Medical devices might be thought to contain a dazzling array of complex equipment but a Twitter user recently found out that this sometimes isn’t the case.
Image: JanHenrikH/Twitter
After opening up an ECG developed by German company Medical Imaging Electronics, Jan Henrik discovered that the device’s screen was actually taken from a Game Boy Advance SP.
At the height of its popularity the Game Boy Advance SP was regarded as a cheap alternative for high quality LCDs. This document even argues the case for using a Game Boy Advance SP for a portable ECG device. The document states that the handheld video game console can offer ‘extremely accurate & rapid physiological signal measurements’ when coupled with an ECG.
More so, as reported by The Verge, a patent filed in 1997 argued for using Game Boys in ECGs to improve portability, stability, access to data, ease of use and to lower costs.
It’s unlikely you’ll find modern medical devices using Game Boys as replacement screens but it’s nice to know that Nintendo’s handheld console was used for other purposes than entertainment.