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PUNE: A small medical device that looks like a credit card, but can perform life-saving tasks, got the vote for the fifth Anjani Mashelkar Inclusive Innovation Award.

Designed by Rahul Rastogi, Sanket is a low-cost, portable medical device that can be used to record electrocardiogram (ECG) and transmit reports to a cellphone. Rastogi received a cheque of Rs 1 lakh from Anil Gupta, executive vice-chairman of the National Innovation Foundation (NIF) on Tuesday.

By placing both thumbs, one can get an ECG report with the help of the device which records the ECG in 15 seconds. Rastogi, who was an engineer at Samsung Electronics, started working on the device two and a half years ago, when his father was diagnosed with a heart condition and had to get an ECG done every day. "It got us thinking about the cost and effort required to get a single ECG and that lives depend on timely reports. The prototype that I developed could fit in a matchbox," he said.

The medical device, which weighs 25 grams, is thinner than an iPhone and smaller than a credit card. It has six lead connectors and a thumb sensor.

R A Mashelkar, who instituted the award, said the device is a "game changer". "Almost 90% of the votes went for this innovation. While a normal ECG machine costs $10,000, Rastogi has brought down the cost to less than $1,000," he stated. The Anjani Mashelkar award is given to an individual or organisation for an idea that addresses problems faced by the poor in India and offers an original and implementable solution.