Selfies Will Soon Be Able To Measure Your Blood Pressure

Researchers have discovered a new way to measure blood pressure, and it lies right in the hands of smartphone users.



A study by the University of Toronto found that blood pressure can be measured simply through taking a video selfie on an app.

Using a method called transdermal optical imaging, the camera captures and processes facial blood flow through humans' translucent skin. Light reveals the redness from the hemoglobin, and blood pressure can be calibrated from a quick two-minute video.

"Blood pressure is among the key health indexes that we use to measure your health," said Kang Lee, the lead author of the study and a professor of applied psychology and human development at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education. He added that this is highly beneficial for those susceptible to hypertension or hypotension.

Additional research needs to be done prior to the release of the app, according to Lee, such as sampling people with very light or very dark skin. More data will also need to be collected from people with hypertension, which is difficult due to the fact that the majority of them take medicine.

However, the study opens many doors for the future of preventative health, including the measurements of blood glucose levels and other health markers that typically require a doctor's visit.

The researchers are also looking into the advantages this could give citizens who reside in rural areas or have limited access to medical services.

"If you set up a computer or your phone, you can get a doctor who is, let's say, in Toronto and then you can talk to each other and diagnose simultaneously," Lee said.

Privacy is a priority for the scientists, too.

"We only extract blood flow information from your face and send that to the cloud," Lee said. "So from the cloud, if I look at your blood flow, I couldn't tell it is you."

A version of this app, called Anura, will be released in the fall in China for people to try themselves.

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