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[on:]

Hi All,

A buddy and I are releasing a heartbeat pulse sensor that's plug-n-play into Arduino. We tried to make it easy-to-use for anyone who wants to incorporate live heart-rate data into Arduino projects.  It's super small and can be worn on the ear or strapped to a finger tip. 


It comes with Processing Software that acts as a heart monitor too.


All the details are on our new site: http://pulsesensor.com/

This project is made possible from a currently running Kickstarter campaign, if you want to pre-order sensors or support the project, check it out.
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1342192419/pulse-sensor-an-open-source-heart-rate-sensor-that

Thank you! 
YuryG

[Reply #1 on:]

That's pretty cool but I can't figure out where you would plug your "standard connector" in on an Arduino. If it had a male header on it I suppose you could plug it into 3 adjacent analog-in locations and run it off a logic HIGH and a logic LOW with the output going to the third analog-in. It would have to be appropriately low power for that to work, though.

[Reply #2 on:]

EmilyJane,
The purple cable of the sensor plugs into one Analog-In pin.  The Red and Black cables got into Arduino 5V and Ground respectfully.  It runs on 3V too. If you are using a favor of Arduino that's 3V based, Red cable can accept 3V.

We used the female end connector so that it was matched with male headers, as you noted. You can also the same hook-up wire that's goes into a breadboard.   That's how motors come, and we figured that is as "standard" as "standard connectors" get.... :)

[Reply #3 on:]

In other words, it's not "plug-n-play" on a standard Arduino, as there are no male headers to "socket" it onto.

[Reply #4 on:]

hmmm.
Somewhere it is written that "plug-n-play into Arduino" is defined by male headers?  Here is a photo of the sensor plugged into the UNO.  Yes we are using male/male jumper cables (in the photo), but hook-up wire can be used too.     


We are calling it "plug-n-play" b/c when you plug in the sensor and upload the Arduino code (we provide), pin 13's LED blinks realtime to your heart-rate.  The code turns data from the sensor into something useful, like a "beats-per-minute value".  We've also included Processing software that graphs your pulse and bpm in realtime. It does all of this before you modify any code.

This is a tool for developers and makers.   There is still like 10 mins of prep work (with a hot-glue gun) to the sensor before you can start using it. Given that I've seen students and colleagues unsuccessfully spend months to get the functionality our sensor provides in 10 minutes of prep, I think "plug-n-play" is a fair term to use.

There is so much more to this project then the female connector we used.  If you are interested in more of the meat of the project, take 2 mins to watch our video. It shows the sensor being plugged into Arduino.  http://www.youtube.com/user/YuryGitman#p/a/u/1/xu4lg4AdRnk

We'll be publishing a "getting started guide" shortly, that will have more details then our current site.  But there are a few more photos here for now: http://pulsesensor.com/

[Reply #5 on:]

Somewhere it is written that "plug-n-play into Arduino" is defined by male headers?

If there is such a thing in the Arduino world, it is a shield, and yes, it has male headers.

[Reply #6 on:]

You posted in the Sensors forum. Here I would expect to see a schematic diagram of your sensor. I would expect you to publish your code. I would expect a detailed explanation of how you solved the problem of movement related noise on the  output of your sensor. How you used a clever combination of software and electronic circuit design to ignore the effects of running or jumping up and down and output a signal proportional only to heartbeat.

There is a forum for new product releases, where people expect to see meaningless marketing buzzwords and this isn't it.

[Reply #7 on:]

Hi EmilyJane,
Your suggestions on the male headers is a good one. It is something that came up during development.  On version 2 we'll look at this much more closely.  It would be a convenient thing to have. 

I see that you are a god member level user. My post here was my first to this forum. If you feel my helloworld post about our sensor belongs in another section, which would you suggest?  This seems most apt to me. The reason I didn't post it in the New Products section was for fear of double posting.

We are documenting the project now.  Thanks for asking those details. First step was to get funding to develop it as envisioned, and to support our time way from our day jobs.  As we are doing a kickstarter event, I was trying to spread the word to people who would be interested in an open-source bio sensor.  People don't read long paragraphs online, or rather, most people do not.  I keep my descriptions short b/c I value others' time. My writing style is pithy, but not meaningless.

Your point about environmental noise and real-world user noise is a very salient one.  It's one of THE big problems to solve.  There is no silver bullet for this, but we think we addressed it pretty well. Or, at least better then what's available now.

You'll be able to download the software in a few weeks and see it.  The hardware techniques we used will be visible to most when they see the sensor in person or in application.  We want the documentation to be done right.  We hope to have that online by end of this month.  This is really still a new project.  It has not shipped yet.   The finer points about the design and techniques will be documented to our best abilities on the project's website.  Hopefully other developers and users will share their experiences with the Pulse Sensor and we can all learn how to improve upon it even more.

I personally would like to see an open-source pulse sensor be cheaper, easier to use, and more accurate then proprietary heart-rate sensors.

[Reply #8 on:]

My post here was my first to this forum. If you feel my helloworld post about our sensor belongs in another section, which would you suggest?  This seems most apt to me. The reason I didn't post it in the New Products section was for free of double posting.

I'd suggest Development: Hardware Development until you're ready to ship something. After that I'd showcase it in Products and Services or Exhibition/Gallery.

People don't read long paragraphs online, or rather, most people do not.

So you decided to post to a technical forum where people read lots of long paragraphs and analyze other peoples code for fun.

I keep my descriptions short b/c I value others' time. My writing style is pithy, but not meaningless.

Now you sound like you're trying to sell something.

It sounds like you have a worthwhile product. I'll be interested to see some hard data when you all get ready.

[Reply #9 on:]

I appreciate your feedback. We'll consider it going forward.

[Reply #10 on:]

I'd suggest Development: Hardware Development until you're ready to ship something

I agree.


@yuryg: Welcome to the forum.  I wish you success.