Scientists create earbuds that can detect an irregular heartbeat - and believe they could replace ECGs in just TWO years

Fashionable earbuds can be used to detect an irregular heartbeat, by tracking the electrical activity of the heart. Researchers at Imperial College London have created a device worn inside the ear, and just a little larger than an earbud, which can take an ECG reading all day long. A new study has found it performs about as well as a conventional ECG using electrodes on the chest, for two out of three measurements. But while the earbud detects a weaker signal from the heart than a chest ECG, because it is further away across the body, it has the advantage of being worn easily for hours at a time. That could help people detect much more quickly, without visiting a doctor, if they have a heart rhythm disorder.