Being able to continuously monitor one’s basic ECG can be beneficial to a lot of people, particularly those prone to have atrial fibrillation, SVT, syncopal episodes, etc. Intermittent arrhythmias can be notoriously difficult to detect in a clinical setting, since they come and go without warning. Yet, ECG monitors normally require skin contact to detect the electric activity of the heart. Now a new device in development called LifeTip may provide continuous one-lead ECG data in addition to other personal tracking information. The Italian developers behind the LifeTip are now raising money on Indiegogo to commercialize the prototype into a real device.
The LifeTip is attached to the center of a bra or on a special shirt to keep the unit close to the center of the chest. Capacitive sensors within the LifeTip are able to detect the ECG and send it to a paired smartphone to review by the user and to send it over to a cardiologist. In addition to ECG, the device will be able to monitor body temperature, posture, steps taken, and maybe even call 911 if a serious arrhythmia is detected.
Here are a couple of the folks behind the project presenting the LifeTip for your consideration:
Indiegogo campaign: LifeTip…