There are innumerable types of iPhone cases available these days. I even believe that there are more variations of iPhone cases than the number of Chinese take-outs in America. As they try to cater to our varying taste for color, level of protection and state of coolness, they came up with all shapes and sizes possible. Some are thin and light like the Incipio feathers and some are ruggedly protected like the Otterbox. I saw cases with rabbit’s ears and one that looks like a gameboy. There’s one with interchangeable lens and another one with an extra battery (Mophie). I even expect that somebody will try to stick a refrigerator in those iPhone cases.
I, however, never expected that they will come up with a portable heart monitor on it. Apple is, indeed, serious in keeping us in rhythm-including our heart rhythm. So, if you’re heart has been skipping beats like its dancing to the tune of Gangnam Style lately, don’t be surprised if your doctor prescribes an iDevice with an AliveCor Heart Monitor Case strapped to it.
AliveCor, a medical device manufacturer, has been granted by the FDA to start selling its ECG monitor. It is an iPhone case with secret concoction of chips and PCB boards which enables it to read your heart’s electrical activity. It is reasonably priced at $199 but it needs prescription though. You cannot buy it just for the heck of it. Or if you plan to get it for its “bragging rights”, you are out of luck. You need to wait for the FDA to grant AliveCor its 510k clearance so they can sell it over the counter.
How does it work? Well, the case comes with two sensors at the back of the case which needs to placed in contact with the patient’s chest. The device comes with an iOS application that will initialize the hardware and start recording the electrical impulses from your ticker. Once the reading is obtained, it will be uploaded to the cloud for storage which can be accessed later for reading and analysis. For more information about this product, check the following link to their website:
Note:
I am not sure if you can listen to Gangnan Style during the process of recording your ECG readings. Please check the company’s FAQ for that.