Wearables are extremely popular among the fitness conscious, counting steps, measuring heart rates, and more. But for them to become an all-encompassing health diagnostic tool – like the cool, tricorder-wielding doctors of the future use – they have to go a bit further and give you a more detailed view of your actual health. This need to kick it up a notch inspired engineers at the University of California San Diego to develop a flexible, wearable device that captures electrocardiogram (EKG) data and lactate levels, both critical pieces of information for diagnosing and monitoring the body’s cardiovascular health. EKG: The Next Generation? For patients with heart disease, this small device – called the Chem-Phys patch – could very well be a lifesaver. Currently, if someone walks in to the ER with symptoms of heart attack, the patient is plugged in to a bulky EKG machine by way of numerous patches places around the torso where the heart is monitored for a brief time to determine whether or not a heart attack was or has actually taken place. However, this gives health professionals a quick glimpse at what a patient is actually experiencing.