A new technology that will enable smartphones to take your pulse
within five seconds - just by looking at your face - has been
unveiled in Japan. A Fujitsu engineer shows a the real-time
pulse monitor system with facial imaging technology in Tokyo.
AFP photo The technology developed by Fujitsu Laboratories
measures a person's pulse in real time by using facial images
captured by a built-in camera or webcam in a PC, smartphone or
tablet. It will provide a new, more convenient way for
individuals to monitor and manage their health, anytime and
anywhere. The technology requires no special hardware and can
measure pulse rate simply by pointing a camera at a person's
face for as little as five seconds. It detects the pulse by
measuring variations in the brightness of the person's face
thought to be caused by the flow of blood. It is based on the
characteristic of hemoglobin in blood, which absorbs green
light. The technology starts to work by shooting video of a
subject and calculating average values for the colou