Oxehealth acknowledged for unobtrusive patient monitoring system

Oxford University spin-out Oxehealth is to receive the annual award for the development of Oxecam, a system that monitors vital signs - including heart rate and breathing rate - by tracking micro-movements or colour changes on the body with a standard digital video camera without the need for attachments such as contact sensors.

The software processes data from an off-the-shelf digital video camera equipped with infra-red illumination. Heart rate is measured by detecting small, visually-imperceptible changes in reflected light that occur with each heartbeat, and the camera can monitor a subject who may be anywhere in the room or even covered by a blanket. The system provides alerts and information to those responsible for the person’s care.

The team, led by Dr Oliver Gibson, Dr Simon Jones, and PhD student Nic Dunkley, have combined computer vision, signal processing and machine learning to file 14 patents for Oxecam.

Whilst creating Oxecam the team identified several real-world problems that the technology would be able to solve, such as monitoring detainees held in police custody or secure mental health institutions.