BALLISTOCARDIOGRAPHY TECHNOLOGY

Ballistocardiography is a non-invasive technology to measure small movements within the body generated by the ejection of blood with each heartbeat. The ballistocardiogram (BCG) is an integration of multiple forces related to displacement, velocity or acceleration of blood inside the heart and arteries (primarily the aorta), and movement of the heart itself.

SleepIQ^® technology's sensing feature uses high-resolution ballistocardiography readings sampled several hundred times per second from our uniquely designed air chambers within the bed. The use model is to “just get in bed.” The device’s embedded software employs advanced biomedical signal processing and machine-learning algorithms to determine bed presence, bed entry and exit, and body movements, including position changes, time to fall asleep and breathing and heart rate in real-time.

According to Newton’s third law of motion, any movement of mass within a body will be reflected by oppositely directed motion of the body itself, conserving the system’s center of gravity. This is the primary physical principle of ballistocardiography, and it means that the timing and amplitude of cardiac-cycle events (both systolic and diastolic components) will be reflected in BCG data. In addition, if a BCG sensor covers the core body area (chest or back), the influence of breathing also will appear in the measured signal.

Thanks to recent technological improvements in the field of sensors, ballistocardiography is now receiving renewed scientific interest. BCG has revealed itself to be a useful and informative signal about the cardiovascular and respiratory systems, since it is able to assess the body’s vibrations due to cardio-respiratory physiological signatures. Moreover, it enables measurement of motion and biometrics without the need to connect any wires, making it feasible in a home setting.