Abstract—Heart Beat Rate calculation has traditionally been
conducted using specialized hardware most commonly in the
form of pulse oximeters or Electrocardiogram devices. Even
though these methods offer high reliability, they require the
users to have special sensor to measure their heart rate. In this
paper we propose a system capable of estimating the heart beat
rate using just a camera from a commercially available mobile
phone. The advantage of this method is that the user does not
need specialized hardware and s/he can take a measurement in
virtually any place under almost any circumstances. Moreover
the measurement provided can be used as a tool for health
coaching applications or effective telecare services aimed in
enhancing the user’s well being.