Handheld Heart Rate Monitor

The Handheld Heart Rate Monitor operates by integrating sensing hardware, a microcontroller, and a compact visual display into a portable diagnostic tool. At the core of the system is an Arduino Nano, which acts as the central processing unit and runs a program compiled through the Arduino IDE. A dedicated heart rate sensor continuously captures physiological data from the user, translating physical pulse fluctuations into electrical signals that the microcontroller can interpret. The Arduino Nano processes these incoming data streams to compute the current heart rate. Once calculated, the microcontroller communicates the output data to a 2.44cm (0.96-inch) OLED display via a digital communication protocol. The Adafruit SSD1306 display library is utilized in the software to manage the 128x64 pixel resolution, rendering the text and graphics clearly on the screen so the user can read their vital statistics in real time. The entire circuit is assembled using connecting wires and a breadboard for prototyping, while power is supplied independently by a rechargeable 3.7V Li-ion battery. This portable power configuration allows the entire monitoring system to function untethered from a computer or wall outlet, making it genuinely handheld and suitable for on-the-go health diagnostics.