The HeartyPatch boards arrived today and assembled by us, fresh from the oven. The top layer of the board contains all the electronic components and the battery (not shown in this picture). We also have an accelerometer to detect position. This will be used in the firmware for fall/stride detection, as a pedometer and also for proper placement.

The back of the board contains standard "snap-ons" for connecting standard ECG electrodes, no special electrodes or material required. We looked at various electrode arrangements including belt-based ones, fabric based electrodes and everything else. Finally we decided to settle on standard ECG electrodes because they are:

• Safe and sterile to use
• One-time use only, so lesser risk of contamination
• Cheap, at about USD 10 cents a piece
• Easy-to-use, just stick and go !

We've also got a digital body temperature sensor on the bottom side of the board, which comes into contact with the body, reading skin temperature changes.