Modern lifestyles are triggering stress at a disproportionate rate for longer periods of time. Chronic or long-lasting stress can pose a risk to our health. However, despite advances in physiological recording methods, stress remains challenging to quantify and monitor accurately. We have developed and tested an Internet of Medical Things device with electrocardiogram (ECG) recording features. The IoMT records and processes ECG signal on-the-fly to calculate, in real time, heart rate, heart rate variability, energy expenditure and stress. Data can be sent to an online platform using a standard Internet of Things publish-subscribe messaging transport protocol for continuous monitoring. We monitored induced stress by recording ECG in subjects using state-of-the-art liquid metal electrodes performing a plank walking task in a virtual reality (VR) environment with high heights exposure and at-home. The results demonstrate our IoMT technology ability to provide accurate ECG metrics using novel liquid metal electrodes by detecting continuously increased stress values in a VR setting and at-home. Our work sets the stage for future research on psychological stress and emotion regulation within daily life and the physiological mechanisms through which it influences the health of both children and adults.
The study is now accepted in IEEE Internet of Things Journal, with an impact factor of 10.238 and among the top 10 journals in Telecommunications by Journal impact factor.
