Using a camera as an optical sensor
to monitor physiological parameters
has garnered considerable research interest in biomedical engineering
in recent decades. Researchers have explored the use of a camera for
monitoring a variety of physiological waveforms, together with the
vital signs carried by these waveforms. Most of the obtained waveforms
are related to the human respiratory and cardiovascular systems, and
in addition of being indicative of overall health, they can also detect
early signs of certain diseases. While using a camera for noncontact
physiological signal monitoring offers the advantages of low cost
and operational ease, it also has the disadvantages such as vulnerability
to motion and lack of burden-free calibration solutions in some use
cases. This study presents an overview of the existing camera-based
methods that have been reported in recent years. It introduces the
physiological principles behind these methods, signal acquisition
approaches, various types of acquired signals, data processing algorithms,
and application scenarios of these methods. It also discusses the
technological gaps between the camera-based methods and traditional
medical techniques, which are mostly contact-based. Furthermore, we
present the manner in which noncontact physiological signal monitoring
use has been extended, particularly over the recent years, to more
day-to-day aspects of individuals’ lives, so as to go beyond
the more conventional use case scenarios. We also report on the development
of novel approaches that facilitate easier measurement of less often
monitored and recorded physiological signals. These have the potential
of ushering a host of new medical and lifestyle applications. We hope
this study can provide useful information to the researchers in the
noncontact physiological signal measurement community.