Design a personal heart monitoring system

Programme the system using the accelerometer and LED display

This is one of a series of resources to support the use of the BBC micro:bit in Design and Technology lessons.

There are many reasons to monitor heart rate. For example:

• There are 2.7 million people in the UK currently suffering from heart problems. The quicker these problems can be found and treated the better the chance of a full recovery.

• Athletes measure their heart rate during training to ensure that they are training in their optimum physical range.

In this unit, learners will use the BBC micro:bit to develop a prototype for a personal heart monitoring system.

Activity info, teachers’ notes and curriculum links

In this activity, learners will develop their programmable system using the BBC micro:bit’s inbuilt accelerometer to detect motion created by the pumping of the heart.

The activity sheet includes teachers’ notes, useful web links, and links (where appropriate) to the national curriculum in each of the four devolved nations; England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

Download the activity sheets for free!

All activity sheets and supporting resources are free to download, and all the documents are fully editable, so you can tailor them to your students’ and your schools’ needs.

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