You might not realize it, but the person above has her fingers on two EKG electrodes. And the device is calculating her heart rate, ST value and the QRS interval (i.e. important diagnostic EKG parameters).
Here is some more info from BiotechEast.com:
The palm-sized device looks more like a PDA or electronic dictionary than a sophisticated medical device, and it runs on 3 AAA batteries.
One of the wonders of the RMH Portable ECG is that it requires no special gels, and does away with much of the complicated wires. Instead, it uses two dry electrodes attached to the thumb to measure modified ECG (lead 1).
The reading takes only 30 seconds and records 15 seconds of continuous signal. Among the readings are Average Heart Rate (HR), ST value and QRS interval. These readings are calculated automatically, and the parameters are instantly displayed on the LCD screen for users to see their cardiac conditions easily.
DailyCare warns that its RMH Portable ECG is for personal use only, and is not designed to replace professional medical care.
Device maker is DailyCare BioMedical Inc. of Taiwan.
UPDATE (3/11/05):
A representative of DailyCare BioMedical informs us that “… for worldwide besides the USA, the device is OTC. However for USA only, FDA has currently classified it as Prescription Based.”