Ubimax, a leading provider of fully integrated industrial augmented reality (AR) solutions, has launched Everything-as-a-Service offering (XaaS) for smart glasses.

Read more Vuzix to Showcase latest features of Vuzix Blade AR Smart Glasses

The Everything-as-a-Service (XaaS) offering from Ubimax allows customers to deploy Vuzix M400 Smart Glasses and Ubimax Frontline solutions at scale without the upfront capital investment traditionally required when deploying smart glasses solutions. For a $200 monthly fee (excluding taxes) with no additional upfront costs (subject to a 24-month subscription and minimum unit volume commitment), the XaaS solution includes use case-specific workflows for inspection, remote support and order picking, alongside all necessary hardware, software, and services.  The XaaS offering from Ubimax will allow enterprise companies to implement Vuzix M400 Smart Glasses and Ubimax Frontline solutions rapidly and without any upfront investment, resulting in almost immediate ROIs.  Both Ubimax and Vuzix will be selling this solution, says a press release.

“As we now see new scaling dimensions for our solutions, with customers like BMW or Coca-Cola deploying hundreds of devices in a very short time period, we’ve decided to launch the Everything-as-a-Service offering allowing companies to start with bigger roll-outs right away without the need to invest upfront and without any additional CAPEX on their balance sheet,” said Dr. Hendrik Witt, CEO of Ubimax.

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The all-new XaaS offering is limited to Q4 2019 and comes with pre-defined FastTrack Templates for “After-Sales” and “Order Picking”. These FastTrack Templates include use case specific workflows for inspection & remote support and order picking which can easily be edited and adapted using Frontline Creator, the inherent AR authoring tool. Ultimately, customers benefit from its affordable, easy-to-calculate, and easy-to-scale character and only pay as they go.

Read more DigiLens Unveils Augmented Reality Smartglasses

“The XaaS Everything-as-a-Service offering from Ubimax, coupled with the Vuzix M400 Smart Glasses, offers enterprise customers a tremendous value proposition right out of the gate,” said Paul Travers, President and CEO of Vuzix. “We are thrilled to be working alongside Ubimax to support the launch of their XaaS product offering and look forward to driving better business performance and ROIs across numerous industry verticals.”

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Suunto Expands its Open Sensor Platform to the Medical Field

Suunto is making it easier to rapidly develop and bring to market new, accurate, low-cost solutions for motion-sensing and biometrics with Movesense, a sophisticated sensor and development environment. In application areas as diverse as sports, agriculture, manufacturing, and health care, Movesense can cut product development of wearable sensors from years to days.

Suunto has decided to introduce a new medical version of the Movesense sensor to the platform, Movesense MD. The Movesense MD is capable of recording single channel clinical quality ECG, motion and temperature signals, processing and sending the measurement data wirelessly to smartphones via Bluetooth Low Energy. Movesense MD will be certified as a class IIa Medical Device, according to the CE medical directive and is manufactured under ISO 60601 and ISO 13485 standards.

The Movesense sensor, which is just 36.6mm in diameter and less than 10 grams, includes a built-in accelerometer, gyroscope, magnetometer, heart rate and ECG monitor, and temperature sensor, making it a powerful engine for health monitoring.

Versatile enough to replace years of hardware development for a startup and to integrate with established companies’ existing products, Movesense provides comprehensive data that can be used to monitor health status, support healthy lifestyle, and aid rehabilitation programs, among other varied applications.

“We have seen an increasing interest in the healthcare sector to use Movesense for preventive healthcare, remote monitoring, diagnostics and testing, tracking recovery and rehabilitation, among others. Therefore, we are expanding the platform with a medical version of the sensor,” says Jussi Kaasinen, General Manager at Movesense. “Movesense is a unique platform that enable fast development of cost-efficient wearable sensors for health use. With the new sensor, we want to make it easier for our customers to go through the regulatory process of medical products.”

“Developing, designing, and manufacturing hardware from scratch can take years and millions of dollars, draining the momentum of startups and enterprises alike. With Movesense, companies can leapfrog development to the actual application, focusing on their area of expertise and what will actually deliver value to customers,” says Terho Lahtinen, Senior Manager, Future Concepts at Movesense.

Movesense MD is currently undergoing reviews related to the medical certification and will be commercially available as soon as the registration has been granted. Developing applications for the Movesense MD sensor is already possible with existing elements of the Movesense platform.

Movesense development platform includes an open sensor API, software libraries and source code for building compatible mobile apps for iOS and Android, sample code modules for the sensor, desktop simulator for the sensor software, and physical accessories for attaching the sensor in different ways.

The Movesense MD sensor:

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• Measures single channel ECG, with a configurable sampling frequency
• Is a Class IIa Medical Device Accessory
• Has wireless data transfer via Bluetooth Low Energy
• Is available with OEM branding
• Supports custom firmware
• Can run custom algorithms developed by 3^rd parties
• Is swim- and shock-proof
• Is designed and made in Finland by Suunto
• Features a user-replaceable battery and state-of-the-art ultra-low-power components
• Is one of the lightest and smallest wearable sensors on the market at less than 10 grams (0.35 ounces) with the battery
• Will be available for patient use in during spring 2020.

More information at www.movesense.com/movesense-md-sensor/

Movesense will be present at the WT | Wearable Technologies Show at MEDICA on Nov 18-21, 2019 - visit them in Hall 13 at Booth D46!

