Non-invasive measurement of pulse waves in the soles of rats using an RGB camera

Abstract

In this paper, we propose a non-invasive method for measuring pulse waves corresponding to heart rate (HR) by capturing the color change on the soles of rats’ feet using a high-speed RGB camera. Remote photoplethysmography (rPPG) with a camera has been used as a non-invasive biometric method. However, the rPPG method has been challenging to apply to rats with body hair. We applied the rPPG method using a high frame rate to the sole where the skin was directly visible and successfully and accurately detected pulse waves under non-invasive, non-restraint, and non-anesthetized conditions.