Amazing Heart Machines: Oura and Kardia 

Even my heart has always been capricious, it used to drive me crazy when I was young. Now I don't think about it anymore, screw it, even though a month ago I think I came close to death, my heartbeat was very weak. Instead of calling a doctor, I stayed in bed, had breakfast as if nothing happened... and got over it. The show must go on!

My last couple of sleep studies were not in a lab but at home using a wrist monitor for a single night. Only looking for sleep apnea but it worked.

Wow! Ultrasonic comms is awesome

Wearable medical electronics in teeny tiny sizes - interesting and nice looking! I've been doing some teardowns of medical/scientific gear I got from my friend at GUMed lately, and just can't stop marveling at how far electromedical gear has come, from cumbersome boxes found in hospitals to little gadgets you can wear and they don't cause discomfort or tie you up with all those cables. Cloud, lack of support... damn these times. We need regulations ensuring being able to use the thing after a company goes defunct. Preferably by well-documented interfaces using free and open source protocols like MQTT etc. We've seen it with implants - and that's why I'm so opposed to the likes of Neuralink. I'd be caught dead with putting anything into my body that depends on any external systems beyond my control and can't be hacked to get it usable if that goes down.

I actually have a Go2sleep ring by Sleepon and it works pretty well and I just use it as a sleep tracker only as its designed. I remember the best tracker was the Dreem 2 headband but they no longer sell to the consumer market and now its just to Clinicians as it was almost as good as a lab sleep study.

If you leave the app open, it will record a walk, run, or bike ride and even show the route you took. Very good at recording sleep.

My mom has had a Kardia for several years, I've even replaced the battery, and I thought for sure it was BLE! One coin cell lasted her over a year with almost daily use, I was very impressed. Sometimes she gets bad readings and now I realize that it must be when she is using it on a soft surface like a blanket, it must be muffling the sound.

I think super capacitors are very very long lasting. I think the battery will outlast the software and support of the device.

That's unreal.... that's a lot shoved into a small space.

Fran Xlnt commentary and knowledge and information about Medical Technology.🥰💕⚡⚡⚡⚡😝

i understand tech like this needs to go somewhere with the info its monitoring hence communicating with a smartphone, but i would love a smartphone-less option so i can try fully stepping away from mine. maybe even the device being able to generate reports that can be viewed by transmitting files via bluetooth, anything really. (also, monitoring memberships? ouch.) i'll keep dreaming for now

There are some solid state Lithium cells that would fit in that ring. The ones I am thinking of are 3mm x 2mm x 1.5mm.

Does the oura do continuous blood oxygen analysis?

That is pretty cool

First i thought : The oura seems interresting. Then i visited their website. You need an account to use it. Its a subscription model to enable all features. You're sending medical data to some company. Just one of these points would be enough to stay away from this product.

Wow, those are really cool devices! I was going to call the gadgets, but that implies a certain triviality, whereas these look like they're pretty ingenious! I had heard of the ring, but I thought it was just a one trick pony. They really manage to pack a lot of functionality into a super tiny package! As for the cost and un-repairability, that's pretty much on par for "medical" devices. It does sound like you're getting your money's worth though, as long as it lasts a good few years. My understanding is that supercaps should have a very good lifespan, so unless it's using an incredibly tiny lithium battery, more likely a bad drop would be the thing to cause it to stop working. Or something else causing a failure of the adhesion of the inner plastic ring to the outer metal ring. Personally, I'm not keen on jewellery (or in this case, something that looks like jewellery), so I probably wouldn't get one. Even if I could benefit from monitoring my heart rate and sleep and etc., I don't think I'd get one or use it even it were inexpensive. Same goes for a smart watch or fitness tracker band.

Thanks Fran ... tech is surprising me lately

👍🏻

Ive been looking for one of these units, I have a Garimin bike computer which came with a chest strap and not comfy to wear, now you can use any ANT compatible and that also can be used with phone apps and gym equipment. so I opted for a Garmin watch and that works on the bike and through a phone app.BUT,,,I work as a vehicle mechanic, the watch a the ring are no good for day to day use as they get caught in engines. has anyone come across an ankle strap system that would be better for me.

USB Ultrasound to detect tricuspid regurgitation...teardown

I got the oura last fall and love it. I have rheumatoid and epilepsy so the ability to track my sleep and exercise has been invaluable. I also get the added benefit of feeling like a cyborg perhaps in the trekverse😂 Love your stuff Fran! Always interesting and informative ❤

Merci Fran.

Can you hear your Kardia? I can't (I'm 58), but my daughter can hear it (she's 26). So my young nephews (9-10 yo). And my dog doesn't like it at all!! haha!

Finnish is titanium and its Finnish.. see.. funny wording...

That's a seriously cool piece of tech that people are likely to wear all the time and so might just save your life 57 BPM whilst talking. That's impressive!

I'm thinking blatant data mining / personal information scam with these ridiculous devices

At first it seems like a great idea, but .. Not only is it expensive, you need to give them money ad infinitum and, like you say, if they fail then it does too and your at the end of that road despite your generous support. There are other horrid possibilities too. Like that ketone monitor company a few years back that sold everyone an expensive ketone monitoring system, then one fine day turned on a dime and made the system you payed $$$ to buy into obsolete, but hey, here's another system -- just fork over your money again and throw the one you bought last month away!!

For $399 I'll take my own pulse with my finger . anyone with heart condition normally CAN'T afford this on top of hospital bills or in canada being disabled u can not afford it period .

Are you in Philly Fran ?? Let’s collaborate