Non-invasive physiological quantification of stress levels

Inventors

Olivier, Laurence Richard • du Preez, Franco Bauer • Hare, Shannagh Jane • Fanfoni, Alida

Assignees

Lifeq Global Ltd

Abstract

A data acquisition device includes measuring instruments to generate physiological and/or psychological data streams. Microprocessors within the acquisition device process the generated data streams into metrics, which feed into stress function algorithms. Algorithm processing may occur either on the device, or metrics may be communicated via wireless communication for external processing on mobile devices and/or cloud-based platforms. The calculated stress functions inform cloud-based computational systems biology-derived models describing the dynamics of hormones and neurotransmitters released in the body in response to stressful stimuli. Stress hormone levels are quantified using these models, and are used in combination to serve as biologically inspired metrics of acute and chronic stress an individual is experiencing.

Core Innovation

The disclosed invention provides a non-invasive physiological and psychological quantification of stress levels for a human subject. It includes a data acquisition device with a measuring instrument acquiring physiological data and psychological data, where the physiological data comprise cardiac signals, motion signals, pulmonary signals, thermal signals, electrodermal activity signals, or brain signals, and the psychological data comprise user feedback, subjective feedback, or environmental feedback. A microcontroller processes the acquired physiological data and psychological data into biological metrics.

The system further includes a communication link and a computing platform connected to the communication link. The computing platform receives the biological metrics from the data acquisition device and processes the biological metrics into quantifiable stress metrics by means of a stress function algorithm module. The processing calculates an estimate of levels of hormones or neurotransmitters released by the human subject and therefore the level of stress experienced by the human subject.

The described approach quantifies stress by translating measured physiological data and psychological feedback into biological metrics and then into hormone or neurotransmitter-based stress estimates. The patent describes stress level quantification to include average stress levels and/or acute or chronic stress levels, and/or stress intensity and duration of the stressor, and/or distress levels or eustress levels. The computing platform may implement stress-function processing using a stress rotation algorithm or clustering/mixture analysis approaches, including k-means clustering, fuzzy clustering, and a Gaussian mixture model, and the resulting stress metrics can be communicated to user devices and optionally third-party databases.

Claims Coverage

The independent claims are directed to a system and a method that quantify stress levels by acquiring both physiological and psychological data, converting them into biological metrics, and using a stress function algorithm module to calculate estimated hormone or neurotransmitter levels as a basis for quantifiable stress metrics. The independent claims include four main inventive elements: data acquisition device with specified physiological/psychological inputs, microcontroller processing into biological metrics, communication link, and computing platform processing into quantifiable stress metrics via a stress function algorithm module to estimate hormone/neurotransmitter release and stress level.

Across the independent system and method claims, stress levels are quantified by combining physiological signals (cardiac, motion, pulmonary, thermal, electrodermal activity, and/or brain signals) with psychological signals (user feedback, subjective feedback, and/or environmental feedback), converting these into biological metrics, and then using a stress function algorithm module on a computing platform to calculate estimated hormone or neurotransmitter levels that correspond to the level of stress experienced.

Stated Advantages

Documented Applications