B-Secur is trying to make it easier for developers to add electrocardiogram (ECG) capabilities to their wearable devices. To that end, the company has released a new ECG Development Kit that comes with all of the hardware and software that manufacturers need to integrate the technology into new products.
On the hardware front, the Development Kit comes with an electrode development test jig, and guides for the electrodes and ECG hardware design. The software package includes B-Secur’s full HeartKey library of algorithms and the HeartKey analysis app, as well as another guide. The HeartKey portfolio has algorithms for biometric identification in addition to health and wellness applications, and is supplemented with a software guide.
Companies that license the Development Kit will also receive a training workshop and have access to expert tech support form B-Secur on a 24-hour basis. B-Secur itself is hoping that the Development Kit will make ECG technology more accessible and more widespread, which will in turn improve health outcomes for the global population at large.
In that regard, B-Secur noted that cardiovascular disease is already the world’s leading cause of death, accounting for roughly 32 percent of all deaths internationally (the actual number is estimated at 17.9 million deaths on an annual basis). The problem is only expected to get worse in the coming years, since COVID-19 can cause cardiac damage and has triggered cardiovascular issues in people who did not otherwise have any pre-existing heart conditions.
With that in mind, B-Secur believes that the Development Kit can fuel a broader “ECG Everywhere” initiative. The demand for heart monitoring technology has increased during the pandemic, and wearable ECGs will allow doctors track patient symptoms and provide a higher level of care. The Development Kit will help meet that demand, since manufacturers will be able to bring new products to market more quickly at a lower development cost.
“The ECG Development Kit enables real scalability and global acceleration of medical grade ECG across consumer and medical devices and is particularly suited to small but ambitious device makers keen to leverage and build this technology with a self-build approach,” said B-Secur COO Ben Carter.
B-Secur’s HeartKey algorithms are FDA-certified, while the Development Kit can be licensed from the B-Secur sales team. The company has already integrated HeartKey with sensors from Maxim and Texas Instruments.
Follow Us