A Signal Extraction Approach for Remote Heart Rate Variability Assessment Using Proxy Measure in a Driving Simulator

This study evaluates remote Photopletismography (rPPG) algorithms, Spatial Subspace Rotation (2SR), Chrominance-based method (CHROM), Plane-Orthogonal-to-Skin (POS), and Principal Component Analysis (PCA), applied to selected superpixel-based facial regions (with target counts of 10 and 20 regions) for monitoring in a driving simulator. Two novel peak enhancement approaches, based on the Lp norm and Fractional-Order Derivative (FOD), are introduced to enable robust Heart Rate Variability (HRV) estimation. A signal-to-noise ratio-based quality assessment of 20 s segments serves as a data cleaning mechanism to mitigate motion artifacts inherent to dynamic recording conditions. In a sample of 29 participants recorded during baseline and driving simulation conditions, Pulse Rate (PR) is calculated with clinically acceptable accuracy across configurations (validated against simultaneous Electrocardiography (ECG) recordings), achieving the lowest Mean Absolute Error (MAE) of 1.92 bpm (sd = 1.72) using 2SR with FOD and 20 superpixel regions. The best-case MAE reached 0.061 s for Standard Deviation of Normal-to-Normal intervals (SDNN) and 0.081 s for Root Mean Square of Successive Differences (RMSSD), with inter-beat interval detection yielding an F1 score of 0.93. Optimal parameters clustered around p = 6-7 for Lp norm and fractional orders of 1.0-1.4. All rPPG-derived parameters reproduced the statistical structure of the reference ECG across conditions and configurations. Caution is advised when using FOD due to slow changes in the rPPG waveform. Overall, 2SR is recommended for PR, while CHROM for HRV estimation, using Lp norm with 20 superpixels, providing clear methodological guidance for rPPG monitoring in driving simulators