuracy. (Image source: Circulation)

The detection of diabetes is important as it is a modern disease that affects a growing number worldwide. It is often silent and undetected for many years until severe health damage has already been done, so early detection is the key to successfully managing the disease. Blood glucose and A1C levels are critical factors, and the AI was able to detect diabetes correctly 75.3% of the time.

Blood pressure rises as one ages, but poor diet can lead to heart conditions that exacerbate this. Heart-related diseases are a common death factor in modern countries, so early detection can help counter hypertension with medications, diet, and exercise. The AI was able to detect hypertension correctly 94.2% of the time.

The researchers must do more testing and validation before the commercial release of products. In the meantime, readers can do themselves good by getting a blood pressure and EKG monitor (like this one on Amazon) and a pair of good running shoes (like these on Amazon) to stay fit and healthy.

mundophone