Contactless Pulse Rate Assessment: Results and Insights for Application in Driving Simulators

Remote photoplethysmography (rPPG) offers a promising solution for non-contact driver monitoring by detecting subtle blood flow-induced facial color changes from video. However, motion artifacts in dynamic driving environments remain key challenges. This study presents an rPPG framework that combines signal processing techniques before and after applying Eulerian Video Magnification (EVM) for pulse rate (PR) estimation in driving simulators. While not novel, the approach offers insights into the efficiency of the EVM method and its time complexity. We compare results of the proposed rPPG approach against reference Empatica E4 data and also compare it with existing achievements from the literature. Additionally, the possible bias of the Empatica E4 is further assessed using an independent dataset with both the Empatica E4 and the Faros 360 measurements. EVM slightly improves PR estimation, reducing the mean absolute error (MAE) from 6.48 bpm to 5.04 bpm (the lowest MAE (~2 bpm) was achieved under strict conditions) with an additional time required for EVM of about 20 s for 30 s sequence. Furthermore, statistically significant differences are identified between younger and older drivers in both reference and rPPG data. Our findings demonstrate the feasibility of using rPPG-based PR monitoring, encouraging further research in driving simulations.