Binah.ai: Video-Based Vital Sign Monitoring

There are quite a few tools to measure your vital signs, but most of them only measure one or two of the signs. A blood pressure cuff will give your pulse rate and your blood pressure, while an oxygen reader will provide your oxygen level and pulse rate. However, none of these measures all your vital signs. It took until now for that to become a possibility… and it came in the form of an app.

What Is Binah.ai?

This unique app was designed to provide all vital signs based on a video of the affected person. Instead of requiring multiple tools, you simply point the camera at the person, and the app does the rest. It will show you a range of vital signs, carefully collected from the video. These include:

Heart Rate or Pulse

The number of times your heart beats per minute is your heart rate. The app will let you know if your heart rate is at a normal level or not.

Heart Rate Variability (HRV)

This vital measure lets you know what the variation in intervals between heartbeats is.

Oxygen Saturation

How much oxygen is in your blood? This will determine the percentage of oxyhemoglobin in the blood to let you know how saturated with oxygen your cells are.

Respiration Rate

This measures how many breaths you take in a minute and lets you know if the number is high or low.

Mental Stress Level

This section of the app uses the U.S./European Index and Baevsky’s level measurements to check your mental stress levels, based on the video signs.

Blood Pressure

This is a feature that is coming, but has not yet been incorporated into the app. It measures the pressure of your blood against the blood vessel walls.

Each of these vital signs is useful in diagnosing potential problems and for evaluating your overall health. They are also the signs that change the most with COVID-19, so doctors can quickly scan a patient from afar and determine if they need to seek emergency help or stay home.

How It Works

To use the app, you access it on your phone and then point the camera at the person you wish to monitor. The app’s AI technology uses the camera to scan the upper level of the face and uses photoplethysmographic imaging (rPPG) to determine changes in the skin. This technology measures the changes in red, blue, and green light reflecting off your skin. You can also use your finger on the back camera of the smartphone.

The measurements extracted are somewhere between 95% and 98% accurate, so they are quite similar to medical equipment that is commonly used.

Pros and Cons of Binah.ai

This app has quite a few pros, and a few cons as well. It was designed to give you a better handle on your health.

Benefits include:

• Ability to use it on a phone, tablet, or laptop.
• No wearables necessary.
• Pain free and touch free.
• Anyone can use it, regardless of age, gender, or race.
• Simple to use.
• Lets you monitor your health constantly.
• Makes telehealth visits more effective.
• Developed by doctors.

Of course, there are a few drawbacks too. For example:

• It may be slightly less accurate than the usual tools.
• You need a clear, functional camera on your phone for it to work.
• Pricing is not obvious.

However, these are easily overcome, and the end result is still an excellent one.

Pricing

In order to determine pricing, you will need to contact the company for a quote, based on how many people will use the product and other information.

What People Are Saying About Binah.ai

Reviews on the app are scarce, since it’s only available as an SDK file, rather than a download on Apple or Play stores. However, the majority of those interested in the app are excited about the possibilities and are eager to explore what else Binah may come up with. Designed to help both doctors and laypeople keep track of vital signs, the app has certainly garnered attention.

The app has been mentioned many times in the media, which you can read about here.

Alternatives to Binah.ai

At the moment, there aren’t any apps that do what Binah.ai does. There are apps that will monitor your heart rate or track your recorded vitals, but nothing that actually monitors it all for you.

Blood Pressure Log from My Diary lets you input your blood pressure and keep track of it over time. You will need a separate device to check your blood pressure, however.

Instant Heart Rate is an app that uses your finger on the camera to check your heart rate. It also measures the changes in your skin to determine your heart rate and does not require any outside sensors or monitors. However, it only checks one vital sign, not multiples.

Another option is Heart Rate Monitor. Similar to the previous app, it checks your pulse via your finger and changes to it. With this app, you need to turn on the flashlight or use bright sunlight to shine against your finger so it can carefully monitor it. It is not considered a medical app, however, and is intended for use by athletes.

Conclusion

Binah.ai is a life-changing app that is leading the charge toward the future of medical services and self-monitored health. More and more of the world is focused on the ability to improve virtual health services, as we become more accustomed to avoiding medical clinics and hospitals. Being able to rapidly check your vitals via video allows doctors to improve their long-distance diagnosis and improve your chances of receiving the right medicine.

The future of medicine is remote, and this app may play a major part in that future. As the company begins to expand into corporate health, it’s quite likely to become quite popular.