imPulse ECG Personal Monitor

The  imPulse™ is a personal handheld ECG Touch Monitor  designed using unique EPIC touch sensors.  Created by the sensor’s manufacturer Plessey Semiconductors, imPulse™ is aimed at the home health market, and will allow the routine, quick and accurate recording of ECG signals outside of the medical environment - without the need for conductive gel or skin preparation.

 

This compact, portable device detects an ECG signal when the user\'s thumbs are placed on the two sensor pads, using two Plessey PS25201 sensors to receive the ECG signals.   It measures the left and right signals and transmits the data via a Bluetooth link to a Smartphone or Tablet where custom software can then display the ECG trace and perform a simple analysis of heart rate. imPulse uses the latest generation EPIC sensor, requiring only 1.5mA during the short 15 second period needed for ECG sensing. imPulse can operate for several months before requiring recharging.

 

There is an incredible range of applications for this innovative, multi-awarding, sensor technology for which manufacturers are already designing products -- from monitoring vital signs to movement and gesture recognition.  EPIC sensors require no physical or resistive contact to make measurements, and will enable innovative new products to be made such as medical scanners that are simply held close to a patient\'s chest to obtain a detailed ECG reading, or safety and security devices that can \'see\' through walls. The sensor can be integrated on a chip with other features such as data converters, digital signal processing and wireless communications capability. The technology works at normal room temperatures and functions as an ultra-high, input impedance sensor that acts as a highly stable, extremely sensitive, contactless digital voltmeter to measure tiny changes in the electric field down to milliVolts. Most places on Earth have a vertical electric field of about 100 Volts per meter. The human body is mostly water and this interacts with the electric field. EPIC technology is so sensitive that it can detect these changes at a distance and even through a solid wall.