Death clock

The death clock is a medical tool in the IDW portion of the Generation 1 continuity family

A "death clock" is a medical scanning device that monitors a rate at which an injured or ill Cybertronian's spark is shrinking, thus allowing it to calculate the remaining time before their death. Some Transformers, such as Drift, believe their use is "an affront to nature", arguing that nobody should know exactly when they will die.

Fiction

IDW Generation 1 continuity

Ratchet used a death clock to monitor the contraction of the wounded Ultra Magnus's spark, obtaining an estimated remaining lifespan of ten days. Later, following the mysterious disappearance of said patient, Tailgate happened to lean under the death clock's scanning field, and was stunned to receive a calculation that he had three days to live. The Gloaming