Synchro-Thermography: Monitoring ~10 mK Facial Temperature Changes with Heartbeat Referencing for Physiological Sensing

Infrared thermography has gained interest as a tool for non-contact measurement of blood circulation and skin blood flow due to cardiac activity. Partiularly, blood vessels on the surface, such as on the back of the hand, are suited for visualization. However, standardized methodologies have not yet been established for areas such as the face and neck, where many blood vessels are lie deeper beneath the surface, and external stimulation for measurement could be harmful. Here we propose Synchro-Thermography for stable monitoring of facial temperature changes associated with heart rate variability. We conducted experiments with eight subjects and measured minute temperature changes with an amplitude of about \SI{10}{mK} on the forehead and chin. The proposed method improves the temperature resolution by a factor of 2 or more, and can stably measure skin temperature changes caused by blood flow. This skin temperature change could be applied to physiological sensing such as blood flow changes due to injury or disease, or as an indicator of stress.