Smart EKG

This $200 iPhone Case Is An FDA-Approved EKG Machine

HEALTH CARE IS HURTING, AND THE WORLD IS CHANGING. MORE AND MORE, HOSPITALS WILL FIT IN OUR POCKETS.

Most iPhone cases just protect your phone from drops. If you’re getting fancy, it may have a fisheye camera lens or a screen-printed back. But what about diagnosing coronary heart disease, arrhythmia, or congenital heart defects? The AliveCor Heart Monitor is an FDA-approved iPhone case that can be held in your hands (or dramatically pressed against your chest) to produce an EKG/ECG--the infamous green blips pulsing patient-side in hospitals everywhere.

“We think that EKG screening can be as approachable as taking blood pressure,” AliveCor President and CEO Judy Wade tells Co.Design.

There are already apps that take your heartbeat, of course. But there’s a big difference between the fast-paced standards of casual electronics and the strict sanctions of government-approved medical devices. “The heartbeat camera apps are good at wellness,” Wade admits, “but we see ourselves for use by people who want clinical-quality equipment.”/.../