Vital Ring: a Wearable Wireless Multiple-Lead ECG Sensor Embedded in a Flexible Finger Ring

Every year over 380,000 Americans die from a heart attack, of which one third happens outside a hospital. A personalized cardiac monitoring device that can easily conduct regularly heart activity measurement will help identify this group of people. Moreover, the on-demand diagnosis ability in the case of this group of people feel heart irregular may help these people get emergency room timely and get the right measurement timely. Electrocardiogram (ECG) is one of the important tools that widely used in the clinical diagnostic of heart diseases and the hospital cardiac monitoring. By combining the flex PCB technology and PMDS material, a wearable flexible ECG device of a finger ring size is demonstrated, which can be worn and conduct ECG measurement anytime and anywhere. The ring format is significant small and nonintrusive, comparing to other available devices, which makes it easy and comfortable to wear for a long period. At the same time, the ring can provide multiple lead measurement, which can provide more information and is not commonly seen in other wearable ECG sensors. The ring device can be easily use with smart phones. The Bluetooth low energy (BLE) microcontroller inside ring can communicate with any BLE enabled phone and send the ECG measurement via BLE protocol. The smartphone app can be used to view the ECG plots, analyze them or even send them to their physician. The ring can also be used without phone, then the data will be stored in the ring. The operation of ring is simple. By touching the ring to any part of body, the ECG signal between the wearing finger and the other touch spot is measured, and multiple leads of signal is measured by touch different part of body. By using the ring device daily, long term heart activity can be monitored and saved to keep track of heart health and to be used identify potential heart problems. By using the device when people feel irregular heart activity, early diagnosis can perform to alert people to go to emergency room and get early treatment. This ring is helpful to improve people’s daily life and prevent them from extreme heart conditions