PARIS – Researchers said they have designed a scale that performs electrocardiograms at home.
A team of researchers from the Instrumentation, Sensors and Interfaces Group at the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya • BarcelonaTech, in Spain, claimed it has designed a scale, which, as well as measuring weight, records electrical activity of the heart from foot and hand contact. The system aims to keep track of patients with cardiovascular disease and avoid the need for patients to visit the hospital.
Researchers said the scale works using electrodes embedded in the surface that make contact with the feet and in handles that make contact with the hands. Four measurements points obtain six of the twelve standard electrocardiogram signals. The rest would require electrodes to be placed on the patient's chest.
[ARM TechCon 2012, the largest ARM design ecosystem under one roof, is Oct. 30 - Nov. 1 in Santa Clara. Click here to learn more]The electrocardiogram results need to be accessed by a physician. The scale then allows signals to be transmitted via a cable to a conventional electrocardiograph, a mobile terminal or a computer.
The device that monitors the heart has been patented, claimed researchers, specifying that they expect to better determine the link between the electrocardiogram and pulse wave arrival time to the foot.
