The Belgian research organization imec and Bloomlife, a company that develops pregnancy monitoring technology, has unveiled a new chip capable of tracking five channels of fetal heart rate ECG (electrocardiography) along with the mobility of the child inside the womb.

The prototype device, dubbed BeatleIC, is capable of detecting fetal ECG as early as 20 weeks into a pregnancy. This is thanks to its ability to discern peak-to-peak signals of between 3 and 15 µV (microvolts).

It is a low-power system that is expected to be used by patients and work over extended periods of time, and as such is expected to operate for up to a week from a single coin cell battery.

The system is being unveiled this week at the FutureSummits event in Antwerp, Belgium. “Our next step in bringing this technology to market includes a clinical trial to further validate the chip’s measurement results,” said Eric Dy, CEO of Bloomlife. “And, ultimately, we plan to launch not only a consumer product – consisting of a sensor device integrated in a wearable patch and a smartphone application – but also a risk management platform that can be used by medically qualified staff. We are excited about the significant impact of these advancements as we continue to work towards our mission to bring much overdue innovation and solutions to help solve the biggest challenges in prenatal care, including preterm birth.”