Fuzzy logic strikes a precise beat
The ANALKOMP chip, incorporating a fuzzy logic-based control algorithm, has been developed specifically for use in rate-adaptive pacemakers. Such devices are intended to mimic the response of a healthy human heart to different levels of physical exercise, adapting the frequency of heartbeats to physiological need. However, the chips in existing versions of rate-adaptive pacemakers run a very primitive and imperfect algorithm. The ANALKOMP chip, meanwhile, runs a better algorithm and is also smaller, simpler and more economical on power. That small size also means it would be cheaper to manufacture than its rivals, given sufficient scale economies. Its flexibility and programmability also mean that it can easily be adapted for use in other low-power applications (70-100 microamperes). Its application in pacemakers should result in devices that offer the wearer greater comfort, as well as the capacity for more physical activity than conventional pacemakers. Hence, the prolonged life of a cardiac patient need not be one of significantly lower quality than before.