OLAM: A Wearable, Non-Contact Sensor for Continuous Heart-Rate and Activity Monitoring

Abstract

A wearable, multi-modal sensor is presented that can non-invasively monitor a patient’s activity level and heart function concurrently for more than a week. The 4in² sensor incorporates both a non-contact heartrate sensor and a 5-axis inertial measurement unit (IMU), allowing simultaneous heart, respiration, and movement monitoring without requiring physical contact with the skin [1]. Hence, this Oregon State University Life and Activity Monitor (OLAM) provides the unique opportunity to combine motion data with heart-rate information, enabling assessment of actual physical activity beyond conventional movement sensors. OLAM also provides a unique platform for non-contact sensing, enabling the filtering of movement artifacts generated by the non-contact capacitive interface, using the IMU data as a movement noise channel. Intended to be used in clinical trials for weeks at a time with no physician intervention, the OLAM allows continuous noninvasive monitoring of patients, providing the opportunity for long-term observation into a patient’s physical activity and subtle longitudinal changes.