iPhone uses Space technology to track heartbeats
By siliconindia   |   Wednesday, 27 October 2010, 19:18 IST
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Washington: A group of scientists at the Swiss technology-transfer company CSEM have developed a new device for iPhone which will help you keep a track of your heartbeat. The sounds are sent through headphones, so that you can listen to the heart like you are listening to music. The final prototype for the device was based on a machine which was created for astronauts. The Pulsear is a very simple device which uses an infrared laser to measure the pulse within the ear. Data are sent back to a small light-sensitive diode, which then transmits them to a small attachment that goes into the phone. The heart rate is displayed on the screen just like the electrocardiogram (EKG). These readings are generally taken via cumbersome chest belts that pick up the signals that are emitted from a number of "vantage points." This is not the first time the company tries to develop such a system. A previous attempt was unsuccessful because the technology to do so was not available at the time. "A lot of people listen to music while they exercise and a lot of people find the belts uncomfortable, so we thought it made sense to try to measure heart rate through the ear," explains CSEM expert Dr Andrea Ridolfi. This device was created for the Long Term Medical Survey system operated by the European Space Agency (ESA). The much needed breakthrough came after the company designed and developed a complex chest sensor, which now helps keep track of the levels of oxygen in the blood of astronauts. After creating the oxygen sensor, CSEM investigators realized that the technology could be "recycled" to finally produce the in-ear heart monitor.

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