The world has witnessed both successes and failures in the world of health technology. And now a new device has come up from the stable of CardioSignal. It is a Finland-based startup led by CEO Juuso Blomster. It is utilizing motion sensors of smartphone to detect heart disease.
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Blomster reveals that CardioSignal originated from academic research at the University of Turku in Finland and it has evolved from the realization that the motion sensors in smartphones could measure heart motion accurately and can simultaneously detect cardiac conditions like atrial fibrillation (AFib).
The functioning of motion sensor is simple and users just need to place their phone on their chest for a minute. This will enable the app to measure heart motion using the accelerometer and gyroscope of the phone. The data is thereafter sent to a secure cloud service for analysis. It is not like other smartwatches. In fact, CardioSignal has been validated for clinical use and classified as a CE class IIa medical device.
At present, the primary focus of CardioSignal is detecting AFib. Blomster stated that it is an ongoing effort to expand its capabilities to detect other heart conditions like heart failure and coronary artery disease.
Even though the use of CardioSignal in our day-to-day lives may seem inconvenient compared to wearables, the technology offers direct and detailed insights into heart health. Moreover, it represents a broader trend of smartphones becoming central to personal health management, as seen with various health apps and connected medical devices.
Meanwhile, despite concerns about data security, the potential benefits of smartphone-based health applications, including improved access to medical information and democratization of healthcare, are promising.
As CardioSignal and similar innovations continue to evolve, they may revolutionize how we monitor and manage our health.