Who says that selfies are narcissistic and egotistical is because he has not yet learned that they could help save lives. How? Researchers at the University of Toronto have developed a technology that allows the recognition of a person’s blood pressure through these types of photos. This is so cool.
Called transdermal optical image, this technology uses the optical sensors of mobile phones to analyze the light that reflects our face and thus determine what our pressure is.
This is possible thanks to the red light that reflects the hemoglobin under our skin. Hemoglobin is the pigment that gives the color to the blood and that red light is the one that can be analyzed using the optical sensors of a smartphone. In this way, it is possible to detect changes in blood flow and, consequently, in pressure.
To achieve this, the researchers analyzed 1,328 two-minute videos in selfie format, recorded with the camera of an iPhone. The blood pressure of the participants was accurate with 95% accuracy.
However, it is still a developing technology that still presents problems when analyzing blood pressure, both in very dark and very white skin, because the red light of hemoglobin may be more difficult to identify.
This technology is expected to be especially useful for people who do not have access to health centers. Above all, those who suffer from hypotension and hypertension will be able to measure their blood pressure without using a medical device for it or having to travel to a health center.
