A Deep Sparse Capsule Network for Non-Invasive Blood Glucose Level Estimation Using a PPG Sensor

Diabetes, a chronic medical condition, affects millions of people worldwide and requires consistent monitoring of blood glucose levels (BGLs). Traditional invasive methods for BGL monitoring can be challenging and painful for patients. This study introduces a non-invasive, deep learning (DL)-based approach to estimate BGL using photoplethysmography (PPG) signals. Specifically, a Deep Sparse Capsule Network (DSCNet) model is proposed to provide accurate and robust BGL monitoring. The proposed model’s workflow includes data collection, preprocessing, feature extraction, and predictions. A hardware module was designed using a PPG sensor and Raspberry Pi to collect patient data. In preprocessing, a Savitzky–Golay filter and moving average filter were applied to remove noise and preserve pulse form and high-frequency components. The DSCNet model was then applied to predict the sugar level. Two models were developed for prediction: a baseline model, DSCNet, and an enhanced model, DSCNet with self-attention. DSCNet’s performance was evaluated using Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE), Mean Absolute Error (MAE), Mean Squared Error (MSE), Root Mean Squared Error (RMSE), Mean Absolute Relative Difference (MARD), and coefficient of determination (R²), yielding values of 3.022, 0.05, 0.058, 0.062, 10.81, and 0.98, respectively.