Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology announced on Mar. 18 the development of DopFone, a new mobile application that allows pregnant women to monitor fetal heart rates using only their smartphones.
The innovation aims to address perinatal anxiety, which affects one in five pregnant women and is marked by persistent negative thoughts about pregnancy. By enabling at-home monitoring, DopFone seeks to provide reassurance between doctor visits and potentially improve maternal healthcare access.
DopFone works by emitting a low-pitched ultrasound from a smartphone’s speakers to detect vibrations caused by fetal cardiac activity. Alex Adams, an assistant professor in Georgia Tech’s School of Interactive Computing, said he was inspired to create the app after he and his wife experienced two miscarriages and found existing home monitors unreliable. “There are a lot of great devices in hospitals and clinics, but there’s not much outside of those venues, even for high-risk pregnancies,” Adams said. “This is about filling the gaps between checkups.”
Poojita Garg joined Adams on the project while completing her master’s degree at Georgia Tech and is now conducting clinical trials with the University of Washington School of Medicine. Garg tested DopFone on 23 patients and achieved results within plus-minus 4.9 beats per minute—well inside clinical standards for reliability. Adams reported that most measurements were accurate within plus-minus 2 beats per minute with an error rate below 1 percent.
About one million pregnancies in the United States end in miscarriage each year, though actual numbers may be higher due to underreporting, according to a study from Yale School of Medicine cited by Adams. While it remains unclear if DopFone could reduce miscarriages, both researchers believe consistent data collection outside clinics could help identify patterns leading up to such events. “From there, we can take preventative action,” Adams said. “If nothing else, we can give a sense of comfort to those who may be worried.”
Garg highlighted DopFone’s potential as a low-cost solution for people living far from medical facilities or in areas with limited healthcare access: “There’s a lot of potential for using it in what doctors like to call maternity deserts,” she said. She also emphasized that no external attachments are needed: “The real value is that 96% of America already has the technology in their pocket, along with 60% of the world’s population,” Adams said.
However, Garg acknowledged possible drawbacks: some users might feel compelled to check heart rates too often, potentially increasing anxiety. She explained that future versions will notify parents if readings fall within healthy ranges and stressed that use should be guided by medical professionals: “We want the use of this tool to be recommended by a doctor and for doctors and their care teams to be kept in the loop.” Garg added that DopFone is not intended as a replacement for clinic-based procedures.
The Georgia Institute of Technology has produced distinguished alumni including military generals and leaders in engineering and innovation according to its official website. The institute generated $5.8 billion in economic impact for Georgia according to its official website and features an urban campus spanning over 400 acres in Midtown Atlanta according to its official website. It has also achieved top rankings among public universities for undergraduate experiences according to its official website and belongs to the University System of Georgia according to its official website.
Looking ahead, researchers plan further clinical testing while refining features based on feedback from patients and healthcare providers.
