SBIR Phase II: Contactless and portable heart-rate device based on magnetic sensing technology

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The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Research (SBIR) project is to develop and prototype a novel magnetic sensor capable of continuous detection of the small magnetic signals generated by the human heart. The proposed technology enables heart-rate and heart waveform detection without any contact to the skin, contrary to standard electrocardiograph (ECG) based devices that require uncomfortable electrodes, adhesives and chest straps to operate. Furthermore, this technology can be manufactured at low cost and easily miniaturized. The goal of the project is to provide a contactless, unobtrusive and comfortable way to evaluate the heart condition, to be used by sports enthusiasts for fitness heart monitoring, and for heart disease patients that require an accurate, continuous and long-term heart monitoring solution. The proposed technology is designed to be easy integrated with bracelets, smart-watches, or simply placed in a pocket, while constantly measuring the heart function. Its small size and low cost enables the broad use of this technology and easy integration with available wearables. Moreover, knowing that heart disease is the main cause of death in developed nations, we believe our low cost and easy to use device will have positive impact on public health, and on preventive medicine. Better preventive care will consequently help to lower healthcare costs. The proposed project will focus on the development of a novel magnetic sensor for continuous and portable monitoring of the human heart, based on magnetocardiography (MCG). Portable cardiography has been limited to electrocardiography (ECG) sensors for decades. ECG is not suitable for continuous heart-rate monitoring (e.g. for in-home use by elderly patients) since it requires conductive (adhesive) electrodes on the patient?s chest. In contrast, MCG can accurately record the human heartbeat non-invasively and contactless. We propose a novel, chip-scale, highly sensitive magnetometer that can enter and expand the portable ECG heart-monitoring market. The goal of this Phase II project is to continue the optimization of the magnetic sensing technology, and start the development of prototypes and demonstration units that can record the heart signals in real time, providing a new and contactless way to measure heart-rate and heart waveform for medical diagnosis.