B-Secur collaborates with TI to deliver ECG/EKG monitoring for wearable devices

B-Secur has developed an electrocardiogram (EKG/ECG) solution based on the Texas Instruments (TI) AFE4950 analogue front end (AFE) for photoplethysmography (PPG) and EKG/ECG sensing.

Intended to accelerate the design of next-generation consumer wearables, the integration provides high-performing sensing capabilities for wearable devices like premium smartwatches and Wi-Fi-connected optical heart-rate monitors, and enables advanced features for identification, wellness and health monitoring in Internet of Things (IoT) devices.

According to B-Secur, it is the industry’s first solution with a fully integrated EKG/ECG and PPG signal chain that allows for synchronous sampling of cardiac activity with dry electrodes used in battery-operated products. It follows an announcement from B-Secur that it has received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) clearance for its innovative HeartKey ECG/EKG software.

Combining HeartKey and TI’s AFE4950 will enable device manufacturers and partners to eliminate months of R&D with a fully integrated sensor, electrical and signal processing solution. It is being described as a key development that will enable heart-health features to become widely available in the rapidly evolving consumer wearables sector.

The collaboration is part of B-Secur’s drive to speed up the development and adoption of high-performance biosensing solutions by device manufacturers worldwide.

Ben Carter, Chief Commercial Officer, B-Secur commented, “It is a key strategic development for B-Secur to announce this integration with Texas Instruments and our FDA-cleared HeartKey software. As more and more wearable and IoT devices adopt ECG/EKG technology, supplying a fully integrated, high-performance solution with TI means our customers around the world can bring their own consumer wearable products to market quicker and with greater confidence.”

B-Secur’s HeartKey®consists of a suite of ECG/EKG algorithms that combine user identification, health, and wellness to generate accurate data encrypted through the user’s unique heartbeat.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the number one cause of death globally with an estimated 17.9 million people dying from the disease each year representing 31% of all global deaths.