Scientists have created a starfish-shaped wearable device that tracks heart health in real time. Developed by researchers at the University of Missouri, the device has multiple points that touch the skin near the heart, and it stays more stable than traditional wearables.
Researchers have also claimed that starfish’s five-arm shape helps accurately track heart activity even while someone is moving.
Using the functionality to connect with a smartphone app, the device can offer real-time health insights and help detect potential heart problems.
Sensors captures electrical and mechanical heart activity
“Similar to a starfish, our device has five arms, each equipped with sensors that simultaneously capture both electrical and mechanical heart activity,” said Sicheng Chen, a postdoctoral fellow and lead author.
“Most current devices focus on capturing only one signal or require separate devices to track multiple signals at the same time. This allows us to provide a more complete picture of someone’s heart health.”
Using AI technology, the device detects heart problems with over 90% accuracy, making it a promising tool for at-home monitoring.
Researchers revealed that they developed an artificial intelligence-powered system that learned from a large collection of heart data, including signals from both healthy individuals and people with heart disease. Using smart technology, the system filters out movement-related disruptions and analyzes heart signals to determine if someone’s heart is healthy or showing signs of trouble. The findings are shown on the smartphone app.
The team underlined that the AI-based approach correctly identifies heart conditions more than 90% of the time. Because the device has Bluetooth capability, doctors can review the data remotely, making it a convenient option for at-home monitoring between medical visits, according to a press release by the University of Missouri.
“This is also a benefit over traditional clinical heart tests such as the Doppler ultrasound, which usually requires patients to stay still to get accurate results,” Chen said.
Device capable of charging wirelessly while still being worn
The device is also capable of charging wirelessly while still being worn, ensuring continuous use without needing to remove it for charging.
Researchers are also working to improve the long-term wearability of the device.
Zheng Yan, an associate professor in Mizzou’s College of Engineering and a Roy Blunt NextGen Precision Health building researcher, highlighted that a big challenge with wearable devices is that they can cause skin irritation when worn for long periods.
Currently, Yan’s team is working on making the device more comfortable and skin friendly. Right now, the device sticks to the skin using a special gel, but future versions will use a breathable, skin-friendly material for more comfort. The team has been improving this material for the past few years, as per the release.
The research team’s findings open previously undiscovered avenues by leveraging bioinspired device concepts combined with cutting-edge data science to boost bioelectronic performance and diagnostic precision.
