Reminded me right away of my Electronic Stethoscope and Analyzer for under $5.00 - http://tgideas.blogspot.com/2009/07/electronic-stethoscope-and-analyzer-for.html
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Tom sez - So, what's new? Looks like the idea of a home based heart monitor is indeed possible. Where do we go from here, folks? Yes, one path is the usual where companies make it into a money making product, but.....
Here's a few ideas of what else might be done....
Take the two starts above, learn about the concepts therein, and design a cell phone that coincidentally can accurately hear heart sounds. Make the cell phone a cell phone and do not claim it can hear heart sounds. I'm not going to say why you would want to do this....but please just think of two objects....a pretty cell phone and then think of a medical device.
Maybe think of an adapter to a regular cell phone to enhance hearing ability, which coincidentally is particularly sensitive to heart sounds.
Launch these products in countries where they really need them....third world developing rural areas....then let them trickle back to the developed countries.
Start a wiki on this topic and let it be developed open source...similar to the open eeg project.
Write articles on how this could be done, so others can build on your work. Retired engineers come to life!
Find work to build on....libraries can help....post on Facebook or LinkedIn...."anyone working on a cheap cell phone device that is good for listening to heart sounds? Collaborate all around the world.
See if there are some good open source heart sound diagnosis tools to couple the cell phone too. Cell phone app?
Maybe expand your thinking to more than heart sounds....bowel sounds....pediatrics....etc.
Once you get this open innovation thinking going on the Affordable Home based Stethoscope....please keep it going for other low cost health devices....make a list and check it twice....
Good Luck!
