Abstract
The present study examined the validity of a novel physiological measurement technology called transdermal optical imaging (TOI) technology at assessing basal stress. This technology conveniently, contactlessly, and remotely measures facial blood flow changes using a conventional digital video camera. We compared data from TOI against the pulse data collected from the FDA approved BIOPAC system. One hundred thirty-six healthy adults participated in the study. We found that TOI measurements of heart rate and heart rate variability (HRV), which reflects basal stress, corresponded strongly to those obtained from BIOPAC. These findings indicate that TOI technology is a viable method to monitor heart rate and HRV not only accurately but also conveniently, contactlessly, and remotely. Further, measures of HRV obtained via TOI serves as a valid index of basal stress. Potential applications of this technology in psychological research and other fields are discussed.
Highlights
Humans encounter various stressful situations everyday at work, home, and school
To assess the accuracy of the transdermal optical imaging (TOI) technology, we compared measurements of heart rate and stress obtained with TOI against those obtained with the BIOPAC ECG
We calculated for the agreement between stress measurements obtained from TOI and BIOPAC
Summary
Humans encounter various stressful situations everyday at work, home, and school. Such stress when experienced at high degrees and/or for a long duration of time could lead to cardiovascular diseases, cognitive dysfunctions, and psychological disorders (Kofman et al, 2006; Pan and Li, 2007; Crowley et al, 2011). Biometric data are often obtained using instruments which require the attachment of electrodes or sensors onto the body by trained individuals. This use of physiological measurement instruments can be inconvenient.
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