Under a collaborative agreement with the Defence Science and Technology (DST) Group, UniSA researchers have successfully trialled unmanned aerial vehicles to measure heart and respiratory rates using remote-sensing imaging systems, while hovering three metres from humans.

Video footage from the drones can detect changes in human skin tone and minute head movements to read vital signs, providing a low cost, accurate and convenient way to monitor heart rates without physical restrictions, researchers say.

The breakthrough could have many applications, including triaging disaster victims in earthquakes, detecting security and terrorism threats at airports, and remotely monitoring heart rates of premature babies in incubators.

Under the supervision of Professor Javaan Chahl, UniSA PhD students Ali Al-Naji and Asanka Perera carried out a number of experiments with 15 healthy individuals, ranging in age from 2-40 years, in both indoor and outdoor settings, and within close range of the drones.

The results were as accurate as traditional contact methods – ECGs, pulse oximeters and respiratory belts – that are currently used to monitor vital signs.

“This is the first time that video from a hovering UAV has been used to measure cardiorespiratory signals,” Chahl says.

The experiments were performed within three metres of humans but researchers expect the drones to capture information at much greater distances once the technology is further developed.

Heart monitors

The drones could help detect potential terrorists in public spaces, merely by measuring anomalies in their heart rates, according to Chahl, a Professor of Sensor Systems in UniSA’s School of Engineering.

“A person who is about to engage in violence will probably have anomalous behaviour and physiological signs.

“They might be highly agitated or unnaturally calm and in many cases they might be under the influence of drugs.

“There is a good chance that our system can detect these anomalies.”

In the developing world, expensive disposable electrodes could also be replaced with this technology to monitor vital signs remotely and eliminate the temptation to reuse the electrodes which can spread horrific skin infections between neonatal infants.

Aged care facilities may also benefit from the imaging systems which could be placed in strategic locations to monitor older people’s heart and breathing rates, Chahl adds.

“Obviously there are privacy and ethical issues around this technology that need to be resolved before it becomes common practice, but there is enormous potential to use machine vision systems to benefit society, particularly in the biomedical sphere.

“I expect we will be using this software in everyday life in the next decade.”

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Firms in the finance sector, regulators, and other authorities all have a part to play in managing cyber security risks, a Reserve Bank executive said.

They can take on this challenge while still benefiting from the opportunities of new financial technology, said Reserve Bank Head of Prudential Supervision, Toby Fiennes, in a speech delivered to the Future of Financial Services conference, in Auckland.

“The dynamic cyber environment means organisations have to be nimble in their approach to cyber security – focused on outcomes, rather than prescriptive compliance exercises,” said Fiennes.

He said that cyber-attack poses a significant threat to the global financial system, as shown by the ‘WannaCry’ ransom-ware attack that affected more than 200,000 systems around the world and the more recent ‘Notpetya’ attack.

“The nature and incidence of cyber risk is unique, meaning that typical approaches to risk management and disaster recovery planning may not be appropriate. While cyber vulnerabilities can be mitigated, the potential sources of cyber threats and the attack footprint are just too broad, so they can never be eliminated,” Fiennes said.

The Reserve Bank had thought about whether to introduce more prescriptive requirements but decided not to at this stage.

“We doubt that prescriptive regulations would appreciably improve the outcome, when the technology and threat landscape are both changing so rapidly. We will, however, review this policy stance from time-to-time to ensure that it remains appropriate,” Fiennes said.

“The Reserve Bank is closely watching the emerging wave of ‘digital disruption’ affecting the financial sector as firms react to customer demand for a more online experience. In the short term, digital disruption may result in new risks and increased instability in the financial system but in the long term, digital disruption of the banking sector may improve the efficiency of the financial system. The long-term impact on financial system soundness is less clear. Read more. Read more

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