About Movesense

Movesense is an open development environment for motion-sensing solutions. Developed in Finland by Suunto, a leading manufacturer of sports watches and dive computers, its easy and innovative tools accelerate measuring and sensing applications across sports, health care, manufacturing, and more. Learn more at www.movesense.com.

About Suunto

Suunto is a Finnish manufacturer of world renowned sports watches, dive computers and precision instruments for the toughest conditions. Suunto has been at the forefront of innovation and exploration since 1936.
Company website: https://www.suunto.com/

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By providing patients with an instant biofeedback, wearables not only have the possibility to prevent injury and overuse but also to optimize training - which becomes of special interest in rehabilitation where exercising optimally is paramount for your health. We gathered what applications are there for increasing a patient’s rehabilitation process.

Next Generation Optoelectronics
Drug-free pain relief can get you back in action fast, without side effects’ risks and dangers. The Care­Wear light patch produces blue and red light to re­duce pain and improve tissue recovery by increasing local blood circulation and elevating tissue tem­perature. The FDA cleared (and soon CE marked) patches emit wavelengths of light that warm tissues to relax muscles, stimulate increased nitric oxide production to improve circulation, de­crease inflammation to relieve pain, and stimulate energy production to improve cellular function that facilitates healing and repair. www.carewear.net

Bring gait analysis out of the lab using wearable sensors
Movement analysis is a major driver when it comes to performance tracking and improvement. Making sense of motion for therapeutic virtual reality in various applications is the mission of Gait Up. Gait, i.e. walking or locomotion, is our 6th vital sign and its analysis helps diagnose a wide range of neurological and orthopaedic disorders such as stroke, multiple sclerosis, or osteoarthritis. Yet there are several limitations to the current Motion Capture Laboratory gold standard: high cost, long procedures, and biased patterns. Gait Up is introducing PhysiGait®: the fully accurate medical wearable solution for a point-of-care gait analysis. It improves clinical outcomes and reduce costs. www.gaitup.com

Gamified physical rehab: Better outcomes for patients & higher revenue for rehab centers
Raccoon.Recovery is a toll for physical rehabilitation after injuries or neurological disorders. The patient is treated with a hand controller and 3D motion sensors by playing video games. By adopting this innovative approach with remote monitoring and treatment correction, rehab centers can increase profits by 150%. www.raccoon.world

Remote patient monitoring technology for physiotherapy clinics and orthopaedic hospitals
Physiotherapy hasn’t changed much over the last 100 years. But when technology evolved up to the point where the physiotherapist was able to deliver video exercises for patients to continue their workout at home, everything changed. New opportunities and challenges were created. Now remote monitoring technologies proved to do an even better job than video exercises. The wearable sensors of re.flex are showing how this new method of delivering orthopaedic rehab treatment will benefit healthcare providers and insurers in the future. www.reflex.help

The above listed companies will present their exciting innovations at the WT | Wearable Technologies Show MEDICA on Nov 18-21 in Hall 13 Booth D46.

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Consumer Electronics Show (CES) has chosen Human Capable’s Augmented Reality (AR) Norm Glasses as a CES 2020 Innovation Awards best of innovation. In addition, Norm Glasses are innovation award honorees in 8 other categories, for a total of 9 awards. Human Capable is a Florida-based startup that develops AR glasses. CES, the world's largest annual consumer technology trade show, will take place in Las Vegas, January 9th to the 11th.

Read more Snap to Release Spectacles 3 AR Glasses with 3D Video Camera

Norm Glasses were showcased at CES Unveiled New York, at the Metropolitan Pavilion on November 7th. An invite only media event, CES Unveiled New York is the official kickoff party to mark the start of the CES season, featuring the emerging tech trends that will dominate the CES show floor in January. Human Capable is proud to be recognized, reports BusinessWire.

Engineered for comfort, functionality, and style, Norm Glasses are everyday AR smartglasses that look and feel like normal frames. The glasses are equipped with a wearable mini-computer that runs on an Android-based operating system. The glasses also feature dual speakers for voice command, open-ear sound and a heads-up display (HUD). They fold up and fit in a standard glasses case.

Weighing only 30-36g, Norm Glasses are the lightest among all smart glasses with a head-up display, even lighter than a vintage pair of classic Ray-Ban Wayfarer.

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Users can stay on top of communication, obtain or share information in heads-up, hands-free manner, without holding or touching their phone.

Read more Smart AR Glasses, Smart Helmets: Market Analysis and Forecasts

Here are More Features

• Make and receive phone calls. Hassle-free phone calls
• Read, listen & reply to text messages
• Take Photos and Videos. The HD built-in camera lets you take photos and videos with ease
• Visual Navigation. Turn-by-turn navigation is displayed in the field of view so you never miss a turn
• Comfortably listen to music, audiobooks, watch videos, and do so much more.
• Email and Social media

Norm Glasses are priced at US $349 and can be pre-ordered via Indiegogo.

The Swiss ETH Spin-off, IDUN Technologies has launched its first product, the Dryode™, two years after its foundation. IDUN develops and manufactures accurate and comfortable sensors for wearable devices. The new product is available through OpenBCI, Inc. an open source platform for neuroscience.

Read more Pitt Researchers Develop Tiny Light-Activated Electrode for Neural Stimulation

Current disposable wet electrodes for biopotential monitoring can cause skin irritations and dry out over time. This limits usability as well as long-term monitoring applications. Additionally, disposable wet electrodes are prone to motion artifacts and are not water resistant.

