Paul Jacobs, CEO of Qualcomm, showcases the ECG necklace at a recent TEDMED talk.

The ECG necklace (electrocardiogram) is a prototype development of our Human++ program. The technology enables  long-term monitoring of cardiac performance and allows patients to remain ambulatory and continue their routine daily activities while under observation. The embedded beat detection algorithm copes with the artefacts inherent to ambulatory monitoring systems.

The ECG necklace is easy to use and characterized by a low power consumption ensuring 7 days autonomy. It contains IMEC’s proprietary ultra-low power analog readout ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit), and relies on a low power commercial radio/microprocessor platform. A wavelet-based heart beat detection algorithm is embedded in the processor that ensures the accurate computation of the instantaneous heart rate, even under high level of noise. A second ultra-low power microcontroller unit controls the wireless transmission of the ECG data to a computer within a range of 10m. An optional memory module enables data logging for applications in which the receiving computer is not in the neighborhood.