HeartBit

Designer: Anna Naszádi, Andras Hunfalvi, Luca Patkos
Client: Heartbit

Heart monitoring system for athletes

The main component of the HeartBit system is a high-quality technical sport top, equipped with multiple sensors that can deliver real-time ECG data. It is able to recognize the early, but not trivial signs of a heart failure amongst professional and recreational athletes.

We created an extensive design strategy for the startup and assisted all processes 'till the market debut.

  • ECG sensors integrated into activewear

  • Hardware device for laboratory heart muscle analysis

  • iOS and Android app + Watch app to visualize heart data during and after physical activity

  • Cloud-based data storage

  • Online interface for displaying complex medical data and sharing it with healthcare professionals

The system

Product Design

The brain of the system is a central unit connected to a sports top with sensors. In the T-shirt, the ECG electrodes are located on the textile surface and take the ECG signals straight from the skin area, transmitting them to the central unit.

A Sophisticated Software

Early tests showed how complicated the relationship between the system's elements are.
To simplify this, the connection between the individual parts had to be communicated clearly in the app. For example, putting on a piece of clothing with electrodes and a device that has to be sufficiently attached and charged was unnecessarily perplexing. 

Powerful UI

The workout app, among other information, is basically concerned around the safety of the runner. Each workout session contains short, clear instructions that are tailored to the runner's real-time cardiac output. The app's colors reinforce these texts, as reading can be difficult during intense physical activity. The red sign and vibration are consequently used to warn runners of a mild or more serious heart disorder.

Delivering Information

The biggest challenge of the project was to translate the complex scientific measurements into an Easy-to-understand and useful information and instruction for runners. ECG data can be new, even for professional athletes. The system not only displays data, but also educates the user, while keeping in mind that HeartBit is a convenient fitness tool, not a diagnostic device. The user journey is completed with the web interface from which the detailed measurement data can be shared with the doctor.

The technology of HeartBit was developed by Prof. György Kozmann, along a wide range of wearable medical devices.