A German medical technology company has developed a toilet seat with built-in sensors that can record an electrocardiogram while a person sits down. The HARO EKG-seat links to a smartphone app, which analyses the reading after roughly 30 seconds for signs of irregular heart rhythms such as atrial fibrillation; this could offer a convenient way to flag a condition that often causes no obvious symptoms.

Atrial fibrillation is the most common type of irregular heartbeat, and many people may not know they have it. The article presents the device as an early screening tool rather than a replacement for clinical assessment, noting that early research is assessing both its accuracy and its limitations.