The soft and flexible dry electrode allows high precision biopotential monitoring (ECG, EMG, EEG) with an unobtrusive user experience. The Dryode™ Kit addresses researchers, developers and makers with its reusable high-end electrodes. The Dryode™ Kit is compatible with the OpenBCI Ganglion and Cyton. OpenBCI allows anyone interested in biosensing, brain-computer interfacing and neurofeedback to purchase high-quality equipment at affordable prices, says a press release.

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“We are very excited to work with IDUN Technologies in offering affordable biosensing equipment to our community” says Conor Russomanno, CEO and founder of OpenBCI.

Read more Graphene to Protect Implantable Neurostimulators in People with Neurological Disorders

About IDUN

IDUN Technologies is a leading producer of customized soft and dry electrodes – the DRYODES™. The company was founded in 2017 following three years of academic R&D at ETH Zürich. Its Dryodes are used around the world for wearable technology and research. Preparation-free and skin compliant biopotential electrodes with recording quality enable wearables for future healthcare and the Internet of Humans. The Swiss ETH Spin-off aims to be the best interface between the user’s skin and wearable devices to connect humans in everyday life. The Dryode™ is the first product in a development pipeline working towards continuous body monitoring for sports diagnostics, wellbeing and brain-computer interfaces.

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Being renowned for the world’s leading source of functional textiles, advanced manufacturing capabilities in electronics, and high medical quality, Taiwan has gained itself strong advantages in developing intelligent healthcare textiles, where the three aforementioned industries intersect.

Asiatic Fiber Corporation (AFC®) is a long-established and the most professional medical textile company in Taiwan. Our team is dedicated to devise smart healthcare solutions to enhance the quality and efficiency of traditional healthcare. At present, we are proud to introduce our revolutionary iQmax® Intelligent Textile Modules, which are uniquely designed to pair with corresponding iQmax® mobile apps for thermotherapy, electrotherapy and muscle training.

Thermotherapy

iQmax® Heated Module is best known for its superior quality, washability, bendability, and customizable heating temperatures. They can be easily integrated into
apparel for heating and soothing. Today, we present our APP+ Heated Module, offering a high-tech while user-friendly interface that is easily controllable with smart devices. They are demonstrated in the forms of Smart Heated Eye Mask, Smart Heated Gel Pad, and any possible design that suits the healthcare needs.

Electrotherapy & Muscle Training

Replacing the bulky TENS & EMS devices and gel electrodes, we now offer a state-of-the-art solution for rehab, improving blood circulation and relieving muscle pain by stimulating your nerves with our APP+ Wearable TENS Textiles, which can be easily operated by connecting to your smartphones. On the other hand, we also showcase our APP+ Wearable EMS Supports that can be paired with smartphone App via Bluetooth, bringing comfort, convenience and creativity together, and making the exercises and trainings much simpler than ever.

Visit AFC® at the WT | Wearable Technologies Show at MEDICA 2019 in Hall 13 Booth D46 and learn more about iQmax®.

Medopad, the U.K. startup that’s seeking to battle Alzheimer's with artificial intelligence has raised $25m in series B funding. The funding round was led by Leaps by Bayer, an investment unit of Germany-based pharmaceutical company Bayer. Others participating in the round were investors NWS Holdings and Healthbox.

Read more AI Health Tech Firm Healx Raises $56 Million in Series B as It Looks to Accelerate Rare Disease Treatments

“Medopad has a bold mission to help people live their life to the fullest, one that requires long-term commitment and partnership to achieve,” said Medopad founder and CEO Dan Vahdat.

“We are delighted that Leaps by Bayer who participated in our Series A round have now become the lead investor in our Series B. We have found the ideal partner with the dedication to help us reach our vision of creating a world where each person lives their life to the fullest.”

With this funding round, Medopad has so far raised more than $50m. The company said it will use the money to boost its clinical research operations, including digital therapeutics (DTx) and digital biomarker discovery for treatment of conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes and heart disease. It also plans to expand its international operations.

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Some of the investment will be directed towards AI projects with life sciences firms such as Janssen, a Belgian business owned by US behemoth Johnson & Johnson. Medopad is also working with Tencent Medical AI Lab, an arm of Chinese tech giant Tencent.

“Our joint Tencent/Medopad lab uses AI techniques to solve clinical problems such as motion disorder syndromes such as Parkinson’s disease, cancer, psoriasis and the early detection of heart failure,” said Dr. Wei Fan, Executive Director of Tencent Medical AI Labs.

Founded in 2011, Medopad partners with scientists, technologists, and healthcare and pharmaceutical professionals to use artificial intelligence to collect and analyze data and then predict different medical conditions and outcomes, reports MobiHealthNews.

Digital biomarkers is a new category in medicine. It seeks to collect data and use digital technologies to predict risk and condition progression and diagnosis through digital technologies.

The platform is designed to save clinicians time in an effort to drive better diagnosis, care, and treatment for patients with chronic illnesses.

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The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a recall for Senseonics’ Eversense Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) system.

Read more Senseonics & Glooko Partner Up for Integrated Diabetes Management

“Eversense Sensors have prematurely stopped functioning due to inadequate hydration of the sensor s glucose-sensing surface,” the FDA stated as the manufacturer reason for recall.

In September, Eversense posted a notice alerting providers and distributors in the US that the sensors of certain devices may stop working prematurely, reports MobiHealthNews.

“Our investigation found the presence of residual sodium chloride solution used during the manufacturing process from one specific manufacturer. In such cases, the Eversense CGM System stopped displaying glucose information to the user and ended sensor life earlier than expected (within first 3 weeks following insertion),” the company said.

