A smartphone that can take the pulse of a user just by looking at his or her face was unveiled in Japan.
Technology
giant Fujitsu plans to put the invention to practical use within a
year, enabling people at work or at home to track their health and
collect data for analysis without wearing special devices.
The smartphone works by measuring variations in the brightness of a person's face caused by the flow of blood.
Researchers
say countless tiny blood vessels run through the face, enabling
monitoring of haemoglobin which absorbs green light. Haemoglobin is a
protein found in red blood cells that contains iron and transports
oxygen.
Simply pointing a camera at a person's
face for as little as five seconds will enable pulse-taking, while the
technology automatically filters out the effect of head movements or
changes caused by standing up quickly.
"Even
at a busy workplace, or any time a person is sitting in front of a PC,
whether for teleconferencing or writing e-mails, their pulse can be
measured during brief moments of quiet," the company said in a press
release.
"At home, a camera built into a TV
can measure the pulse of people relaxing in front of it, or a mirror,
for when people are getting ready in the morning," it said.
"Pulse
detectors built into gates at event sites or control points at airports
could be a possible security application by detecting people in ill
health and people acting suspiciously."
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