Software monitors vital signs via webcam
A new spin out company from Oxford University's (Oxford, UK) Institute of Biomedical Engineering has developed a system that allows a patient's health to be monitored using a webcam and a software application.
OxeHealth's (London, UK) system can detect a patient's heart rate, respiratory rate and oxygen saturation even in artificial light without the need for any physical contact or additional hardware.
Isis Innovation, which commercializes research from the University of Oxford, announced that the new company will receive up to £500,000 in funding from the IP Group (London, UK) subject to certain milestones being met.
"Our research has transformed the ubiquitous webcam into a non-contact sensor for monitoring the most important vital signs. We believe that our webcam software offers a step change in the way that the health of individuals can be assessed in the home or the hospital," says Professor Lionel Tarassenko, Director of Oxford University's Institute of Biomedical Engineering.
The software has been validated in a clinical study with patients in the Oxford Kidney Unit, showing that respiratory rate, pulse rate and oxygen saturation can all be monitored accurately with a remote webcam.
Over the coming months, Oxehealth will refine its technology for remote monitoring of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder and other chronic disease patients in their homes.
Oxehealth's software will be available for license to technology, medical technology and pharmaceutical companies and for organizations conducting clinical trials.
The company is the second Institute of Biomedical Engineering spin-out that IP Group has funded since acquiring its stake in Technikos LLP in January 2011.
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-- Dave Wilson, Senior Editor, Vision Systems Design