The recall will affect 844 sensors that Eversense shipped between March 19 and August 19. “It does not affect systems marketed outside of the US, or the company’s Eversense Smart Transmitter, Eversense Insertion Kit or Eversense App,” according to MobiHealthNews report.

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Senseonics said it knew that as of September 4, only 1.4% of the sensors (24 sensors) that were inserted into patients stopped functioning prematurely.

Read more Senseonics’ New Program Geared Towards Patients with High-Deductible Insurance Plans

The Eversense CGM System comprises of a fluorescence-based sensor, a Bluetooth transmitter for data communication and a mobile app that displays glucose levels, trends and alerts. The sensor lasts up to 3 months and needs to be inserted subcutaneously in the upper arm by a physician in a brief in-office procedure. Traditional CGMs require patients to self-administer insertions of the sensors weekly or biweekly. Additionally, CGM’s transmitter can be removed and recharged without discarding the sensor.

The FDA and Senseonics asked providers not to use the devices on patients and return them to the company. The company also said it didn’t receive any report on injuries related to the faulty sensors.

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Xenoma Inc. (Headquarter: Tokyo City, Omori; CEO: Ichiro Amimori; hereafter ”Xenoma”), developer of smart apparel, will present their newest prototypes at the MEDICA 2019 in Düsseldorf, Germany. For the first time, this will include the e-skin ECG shirt as well as the e-skin MEVA. This combination of IMU pants and motion capture software has just entered beta-stage.

The ECG shirt targets especially the long-term ECG market. While it looks and feels like any regular casual shirt, it attaches via 5 buttons on the inside directly to 5 electrodes on the patient’s body. There is no need for any cables, external batteries or other external devices. Additionally, the shirt features an embedded IMU unit for motion tracking. Not only will the shirt allow patients to move freely, these movements can be also linked precisely to cardiac events.

The e-skin MEVA system combines comfortable, washable sports pants with IMU sensors and a specialized software application. Simply by wearing the pants and following an easy 30 seconds set-up, anyone of any age can translate their motions in real-time to 3D animations and data sheets. This motion capture system works without cameras or markers.

Xenoma will be part of the WT | Wearable Technologies Show in hall 13, booth D46.

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Shimmer, a Dublin based wearable technology company that produces wearable wireless sensors, received CE certification for its five-wire, four-lead holter monitor electrocardiograph (ECG).

Read more Shimmer Announces Launch of Open Source Initiative for Wearable Sensor Algorithm

“We are delighted to report that we can now deliver robust ECG data wirelessly from a CE-certified wearable medical device,” said Geoffrey Gill, president of Shimmer Americas.

“Shimmer has more than a decade of experience developing ECG sensors and it’s evident in this device. We developed a five-wire, four-lead ECG system to ensure that it would produce the very detailed, low noise signal required by healthcare professionals and medical researchers. Patients will also benefit from its lighter, low-profile form,” Mr. Gill added.

Shimmer’s ECGmd weighs only about 40% as much as an average holter monitor and it presents a slimmer format, measuring just 100 mm x 33 mm x 8 mm, says a press release.

The ECGmd was developed for Shimmer’s original equipment manufacturer (OEM) business as a small, high-quality ECG for system integrators to incorporate into their products. As a result, it is supplied in kit form with only the hardware and firmware included so that clients can develop their own display software. Shimmer is also prepared to submit a 510(k) application to the FDA for the ECGmd if needed by OEM customers.

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Shimmer’s ECGmd is not intended for use as an unattended critical care monitor.

Read more Shimmer Launches Verisense™ Wearable Sensor Platform for Clinical Trials

About Shimmer

Founded based on Intel technology in 2006, Shimmer Research is a well-established wearable technologies services and sensor manufacturing company based in Dublin, Ireland. In addition to standard products, Shimmer provides customized sensor development services, volume manufacturing, and complete wearable sensor solutions of any complexity. Shimmer’s technology and services have been employed by thousands of researchers at more than 900 leading companies, universities, and research institutes in more than 75 countries. Shimmer’s technology is incorporated in the products and services of more than 20 original equipment manufacturers. Shimmer has an ISO 13485:2016 certified medical devices quality management system.

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Wireless tech company Qualcomm announced the launch of the Qualcomm Ventures 5G Ecosystem Fund to invest up to an aggregate of $200 million in companies building the 5G ecosystem at its Annual CEO Summit.

Managed by Qualcomm Ventures, this fund is designed to invest in startups creating 5G use cases beyond smartphones, pushing next-gen network adoption, and tailoring services to enterprises.

Read more Qualcomm Helping to Accelerate IoT Ecosystem Growth, Reaches More Than 9,000 Customers

Qualcomm is the world’s leading wireless technology innovator. As 5G continues to roll out faster and more broadly than 4G, industry experts expect it to have a significantly greater impact than any previous generation of cellular technology and fuel a new era of innovation, reports Qualcomm in a press release.

“5G will transform industries and should be viewed as a business strategy for all,” said Steve Mollenkopf, CEO of Qualcomm Incorporated. “The intent of this fund is to fuel innovative 5G businesses that will be poised to take advantage of the $13.2T economic benefit that 5G will enable by 2035.”

The latest investment follows last year’s Qualcomm Ventures AI Fund, which focuses on investing in innovative startups using on-device AI. The 5G Ecosystem Fund announced today builds on this strategy of investing in technology areas that will drive the economy forward and where Qualcomm has a demonstrated expertise.

