Using Contactless Facial Image Recognition Technology to Detect Blood Oxygen Saturation

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, as of January 2023, there have been over 670 million cases and more than 6.8 million deaths worldwide. Infections can cause inflammation in the lungs and decrease blood oxygen levels, which can lead to breathing difficulties and endanger life. As the situation continues to escalate, non-contact machines are used to assist patients at home to monitor their blood oxygen levels without encountering others. This paper uses a general network camera to capture the forehead area of a person’s face, using the RPPG (remote photoplethysmography) principle. Then, image signal processing of red and blue light waves is carried out. By utilizing the principle of light reflection, the standard deviation and mean are calculated, and the blood oxygen saturation is computed. Finally, the effect of illuminance on the experimental values is discussed. The experimental results of this paper were compared with a blood oxygen meter certified by the Ministry of Health and Welfare in Taiwan, and the experimental results had only a maximum error of 2%, which is better than the 3% to 5% error rates in other studies The measurement time was only 30 s, which is better than the one minute reported using similar equipment in other studies. Therefore, this paper not only saves equipment expenses but also provides convenience and safety for those who need to monitor their blood oxygen levels at home. Future applications can combine the SpO2 detection software with camera-equipped devices such as smartphones and laptops. The public can detect SpO2 on their own mobile devices, providing a convenient and effective tool for personal health management.