Eulerian Video Algorithm Will Be Perfect For Tricorder Devlelopment

 Tricorder Tech  

Researchers at MIT have created an"Eulerian Video Magnification" algorithm, which amplifies subtle movements through video technology to reveal hidden information not visible by the naked eye, such as blood flowing through a face, or the human pulse. In other words, as noted in the video above, we can now take someone's vital signs purely by watching them via a video - perfect for incorporation into a smart phone.

A new video processing algorithm created by MIT researchers has opened up a new way of viewing the world.  Using pixel by pixel amplification techniques, the Eulierian Video Magnification method allows someone's pulse to be read from video of their skin, shows you a sleeping baby breathing in its crib, and will undoubtedly unleash a string of new applications as the code is now available as open-source.

As a video processing algorithm, the method seems perfect for researchers working on the Qualcomm Tricorder X PRIZE, a prize designed to literally develop the Star Trek medical device.

Eulerian Video Magnification, takes a standard video sequence as input, and applies spatial decomposition, followed by temporal filtering to the frames. The resulting signal is then amplified to reveal hidden information.

Using the method, computer scientist William Freeman was able to visualize the flow of blood as it fills the face and also to amplify and reveal small motions. The technique can run in real time to show phenomena occurring at temporal frequencies selected by the user.

The MIT researchers including graduate student Michael Rubinstein, recent alumni Hao-Yu Wu and Eugene Shih along with professors Freeman, Fredo Durand and John Guttag initially intended the system to amplify color changes, but in their initial experiments, they found that it amplified motion as well.

"We started from amplifying color, and we noticed that we'd get this nice effect, that motion is also amplified," Rubinstein says. "So we went back, figured out exactly why that happens, studied it well, and saw how we can incorporate that to do better motion amplification."

Using the system to amplify motion rather than color requires a different kind of filtration, and it works well only if the motions are relatively small. But of course, those are exactly the motions whose amplification would be of interest.

Rubinstein envisions that, among other applications, the system could be used for contactless monitoring of hospital patients' vital signs. Boosting one set of frequencies would allow measurement of pulse rates, via subtle changes in skin coloration; boosting another set of frequencies would allow monitoring of breathing. The approach could be particularly useful with infants who are born prematurely or otherwise require early medical attention. "Their bodies are so fragile, you want to attach as few sensors as possible," Rubinstein says.

 


SOURCE  MIT News

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