A novel method for extracting respiration rate and relative tidal volume from infrared thermography

In psychophysiological research, measurement of respiration has been dependent on transducers having direct contact with the participant. The current study provides empirical data demonstrating that a noncontact technology, infrared video thermography, can accurately estimate breathing rate and relative tidal volume across a range of breathing patterns. Video tracking algorithms were applied to frame-by-frame thermal images of the face to extract time series of nostril temperature and to generate breath-by-breath measures of respiration rate and relative tidal volume. The thermal indices of respiration were contrasted with criterion measures collected with inductance plethysmography. The strong correlations observed between the technologies demonstrate the potential use of facial video thermography as a noncontact technology to monitor respiration.