Use of PC mouse components for continuous measuring of human heartbeat

Appl Opt. 2012 Jun 1;51(16):3323-8. doi: 10.1364/AO.51.003323.

Abstract

A new technology for remote measuring of vibration sources was recently developed for industrial, medical, and security-related applications [Int. Appl. Patent No: PCT/IL2008/001008]. It requires relatively expensive equipment, such as high-speed complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) sensors and customized optics. In this paper, we demonstrate how the usage of a simple personal computer (PC) mouse as an optical system composed of a low-power laser and a CMOS circuitry on the same integrated circuit package, can be used to monitor heartbeat from the wrist. The method is based on modifying the mouse optical system in such a way that it will recognize temporal change in skin's vibration profile, generated due to the heart pulses, as mouse movement. The tests that were carried out show a very good correlation between the heartbeat rate measured from human skin and the reference values taken manually.

MeSH terms

  • Calibration
  • Equipment Design
  • Heart Rate*
  • Humans
  • Lasers
  • Microcomputers
  • Monitoring, Physiologic / instrumentation*
  • Pulse / instrumentation*
  • Pulse / methods*
  • Remote Sensing Technology / instrumentation*
  • Remote Sensing Technology / methods
  • Semiconductors
  • Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted / instrumentation
  • Skin
  • Vibration
  • Wrist