There are several illnesses that necessitate periodic testing of blood oxygen levels, from asthma to Covid-19. Currently, pulse oximeters are used to take these readings, albeit this occasionally makes the test process more difficult.
Scientists have developed a smartphone app that measures blood oxygen levels using the phone’s camera and light in an effort to streamline the procedure.
In tests, scientists from the Universities of Washington and California, San Diego, have demonstrated that a smartphone is capable of detecting up to 70% of blood oxygen levels. A pulse oximeter should be able to detect at least this much.
The user must touch the smartphone’s camera and flash in order to start capturing videos using the suggested technique. The footage is then used by a deep learning system to determine the blood’s oxygen content.
Six people between the ages of 20 and 34 were chosen by the researchers to test the application.
Each participant wore an oximeter on one finger of their hand and covered the smartphone’s camera and flash with the other finger of the same hand.
The user must touch the smartphone’s camera and flash in order to start capturing videos using the suggested technique. The footage is then used by a deep learning system to determine the blood’s oxygen content.
Six people between the ages of 20 and 34 were chosen by the researchers to test the application.
Each participant wore an oximeter on one finger of their hand and covered the smartphone’s camera and flash with the other finger of the same hand.
