A comprehensive review on technological advancements for sensor-based Nadi Pariksha: An ancient Indian science for human health diagnosis

Abstract

Nadi Pariksha is a significant, rather symbolic term for Ayurveda. Ancient Ayurvedic literature has prominently stated its importance in the judgment of Tridoshas (Vata, Pitta, and Kapha) which are the base of ailment diagnosis and prediction. The knowledge about Nadi Pariksha is uncovered in various ancient Ayurvedic literature like Ravansamhita, Bhavprakash, Nadivigyan by Kanad, Sharangdhar, and Yogratnakar. The various Nadi parameters are indicative of the diagnosis of diseases. These techniques were used as popular diagnostic tools in Indian culture from ancient days. Still, nowadays, these are not being used explicitly due to the lack of expertise, so it is necessary to establish their results once gained so that they can be used along with technical aspects in today's era. Ayurveda believes that all the elements of the Universe are present in any human body in minute, proportionate quantity, and the Nadi represents these elements, that is, Vata, Pitta, and Kapha (VPK). To facilitate the Nadi Pariksha using appropriate sensors may help the Ayurveda practitioners diagnose Prakriti and predict some diseases, making the Nadi Pariksha more reliable and faster. This review paper lists, 2 books and 67 research papers, mostly from countries like India, China, Japan, Korea, etc., from various reputed databases. The review primarily concentrates on six research themes: sensors and devices used for Nadi signal acquisition, signal pre-processing methods, feature extraction methods, feature selection approaches, classification practices, diseases diagnosed, and results attained. The paper also reviews the challenges in implementing the automated Nadi Pariksha with technological aid, which is a necessity of this period and is a very vibrant research arena. Yet significant work remains to be done, like bridging the gaps between technical and commercial development, and the procedure standardization is also required.

Keywords: Ayurveda; Kapha analysis; Nadi Pariksha; Pitta; Pulse examination; Pulse sensors; Vata.

Fig. 1

Body constitution

Fig. 2

Nadi Pariksha [1].

Fig. 3

Radial Pulse Pressure waveform [3].

Fig. 4

Nadi Pariksha phases.

Fig. 5

Unit with piezoelectric sensor A301 [25], bending area [23].

Fig. 6

Fabricated sensor chip [21].

Fig. 7

PPG Sensor in transmission and reflection mode [27].

Fig. 8

Image capturing system and positions of pulse in captured image [29].

Fig. 9

Pulse sensor [31].

Fig. 10

Setup with acoustic pulse sensors [34].

Fig. 11

A typical wrist pulse doppler spectrogram [35].

Fig. 12

Levels of Nadi described in Texts [1].

Fig. 13

Photograph of BSPDI [37].

Fig. 14

PVDF pulse sensor [39].

Fig. 15

Pulse measuring setups.

Fig. 16

Signal pre-processing [51].

Fig. 17

Time domain features.