The research team has demonstrated a technique that involves participants placing their finger over the camera and flash of a phone, whereafter a deep-learning algorithm deciphers the blood oxygen levels from the blood flow patterns captured in the resulting video.
When we breathe in, our lungs fill with oxygen, which is distributed to our red blood cells for transportation throughout our bodies. Our bodies need a lot of oxygen to function and healthy people have at least 95 per cent oxygen saturation all the time.
Conditions like asthma or Covid-19 make it harder for bodies to absorb oxygen from the lungs. This leads to oxygen saturation percentages that drop to 90 per cent or below - an indication that medical attention may be needed.
In a clinic, doctors monitor oxygen saturation using pulse oximeters: clips placed over a patient's fingertip or ear. Being able to monitor oxygen saturation at home multiple times a day could, for example, help patients...