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The new Vital Signs Camera app by Philips allows users to monitor their own breathing and heart rates using the iPad2′s camera. Using only the color of your face and the motion of your chest, the app reads vital signs accurately.
It sounds like science fiction, but according to Philips, the beating heart causes small changes in the color of a person’s face, known as “micro-blushes.” Although these changes can’t be seen with the naked eye, the iPad 2′s camera detects them, then the app uses the information to calibrate a heart rate. The breathing rate is calculated in a similar manner.
Philips recommends the following steps to get the most accurate measurement:

1) Place the iPad 2 on a table.
2) Position your face inside the marked area.
3) Sit still and quiet during the measurement.

Wearing bulky clothing may confuse the Vital Signs Camera, so light layers are best to ensure the most accurate reading possible. Users can share their vital signs via Facebook and Twitter. (Though if we’re friends there’s no need to include me in your post. That’s really too much information, thank you very much.)
The app is good, but remember that it’s not a replacement for medical advice. Philips includes the following disclaimer: “The Vital Signs Camera App for iPad 2 is not intended for diagnosis or for clinical measurements, monitoring or decision making. Measurements and statistics are provided for entertainment purposes only.”
Download Vital Signs Camera from the App Store for $0.99.
Whether measuring your heart rate is your idea of entertainment or not, the Vital Signs Camera is noteworthy because it uses the iPad 2 camera in a new way that could eventually be applied to a clinical setting.

[via MacNews]