Repotenciación del simulador de actividad cardíaca mediante la integración de un sistema de adquisición de señales bioeléctricas en tiempo real orientado a educación para la salud

Abstract

This project was prepared by the students of the second cohort of the biomedical engineering program, focused on the repowering of a previously developed cardiac activity simulator through the integration of a real-time electrocardiographic (ECG) acquisition subsystem. The original simulator operated using predefined simulated signals; therefore, the intervention aimed to enhance its functionality by incorporating surface electrodes, signal amplification and filtering stages, and Arduino-based microcontroller processing to capture and condition real cardiac bioelectrical signals from the user. The acquired ECG signal was digitally processed for heart rate (BPM) detection and displayed on an interactive graphical interface developed in the Nextion environment. Simultaneously, the detected frequency values were converted into mechanical activation intervals, enabling synchronization between the real-time ECG waveform and the electromechanical movement of the existing mechanical heart model. This integration introduced a biofeedback-based interaction, transforming the simulator from a static demonstration tool into a dynamic educational platform capable of reflecting physiological variability. Methodologically, the project included analysis of the base simulator, design of the ECG acquisition module, electronic integration, firmware programming, structural adaptation, and functional validation of the repowered prototype. Improvements were implemented to optimize communication between acquisition, processing, visualization, and mechanical actuation subsystems. The results demonstrated stable real-time ECG capture, consistent heart rate detection, and accurate synchronization between electrical activity and mechanical contraction. The comparison between simulated and real acquisition modes highlighted improvements in physiological variability representation, interactivity, and pedagogical value.