Accuracy of smartphone video for contactless measurement of hand tremor frequency

Background:

Computer vision can measure movement from video without the time and access limitations of hospital accelerometry/electromyography or the requirement to hold or strap a smartphone accelerometer.

Objective:

To compare computer vision measurement of hand tremor frequency from smartphone video with a gold standard measure accelerometer.

Methods:

A total of 37 smartphone videos of hands, at rest and in posture, were recorded from 15 participants with tremor diagnoses (9 Parkinson’s disease, 5 essential tremor, 1 functional tremor). Video pixel movement was measured using the computing technique of optical flow, with contemporaneous accelerometer recording. Fast Fourier transform and Bland-Altman analysis were applied. Tremor amplitude was scored by 2 clinicians.

Results:

Bland-Altman analysis of dominant tremor frequency from smartphone video compared with accelerometer showed excellent agreement: 95% limits of agreement −0.38 Hz to +0.35 Hz. In 36 of 37 videos (97%), there was <0.5 Hz difference between computer vision and accelerometer measurement. There was no significant correlation between the level of agreement and tremor amplitude.

Conclusion:

The study suggests a potential new, contactless point-and-press measure of tremor frequency within standard clinical settings, research studies, or telemedicine.