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“The 5G Ecosystem Fund will invest in startups developing 5G applications beyond smartphones and across the entire 5G value chain” said Quinn Li, Senior Vice President, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. and global head of Qualcomm Ventures,  “from companies developing new use cases leveraging 5G’s unique capabilities to solutions that transform networks into an intelligent, software-defined connectivity fabric. We want to fuel the innovations in the 5G ecosystem and unlock the potential of 5G.”

Read more Qualcomm Announces Support for Next Generation Immersive Compute for XR Viewers for 5G Smartphones

Qualcomm Ventures has a strong track record of investing in leading global startups with over 350 investments made since the group started in 2000.  This includes notable companies like Zoom, Cloudflare, AMEC, Xiaomi, Cruise Automation, 99, Thundersoft, Fitbit and Waze.

This fund will continue to invest in those that share Qualcomm Ventures’ vision to transform yet-to-be seen innovations and technologies into reality by using the power of 5G. Qualcomm’s industry-leading research and pioneering development of 5G will allow Qualcomm Ventures to serve as an ideal investor in startups that can leverage 5G’s capabilities and bring forth the next wave of innovation.

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Cognoa, a Palo Alto, CA-based consumer healthcare company for pediatric behavioral health, announced the initiation of its Pivotal Study to demonstrate the effectiveness of its diagnostic aid for autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The company anticipates submitting the results of this multi-site, prospective, blinded, active comparator study to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2020. The Cognoa digital diagnostic has the potential to become the first cleared medical device to help diagnose autism.

Read more Cognoa Licenses Google Glass-based AI Technology for Children with Autism

“Cognoa believes digital therapeutics can fundamentally improve the standard of care for pediatric behavioral health. Our breakthrough products will empower both parents and their trusted family physicians so that every child can receive an earlier diagnosis and treatment when there is the greatest ability to impact the child’s development and improve lifelong outcomes,” said Brent Vaughan, CEO of Cognoa. “Building upon Cognoa’s previous successful clinical studies, this pivotal study is an important milestone for our company. In tandem, we have established our commercial model with our partner, EVERSANA, that will enable access to our digital therapeutics by physicians through existing prescription, distribution and reimbursement infrastructures for utmost efficiency.”

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Current method of autism diagnosis pinpoints autism when the child is of 4 years and 4 months of age, which is after the primary window of brain development when interventions can have the greatest impact. Cognoa’s AI-powered digital therapeutics is intended to enable pediatricians and physicians in primary care settings to make an autism diagnosis in children as young as 18 months, so that children can receive earlier treatment, says a press release.

Cognoa has received FDA Breakthrough Device designation for its two lead products, the first digital diagnostic for autism and a digital therapeutic to treat autism. This designation provides priority review for clearance by the FDA.

Read more Sweat Sensors to Predict Behavioral Issues in Autistic Children

“The current system does not serve children with autism or families who are concerned about their child’s development. Barriers to treatment will not change as long as access to diagnosis and treatment stays heavily reliant on specialty care, where we face a growing shortfall. We believe digital medicines can help address the limitations of our current system, making both primary and specialty care physicians more efficient and effective,” said Dr. Sharief Taraman, Chief Medical Officer of Cognoa, Division Chief at CHOC Children’s and Vice President of the American Academy of Pediatrics Orange County, California

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Google announced that it is buying Fitbit, the world's leading maker of wearable fitness activity trackers. The deal values Fitbit around $2.1 billion, making it one of Google’s largest acquisitions.

The news comes just days after a Reuters report claimed that Google was in talks to buy the wearable giant.

The market reacted favorably to the announcement. Fitbit’s stock surged 16%, while shares of Alphabet were up about 0.8%.

Read more Fitbit and Health2Synch Partner Up for Diabetes Management

“More than 12 years ago, we set an audacious company vision – to make everyone in the world healthier. Today, I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve achieved towards reaching that goal. We have built a trusted brand that supports more than 28 million active users around the globe who rely on our products to live a healthier, more active life,” said James Park, co-founder and CEO of Fitbit. “Google is an ideal partner to advance our mission. With Google’s resources and global platform, Fitbit will be able to accelerate innovation in the wearables category, scale faster, and make health even more accessible to everyone. I could not be more excited for what lies ahead.”

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Fitbit pioneered the wearables category by delivering innovative, affordable and engaging devices and services. Being “on Fitbit” is not just about the device – it is an immersive experience from the wrist to the app, designed to help users understand and change their behavior to improve their health, reports Fitbit.

Fitbit takes consumer trust very seriously. Strong privacy and security guidelines have been part of Fitbit’s since its inception. The company never sells personal information, and Fitbit health and wellness data will not be used for Google ads, the company said.

The transaction is expected to close in 2020, subject to customary closing conditions, including approval by Fitbit’s stockholders and regulatory approvals.

Read more Google’s Project Jacquard is Back with Yves Saint Laurent Backpack

“Fitbit has been a true pioneer in the industry and has created terrific products, experiences and a vibrant community of users,” said Rick Osterloh, Senior Vice President, Devices & Services at Google. “We're looking forward to working with the incredible talent at Fitbit, and bringing together the best hardware, software and AI, to build wearables to help even more people around the world.”

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Validic, a provider of solutions for personal health data, announced the support of high-frequency data, enabling organizations to receive standardized activity, heart rate and blood glucose data at a rate up to one reading per minute. The availability of these data for use in healthcare and wellness programs indicates an important shift toward more real-time, individualized interventions and coaching services.

