Surat PhD student develops chip to monitor heart in real time

Amid rising cases of sudden heart attacks in Gujarat, a PhD student from Sardar Vallabhbhai National Institute of Technology (SVNIT), Surat, with the help of his guide and other faculty members, has developed a chip after one and a half years of effort.

The chip continuously monitors the heart, and the data can be transmitted to doctors through Bluetooth or other devices. Out of the 31 semiconductor chips developed in the country so far, this chip from Surat is also included.

Innovation under Make in India

Priyank Prajapati, a PhD student, created this chip with the guidance of Dr Anand Darji and Dr Pinalkumar Engineer. The chip is based on 180-nanometer technology and is called the ECG Artifact Reduction and Arrhythmia Detection Chip.

The chip is made in two parts – design and fabrication. After one and a half years of hard work, once the chip was ready, it was sent to the Semiconductor Laboratory (SCL), Mohali. From there, it was further tested at the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC), Bengaluru. After successful testing, the chip was given approval for use.

The project cost around ₹15 lakh, funded under the central government’s Chip to Startup program. Notably, during his Independence Day address from the Red Fort in Delhi, the Prime Minister had announced that from this year, the first Make in India chip will be launched in the market.

How does the chip work?

After the design was created, it was developed into hardware form. Just like a digital watch shows heartbeat and other health-related data, this chip will continuously monitor the condition of the heart of the person using it. The data will then be transmitted through Bluetooth, remote, or other devices, enabling faster medical treatment.