Skip to main content

This incredible business card has a built-in heart rate monitor and ECG display

What would you think if your new doctor handed you a business card with a built-in ECG? That might sound a bit outlandish at first, but believe it or not, a company by the name of MobilECG has created an electrocardiograph business card as a toy to promote their actual clinical ECG product, and the idea is still spreading like wildfire. As long as you’re touching both of the business card’s scanner pads, the screen will show a basic but accurate ECG readout.

If you’re unfamiliar with the tech, an electrocardiograph is used to detect and diagnose heart abnormalities by measuring and recording electrical currents passing through the body. Frustrated with the high prices of clinical ECG machines, a team of Hungarian engineers founded MobilECG in 2013 to create a more accessible solution. They are now working on the second generation launch of their wireless, fully functional ECG machine that aims to be more both accessible and affordable. Since the company had some difficulty getting funding for its first generation ECG product, all of MobilECG’s creations are fully open source. That includes the ECG business card, which you could theoretically make yourself.

MobilECG is quick to point out that its ECG business card should not be used as a diagnostic tool or an official electrocardiograph reader. All the same, the card does capture a real ECG reading from the user’s fingers on five different wavelengths. According to the medical data MobilECG provides to explain the electrical current readings, the ECG readout that the business card produces is accurate, even if it’s not totally complete.

To get your hands on a MobilECG Business Card from the manufacturer, you’ll have to sign up for the waiting list that the company has started to gauge consumer interest. They plan to sell the card for “$29 or less, if there is a lot of interest” which still seems like a lot of money for a novelty medical toy crossed with a publicity stunt. However, since the MobilECG Business Card schematics and code are available as open source files, you might get more bang for your buck by building an ECG Business Card of your own.

Editors' Recommendations

Apple finally makes a play for Mac-based small businesses
Macbook Air

Apple is now targeting small businesses with a new subscription following the company's success with its Apple One service for individuals and families. Like Apple One, the new Apple Business Essentials subscription includes iCloud storage, but the business-oriented offering swaps out consumer services -- like Apple TV+, Apple Fitness+, and Apple News+ -- for device management and onboarding services. as well as access to Apple Support.

Apple's Business Essentials plan covers all Apple hardware, including the iPhone, iPad, and Mac, and it includes setup, onboarding, backup, security, repairs, and updates. Apple is positioning its Business Essentials service as an IT service for small and midsize businesses (SMBs).

Read more
Are your children safe online? Bark and Cricket offer monitoring app to parents
YouTube Kids

Children's safety while online has been a major concern for some time now, and companies are increasingly trying to take a proactive role in managing the risk. Cricket Wireless and Bark Technologies are the latest example. They are offering the free and discounted use of their parental monitoring app, called Bark, which helps families to better understand and safely monitor their children during their everyday online activities.
How Bark works
Part of the intended allure of using Bark is to save parents the hassle of wading through their kids' text messages and other online activities to help keep them safe. Instead, the parents can receive alerts when something gets becomes flagged by the app's A.I. system, whether that concerns cyberbullying, suicidal intent, child predators, or other harmful content. The app -- which can also filter websites, offer location check-ins, and designate screen time to ensure a healthy online experience -- lets parents decide when to step in and act.

Bark focuses on an extensive list of apps popular among youth, and even provides parents with others resources they can use to better understand the potential dangers of being online. Though the monitoring options of Bark are extensive compared to similar apps, they do seem to also advocate for the healthy development of youth. The alert system is built with children's privacy in mind, so families can still feel the peace of mind that their kids are exploring the world safely without overstepping boundaries.

Read more
Pokémon Trading Card Game is going mobile in a confusing way
pokemon trading card live mobile tcg

The Trading Card Game is making its way to the Apple Store and Google Play in the form of Pokémon Trading Card Game Live. Players will soon be able to add new cards, buy in-game booster packs, and complete daily quests on the go from the comfort of their phone or PC.

Pokémon Trading Card Game Live ? [SNEAK PEEK] ? | Official Trailer

Read more