Read more New Startup Medical Ledger Offers Health Data Privacy with Blockchain-Powered EHR

“High-frequency data provides the detail needed to understand a person's daily habits and behaviors,” said Drew Schiller, Validic CEO.” With this advancement, our partners and clients can provide more timely and relevant interventions to help people live healthier lives.”

As research continues to demonstrate the value of being active throughout the day and raising one's heart rate regularly, data that better-illustrates an individual's lifestyle is paramount to driving healthier behaviors and personalized recommendations.

With high-frequency data – also known as time-series or intraday data – organizations can use a person's activities throughout the day to provide consistent, precise feedback that encourages behavior change. For instance, as part of a wellness program, high-frequency heart rate data can allow artificial intelligence or a coach to understand the level of effort throughout a workout and provide appropriate feedback, said Validic in a press release.

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Similarly, in diabetes management programs, high-frequency readings from continuous glucose meters can provide insight into an individual's glucose values throughout the day, not just the few times they may complete a finger-stick reading before or after meals. This granular data enables more individualized coaching or treatment adjustments. High-frequency activity and heart rate data can also be valuable for post-discharge monitoring. For instance, a clinician can view the duration and intensity of activity a patient performs after a surgery. With continuous access, an intervention can occur that day, educating the patient on the risks of strenuous exertion and preventing the person from repeating that action.

Read more Flexible Graphene Photodetectors Accurately Measure Health Data in Wearables

Validic offers connectivity to a variety of sources delivering high-frequency data, including steps, heart rate, distance, elevation and blood glucose data from Apple, Fitbit, Garmin and Dexcom devices.

High-frequency data is available via Validic's streaming and REST APIs. As more devices support the delivery of data at high-frequency intervals, Validic plans to expand its high-frequency data offerings.

Durham, NC-based Validic guides healthcare and wellness organizations through the technical complexities associated with accessing and operationalizing patient-generated health data for virtual engagement and remote patient monitoring.

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ConvergeHEALTH by Deloitte announced the launch of two digital healthcare platforms for the healthcare ecosystem: MyPATH for Health and MyPATH for Connected Care. The two platforms are meant to work together to connect and support patients and their care teams across the patient experience — from clinical trials to treatment and beyond.

Read more VitalConnect’s VitalPatch Biosensor and VistaTablet Provides Continuous Patient Monitoring Anywhere

The MyPATH digital healthcare platform helps health systems, biopharmaceutical, medical device, and health plan innovators deliver next-generation patient support services and therapy management across the patient journey, improving their overall experience while cultivating a rich, real-world data set, says a press release.

“Because of new interoperability standards and a growing ecosystem of connected devices, patients are increasingly in control of their health and wellness data,” said Brett Davis, principal, Deloitte Consulting LLP, and general manager, ConvergeHEALTH by Deloitte. “But to transform the patient experience — whether supporting virtual health or virtual clinical trials — the patient must be connected to a platform that supports new workflows and paradigms of delivering care and supporting clinical research. The ConvergeHEALTH MyPATH platform helps life sciences and health care organizations do just that for the patients they serve.”

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MyPATH for Health

MyPATH for Health supports life science innovators for clinical trials and patient services by connecting patients, caregivers, providers and life sciences organizations. By connecting all stakeholders, MyPATH can transform patient engagement, create a connected care team, aim to improve outcomes, and cultivates a rich, real-world data set for analysis.

MyPATH for Health enables:

• Care coordination
• Medication and appointment reminders
• Remote health and risk monitoring
• 24/7 support network
• Novel approaches for improving research and development
• ePRO and consent management for clinical trials
• Community and family support

Read more Oracle mHealth Platform is Revolutionizing Clinical Trials with Remote Monitoring Devices

MyPATH for Connected Care

MyPATH for Connected Care platform connects patients and care teams to deliver virtual care services through an effective, data-driven experience.

MyPATH for Connected Care enables:

• A connected ecosystem to support patients and care teams at every stage and setting
• Continuous strategies for building capabilities that deploy patient-centered virtual home care
• A robust health data collection with a focus on care plan management
• A holistic, personalized approach to care plans
• The ability to empower patients, with user friendly devices and wearables

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Garmin Pay™ contactless payment feature is now available for Maestro cards issued by major European banks, including KBC Bank and Insurance (including CBC and KBC Brussels) in Belgium, Rabobank and ABN AMRO in Netherlands and BNL Gruppo BNP Paribas in Italy. There are 10 Garmin smartwatches that support contactless payment feature and digital, which people can use to make highly secure contactless payments at near-field communication-enabled (NFC) point-of-sale (POS) terminals.

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Related eftpos to Fast-Track Tap & Pay to Cash in on Public Transport Market

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“By adding Maestro, our issuers will be able to expand this innovative solution to their entire consumer base, which will result in more connected and digitally native customers than ever,” said Paolo Battiston, EVP Digital Payments & Labs Europe, Mastercard.

The 10 Garmin smartwatches that have Garmin Pay are: D2 Delta S, D2 Delta, D2 Delta PX, fenix 5S Plus, Fenix 5 Plus, Fenix 5X Plus, Forerunner 645, Forerunner 645 Music, Vivoactive 3 and Vivoactive 3 Music.

Joe Schrick, Garmin vice president of fitness, said his company is committed to expanding Garmin Pay to customers across the globe, and they are excited to offer that service to Maestro cardholders. “Now, athletes and adventurers throughout Europe can leave their wallet at home when they go to the gym or for a run, making it easier than ever to just get up and go,” he said.

