It is pretty obvious
when someone has a pulse. It normally involves them being upright, breathing,
chatting, acting like the average human being really. What you normally can't tell
though is the speed of that pulse, just by looking at the person in front of you.
Technology has changed
all that this week though with new software from Fujitsu making the clinging
onto wrists of old school pulse taking look like an archaic method.
The Japanese firm has built
a programme that uses a camera on a smartphone or tablet to examine your face.
The creators claim blood flow through the area affects the colour of the face
and this enables the software to identify how quickly haemoglobin is
travelling, in turn working out how fast a pulse is.
The system needs as
little as five seconds to work and Fujitsu has already begun touting ideas for
where it could be used, from airport security to check anyone acting
suspiciously through to music festivals to check the revellers are healthy.
However, it has
promised the solution will be put into a practical use within the year and that
has made the collective Downtime heart skip a beat!
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