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Health IT specialist MocaCare launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund its initial production run of MocaHeart, a compact health tracker designed for checking heart and blood health.
The tracker makes it possible for people to notice changes in their heart and blood health when a traditional monitor is not available.
The device gives users the ability to view immediate health insights and to seek medical care if the need arises. To take measurements with the device, the user places two fingers on MocaHeart’s indented sensor and electrode surface.
The tracker can be carried in a purse or pocket, or mounted on the company’s customized iPhone case or keychain.
The device is made with medical-grade stainless steel with a biocompatible plastic enclosure, and the app is based on contacts and text dialogues, letting users notify family or close friends of their measurement or location.
“We developed MocaHeart inspired by our own family and friends’ health concerns,” Naama Stauber, MocaCare’s chief operating officer, told eWEEK. “Going to Kickstarter is widening this circle. We’re excited to have a platform like Kickstarter where you’re encouraged to reach out to the most relevant people who are directly interested in a concept and discuss how it could work for them or not. Kickstarter is a community where we are excited to participate in the process.”
Stauber said MocaHeart could be helpful for people who suffer from high blood pressure or various heart conditions or are at risk of preeclampsia.
The device uses a medical-grade electrode to capture heartbeat activities, blood velocity and blood oxygen level. These measurements are interpreted by MocaHeart to generate the Moca Index, a measurement related to a user’s blood pressure.
“We detect signals from two kinds of sensors and use our algorithm to derive additional information,” Stauber said. “We started from a much larger motherboard and a traditional monitor. Later we worked on reducing the entire size of the board, combining the Bluetooth chip and a small battery. The end result is a very small, portable, wireless device.”
The index reflects the user’s heart health status on a qualitative scale of zero to four—low, ideal, raised, high or very high. The purpose of the index is to provide a qualitative indicator with actionable recommendations when measurements are out of range.
“Protecting personal information like health records and measurement data is top priority to us,” Stauber said. “All information is for the user’s private use unless the user has designated contacts to receive information. The app sets all information private and allows several layers of privacy settings for different information.”
Stauber also noted the company uses Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) encryption in its cloud system, the same as what is used in bank security systems.
“Various security protocols are automatically in place to provide significant protection against DDoS [distributed denial-of-service], MITM [man-in-the-middle], IP spoofing and port scanning,” Stauber said. “We put all data in our trustable server, Amazon Web Services, for both cloud the online services.”
The Kickstarter campaign runs through Jan. 6, and early backers have the opportunity to purchase the device for as little as $119—$50 off the retail price—and receive a number of other incentives reserved for Kickstarter backers.