A February 2018 study by Mastercard, found that 24% of European residents expect to start using "tap and go" contactless payments with a smartwatch, bracelet, keyring or other wearable. Between 2018 and 2017, contactless spending on Mastercard and Maestro grew by 145%, says a press release.

“Adding Maestro is a major step forward in expanding the global footprint of Garmin Pay, which is now available in 26 countries and through more than 200 issuers,” said Michael Orlando, COO of NXT-ID and President of Fit Pay, Inc. “Mastercard and Garmin have been tremendous partners as we have begun providing consumers worldwide with more convenient, secure and seamless ways to pay.”

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Related American Express to Launch New Contactless Payment Wristband for Members and Fans at the 2018 US Open

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Garmin Pay is powered by FitPay's Token Requester Management Platform, which enables cardholders to securely add their payment credentials to devices that are integrated with FitPay's token management solution. The platform uses tokenization, a payment security technology that replaces cardholders' account information with a unique digital identifier (a "token"), to transact highly secure contactless payments.

For decades, Garmin has pioneered new GPS navigation and wireless devices and applications that are designed for people who live an active lifestyle. Garmin serves five primary markets: automotive, aviation, fitness, marine, and outdoor recreation. Garmin, Fenix, Forerunner and Vivoactive are registered trademarks and Garmin Pay, Garmin Connect and D2 are trademarks of Garmin Ltd. or its subsidiaries.

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Neuchâtel, November 1st, 2019 – Aktiia, a Swiss-US startup that develops optical blood pressure monitors at the wrist, has concluded the analysis of the data of a clinical trial comparing cuffless optical blood pressure measurements at the wrist against invasive references. The results have been published in the peer-reviewed journal Blood Pressure Monitoring, with the conclusion that Aktiia’s optical technology is capable of replacing more traditional methods of blood pressure measurement such as cuffs.

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Since its incorporation in 2018, Aktiia has focused on the development of a library of algorithms for the continuous 24/7 monitoring of blood pressure. The Aktiia algorithms only require input signals acquired from off-the-shelf optical sensors at the wrist: the same sensors that are today used in wearable devices to measure heart rate. This technology is expected to be a key element for the deployment of cuffless devices for the 24/7 monitoring of blood pressure.

The idea of an algorithm for cuffless blood pressure monitoring that processes signals from optical sensors has been explored in the past. However, the performance of existing solutions has only been partially assessed, or has been tested in very controlled conditions against dubious reference measurements. Aktiia believes that the development and further deployment of cuffless blood pressure technologies requires thorough experimental investigations involving measurement of ground-truth blood pressure values, including invasive measurements. Intensive care units represent an ethical and compelling environment for such investigations.

In February 2019, Aktiia SA joined efforts with Dr. Cyril Pellaton and his team in the Hôpital Neuchâtelois, Neuchâtel, Switzerland, to initiate a clinical trial. After approval from Swissmedic and the local Ethical Committee, the investigators enrolled 30 critical patients elected for radial arterial catherization at the intensive care unit. After inclusion, the team recorded ground-truth blood pressure measurements at the radial artery simultaneously to optical signals acquired at the contralateral wrist by a prototype of the Aktiia wearable device. Further details of the investigation protocol have already been disclosed at ClinicalTrials.gov, under the registration number NCT03837769.

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Today, Dr. Pellaton and Aktiia SA announce the conclusion of the analysis of the compiled data and its publication in the peer-reviewed journal Blood Pressure Monitoring. The obtained results provide clear and compelling evidence on the reliability and accuracy of the OBPM technology compared to currently accepted methods of blood pressure measurement. This is a major milestone in the clinical activities of company, contributing toward the company’s mission to bring easy, painless blood pressure monitoring to daily life.

About Aktiia

Aktiia was founded in Switzerland in May 2018 out of a passion to create the best tool for diagnosis and treatment of hypertension. Aktiia’s founders, Mattia Bertschi (CEO) and Josep Solà (CTO), previously contributed to research and development at CSEM, a prestigious Swiss research institute. For 15 years they worked day in and day out to understand the language of our heart signals and decode key markers to gain better insight into blood pressure. They built an incredible team of 15 employees and founded Aktiia to turn their years of pioneering work into a useful tool for people around the globe.

Aktiia’s technology combines common optical sensors and proprietary clinically tested algorithms to measure blood pressure at the wrist. Validated through extensive trials in acute and low-acute settings, its accuracy has received worldwide acknowledgement, enabling Aktiia to proudly offer the most complete and user-friendly blood pressure companion to date. With one third of adults globally suffering from hypertension, this mission is more urgent than ever.

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Digital ECG maker AliveCor is partnering up with Chinese wearable maker Huami to combine the technologies of each company to deliver a new generation of medical functionality to wearable devices.

“AliveCor's Intelligent, medical grade, heart care platform will be a key component of Huami smart watches and heart trackers going forward. Our new partnership is critical to building these as well as entirely new medical grade services,” said Wang Huang, CEO of Huami.

Read more AliveCor Raises $5.8 Million in New Funds, SEC Filing Reveals

This agreement encompasses the licensing of AliveCor technology and an agreement to work together to bring new devices and services to market. The companies expect that the alliance will deliver entirely new ECG form factors to global markets in 2020, said AliveCor in a press release.

