Human Pulse and Respiratory Signal Analysis using a Robot Hand equipped with a Biomimetic Fingertip

摘要

Two key indicators of human health are pulse and respiratory rate. Being able to measure pulse (rate and rhythm) and respiratory rate (RR) in an emergency or search and rescue situation could be the difference between life and death. This paper presents novel algorithms that will equip a robot with the necessary skills to assess a human’s pulse and RR. Algorithms that calculate heart beats per minute (bpm), Pulse to Pulse Interval (PPI), RR and Breath to Breath Interval (BBI) are<br/>presented. The bpm is used to classify if a heart rate is normal, bradycardic, or tachycardic. PPI is used to determine if the pulse rate is regular or in a form of arrhythmia. The RR and BBI are<br/>used to determine if the humans breathing is normal and regular. The results in this paper show that pulse and breathing were successfully measured and a subject’s bpm and RR calculated<br/>using a trough detection method following a two stage noise reduction filter. Furthermore the robotic system proved to be capable of classifying the pulse as being regular or arrhythmic<br/>and the RR as being regular or irregular.