Hemoglobin is a protein that binds to and carries oxygen in our blood. High Hgb levels indicate better athletic endurance abilities while lower Hgb readings suggest reduced red blood cell count and possible anemia. Testing hemoglobin normally requires blood to be drawn, lab work and often a MD’s approval for insurance coverage. A new product called Ember is changing that process.
Ember is a $400 portable device that uses 8 LED’s in the visible to infrared spectrum. There are photodetectors on the other side of the unit that are determining the amount of hemoglobin and blood oxygenation level when clamped onto a finger. Ember finally sends the data to be displayed on smart phone using bluetooth. The most unusual part of Ember is that after the first 200 tests users must purchase more credits for $1 each. Cheap compared to blood testing, but expensive for the app world.
Adafruit publishes a wide range of writing and video content, including interviews and reporting on the maker market and the wider technology world. Our standards page is intended as a guide to best practices that Adafruit uses, as well as an outline of the ethical standards Adafruit aspires to. While Adafruit is not an independent journalistic institution, Adafruit strives to be a fair, informative, and positive voice within the community – check it out here: adafruit.com/editorialstandards
Stop breadboarding and soldering – start making immediately! Adafruit’s Circuit Playground is jam-packed with LEDs, sensors, buttons, alligator clip pads and more. Build projects with Circuit Playground in a few minutes with the drag-and-drop MakeCode programming site, learn computer science using the CS Discoveries class on code.org, jump into CircuitPython to learn Python and hardware together, TinyGO, or even use the Arduino IDE. Circuit Playground Express is the newest and best Circuit Playground board, with support for CircuitPython, MakeCode, and Arduino. It has a powerful processor, 10 NeoPixels, mini speaker, InfraRed receive and transmit, two buttons, a switch, 14 alligator clip pads, and lots of sensors: capacitive touch, IR proximity, temperature, light, motion and sound. A whole wide world of electronics and coding is waiting for you, and it fits in the palm of your hand.
Have an amazing project to share? The Electronics Show and Tell is every Wednesday at 7:30pm ET! To join, head over to YouTube and check out the show’s live chat and our Discord!