“AliveCor's agreement with Huami achieves our corporate goal of delivering AliveCor's AI driven subscription services and solutions to enterprise customers and consumers worldwide at affordable price points. AliveCor technology allows partners to easily deliver clinically validated, peer-reviewed medical features to their own customers, at scale,” said AliveCor CEO Priya Abani.

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Read more Huami and Timex Group Announce Partnership to Develop Innovative Wearables

About Huami

Founded in Hefei, China in 2013, Huami is the largest wearable device company worldwide with over 50 million units sold today and 17.1% global market share. Huami is also the exclusive provider of wearable technology for Xiaomi and maker of the Mi Band. In 2018, Huami shipped 27.5 million units of smart wearable devices. Huami has one of the largest biometric and activity databases in the global smart wearables industry.

About AliveCor

Mountain View, CA-based Mobile ECG maker AliveCor focuses on single- and six-lead smartphone ECGs and AI-based reading interpretations. The company’s FDA-cleared KardiaMobile is the most clinically validated personal ECG solution in the world. KardiaMobile provides instant detection of Atrial Fibrillation, Bradycardia, Tachycardia, and Normal rhythm in an ECG. Kardia is the first AI enabled platform to aid patients and clinicians in the early detection of atrial fibrillation, the most common arrhythmia and one associated with a five times greater risk of stroke. AliveCor was named the No.1 artificial intelligence company in Fast Company's Top 50 Most Innovative Companies.

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Back pain is the most common cause of disability worldwide, and it’s also the number two reason for doctor visits, and most common reason for missed work. One in four kids by age 15 will be affected by back pain. Australian company Posture360 wants to change all that. The first ever integrated posture and technology company launched their Expression of Interest campaign with Birchal, giving people the opportunity to invest in a portion of the company alongside their experienced angel investors, professionals, and venture capital firms like Samsung Ventures.

Read more LEX Wearable Chair Lets You Sit Wherever You Want and Also Enhances Your Posture

Birchal is an equity crowdfunding platform that gives everyday investors the opportunity to own a share in the future of Posture360 and take part of the company’s exciting upside potential.

“We are on a mission to change the way the world sits, sleeps, and moves to fight the war on backpain and become the authority on posture worldwide,” said Posture 360 in a press release.

Posture360 is a vertically integrated technology company that designs, manufactures, and sells connected posture products. Already generating over $2M in revenue, the release of PostureWear is set to expand globally.

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The company’s posture products are smart, providing function, comfort, and style. Their fully integrated PostureWear gets your back into natural alignment while providing real-time analytics to monitor your postural habits and patterns throughout the day.

Insurance companies, hospitals, and sports also benefit by way of the company’s SaaS platform helping clients, patients, and athletes prevent future injury and find relief.

As experienced sellers with existing relationships in the health and wellness space, Posture360 is also preparing to receive endorsements from professional athletes. In parallel, limited trials on our SaaS platform will be performed with industry partners providing a free service for a limited time, and then charging per user and access to advanced data features.

Read more French Gait Rehabilitation Provider FeetMe Raises €9.4M in Series A funding

Final development of the shirt now complete. The sensors and accuracy is ready for commercial rollout.

“We're raising funds to launch PostureWear and grow our sales and marketing team to capitalize on the significant market opportunities that are awaiting us,” the company said.

Percentage of profits will go towards charity, specific to those in need of spinal surgeries.

Rollout is set for Australia and South Korea and once established, the USA, South East Asia, and then Europe and other parts of Asia.

The campaign will go live to the public on November 18^th.

French healthcare company known for developing elegantly designed, medical-grade health devices, launched two platforms for healthcare professionals. The two platforms – Withings MED PRO DATA and Withings MED PRO CARE – are designed to meet the needs of medical professionals, institutions, payers, disease management programs, coaching platforms and researchers, allowing Withings devices and data analytics to be brought into third-party ecosystems.

Read more Withings Launches Two New iPhone-Connected Blood Pressure Monitors

Withings’ devices capture 20 vital health parameters such as blood pressure, ECG, weight, heart rate, activity levels and sleep patterns.

Withings Med Pro Data is a customizable solution that allows third-party companies such as behavior change programs, and researchers to use Withings products to collect, analyze and display data for their users within their own software and app environments. This platform is tailored to fit the needs of partners ranging from disease/wellness coaching programs, clinical and academic researchers, pharmaceutical companies, corporate wellness programs and medical institutions.

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Withings Med Pro Care is a remote patient monitoring platform that allows health professionals, medical institutions and private organizations to easily access and manage physiological data of multiple patients. As well as saving time and money through reduced clinical visits, Withings Med Pro Care improves the efficiency of care teams while also streamlining communications with participating patients. Within tailored, partner-specific interactive dashboards, physicians are able to visualize aggregated and individual patient data in real-time and in one place. They are able to customize the health data parameters they wish to track as well as how and when they receive information and alerts. Health Mate, patients can receive direct messages from their caregivers, including reminders to take and share measurements, all within a secure, HIPAA compliant platform.

Read more Withings Move ECG Debuts at CES 2019

“Data is the key to improving nearly every aspect of our healthcare system, from better patient outcomes to improved efficiencies and reduced costs,” said Eric Carreel, founder of Withings. “With our decade of experience and work to create connected health devices that people can easily use daily to monitor and improve their health levels, we are in a unique position to be able to help the medical and health community better serve and understand their patients and customers. Withings MED PRO allows us to serve these individuals and organizations in a saleable, flexible way to bring the benefits of the health tech revolution to a broader spectrum of patients.”

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