With advances in sensor technology, the measurement of cardiac activity, known as the cardiac shock graph (BCG), is once again back at the forefront of scientific research. Several German scientists have developed a new version of a mobile BCG measurement system that notably utilizes an inertial measurement unit (IMU) placed in the carotid artery to eliminate BCG artifacts.

The BCG system demonstrated in this study offers greater mobility and compactness than other systems integrated into devices such as mattresses or wheelchairs.The IMU sensors are mounted directly in the carotid artery, which reduces artifacts from clothing and provides clearer measurements of blood flow. With the acceleration data captured by the sensor, the team successfully tracked the force of blood ejection during cardiac contraction, resulting in parameters such as heart rate (HR) and heart rate variability (HRV). The HR and HRV calculated using the BCG data showed a high degree of consistency compared to the reference measurements, providing reliable characteristics that can be used in future studies.

The optimization and evaluation of this technology has shown that IMU-based BCG systems offer greater reliability and utility in the field of cardiac monitoring, providing an in-depth understanding of the mechanical activity of the heart. For embedded engineers, this breakthrough not only reveals the key role of IMUs in non-invasive medical testing technology, but also sheds light on the design of a new generation of health monitoring devices.