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If you're always wondering why your partner hasn't replied to your messages, a smart ring that reassures you they're still alive could be just the thing.

The £400 HB Ring lets you feel your partner's heartbeat in real-time just by tapping it twice.

As long as your partner's phone is connected to the internet, your ring will pulse in the same pattern as your partner's heart.

It also flashes a red line around the edge to animate the heartbeat like a hospital electrocardiogram, making it a quirky alternative to the classic gold wedding ring.

It follows the introduction of a new smart ring for women that monitor the wearer's menstrual cycles and sleep patterns.

The rechargeable ring is the creation of a Czech firm called The Touch, which also sells smart lockets and other connected jewellery.

'HB Ring is the first and only smart ring of its kind,' the company says on its website.

'It lets you feel and keep forever the most valuable item you have in life – heartbeat of your loved ones.'

HB Ring detects the wearer's pulse and transmits this information to an accompanying app.

Because two wearers of the rings can be connected via the app, each user can just double tap their ring to see and feel the heartbeat of the other.

The heartbeats are real-time readings unless the other wearer is offline (in this case it'll be the heartbeat from when they were last online).

Starting from $499 (£400) for one ring, it comes in a range of colours, including rose gold and jet black.

One couple who exchanged HB Rings on their wedding day is Jiri and Ondrej Vedral from the Czech Republic, according to the BBC.

Every time Jiri presses his wedding ring, it pulses with Ondrej's heartbeat, and displays the heartbeat as a moving red line – and vice versa.

The couple opted for the HB Ring instead of the more traditional gold or silver rings, although they have to take them off regularly to charge them up.