Abstract: In order to provide an easy-to-use technique for measuring blood pressure and/or other vital signs of a subject, a sensor for detecting the passing of a pulse wave from a subject's arterial system is suggested, the sensor being adapted to be located at a sensing position on the exterior of the subject's body, characterized in that the sensor comprises a number of electrical coils for generating an inductive coupling to the subject's body in a way that the properties of said inductive coupling change if a pulse wave passes a screened volume underneath the sensing position, and a circuit connected to the number of electrical coils, said circuit being adapted to detect said property changes of the inductive coupling.