WT | News

Discover our incredible news!

News

X
Text dummy
Text Link

Myant-FCAD Partnership to Develop Innovative Applications in Textile Computing

Toronto-based Myant Inc., the world’s first end-to-end textile computing company.

Toronto-based Myant Inc., the world’s first end-to-end textile computing company, and Ryerson University’s FCAD, Canada’s leading creative innovation hub, formed a partnership to create new ideas and applications in the emerging field of textile computing. Dan Herman, VP of Strategy and Partnerships at Myant will be speaking about how textile computing is changing the landscape at the WT | Wearable Technologies Conference in San Francisco on July 9-10.

Through this new partnership, the new Myant Textile Computing lab at FCAD will enable groundbreaking collaborative research across disciplines into new user experiences, advanced textile design, and novel fabrication processes.

Related Xenoma, WearHEALH and DFKI Partnership Create Smart Clothes with Motion Capturing Capability

Textile computing is where digital technology becomes a built-in part of fabric, enabling the creation of “smart” clothing or other “smart” textile products that often incorporate sensors or continuous monitoring. Research being conducted in Ryerson labs in textile computing involves everything from controlling sensors built into textiles with brain signals, to using nanomaterials to waterproof clothing, to developing batteries that can be integrated into garments.

“An international leader in the realm of textile computing, Myant is at the forefront of the next wave of industrial and commercial innovation in Canada,” said Charles Falzon, Dean of Ryerson University’s FCAD. “Our students and faculty live at the intersection of design, technology and user experience, and we are excited to work with Myant to unlock new possibilities for the future of human-machine interactions through textile computing.”

As part of the strategic partnership, Ryerson and Myant will work together, along with other public and private partners, towards the establishment of Toronto as the innovation hub for textile computing in Canada and around the world.

Related Yarn Battery Could Power Smart Clothes and Wearables

“Ryerson’s interdisciplinary approach makes it a natural partner for Myant and supports our efforts to turn Toronto into the global home for textile computing expertise,” said Tony Chahine, CEO and Founder of Myant. “Together we can help re-energize the cultures of design and manufacturing in Canada by linking innovative ideas and research with industrial production to create solutions that improve the lives of millions.”

WT | Wearable Technologies Conference in San Francisco on July 9-10

The most innovative wearables event will be back on July 9-10 in beautiful San Francisco at SEMICON West to celebrate the 34th edition of the WT | Wearable Technologies Conference Series. Topics include data analytics in professional sports, prevention, treatment and rehabilitation with wearables, the future of digital health, medication and adherence, smart patches, workflow optimization and workforce safety and much more – featuring international leaders and experts of the wearables industry´s biggest names including Abbott, Datwyler, Kopin, Maxim Integrated, Multek, NFLPA, Omron, SharkDreams, Qualcomm, Viewpointsystem and many more. Register now to be part of #WTUS19

Text Link

Microsoft Hits $1 Trillion Market Cap Becomes 3rd US company to Do So

Microsoft hits $1 trillion market cap.

Microsoft is now the US’ most valuable company, hitting $1 trillion market cap when its shares jumped as much as 5.1% on April 25th. Expectations are high for the tech sector, after the Nasdaq climbed to an intraday record on the day.

Microsoft made history as the third US company to reach this milestone, following in the footsteps of Apple which achieved this most desired honor last August, while Amazon became the 2nd to reach it in the following month. Both these companies have since dipped below $1 trillion, and the same could be expected of Microsoft eventually.

“The stock needed to hit $130.51 to reach the trillion-dollar mark for the first time. It traded as high as $131.37, though it bounced around throughout the day before closing at $129.15 for a market cap of about $990 billion, reports CNBC.

Analysts found the results positive, and most pointed to the rapid growth in Microsoft’s Azure cloud-computing business. Azure’s revenue surged 73%. Microsoft’s commercial cloud business, which includes Azure, grew 41% in the quarter to $9.6 billion.

UBS wrote that the results suggested that “there’s lots more opportunity ahead”, while Evercore ISI raved that Microsoft “should remain a stock for all seasons”.

After regular trading on the day, the tech giant reported fiscal third-quarter earnings of $1.14 per share, excluding certain items, topping the $1.00 estimate of analysts surveyed by Refinitiv. Revenue climbed 14% to $30.6 billion, exceeding the average estimate of $29.84 billion.

Read more How Big Tech Companies Are Disrupting the Digital Health Market

The tech earnings were kicked off by Microsoft and Facebook, with both companies surpassing expectations. Facebook saw its shares rise more than 6% on Thursday. Amazon reports after the bell, followed by Alphabet and Apple early next week.

“Microsoft is one of the best-positioned companies in tech to capitalize on the growing demand for cloud, even more than Amazon.com,” says Bloomberg Intelligence. “A dominant position in productivity applications should aid 10%-plus sales growth for at least the next two years.”

WT | Wearable Technologies Conference in San Francisco on July 9-10

The most innovative wearables event will be back on July 9-10 in beautiful San Francisco at SEMICON West to celebrate the 34th edition of the WT | Wearable Technologies Conference Series. Topics include data analytics in professional sports, prevention, treatment and rehabilitation with wearables, the future of digital health, medication and adherence, smart patches, workflow optimization and workforce safety and much more – featuring international leaders and experts of the wearables industry´s biggest names including Abbott, Datwyler, Kopin, Maxim Integrated, Multek, NFLPA, Omron, SharkDreams, Qualcomm, Viewpointsystem and many more. Register now to be part of #WTUS19

Text Link

Current Health’s AI-Powered Remote Patient Monitoring Device Gets FDA Clearance

An AI-powered wearable for remote patient monitoring has received Class II clearance from the FDA.

An AI-powered wearable for remote patient monitoring has received Class II clearance from the FDA for hospital care. The wearable device, developed by Edinburgh, Scotland-based Current Health, continuously and automatically monitors patients to help better determine health trajectory and allows clinicians to intervene earlier.

Related Qardio Launches Remote Patient Monitoring While Increasing Revenue Opportunities

Healthcare providers in the U.S. and U.K. are deploying Current to change their patient delivery models from reactive to proactive care to produce better patient outcomes. Current’s approach will help health organizations reduce unnecessary hospital readmissions for patients whose conditions deteriorate after treatment — an expensive and cumbersome clinical burden that costs U.S. hospitals more than $40 billion annually, says a press release.

“The Mount Sinai Health System works with innovative and leading-edge companies like Current to support our commitment to providing world-class patient care. Current’s continuous and proactive monitoring platform has the potential to alert us to patient deterioration faster and give our team data insights they can act on earlier,” said Dr. Scott Lorin, president of Mount Sinai Brooklyn.

Current has the largest real-time physiological data set, making it the most accurate, all-in-one wireless wearable currently approved for use in the EU and U.S. The company’s proprietary algorithms continuously analyze data, along with relevant contextual patient information, to offer actionable and proactive insights into the wearer’s health. It seamlessly integrates with third-party devices to capture additional metrics, building patient-specific digital therapeutics and recommendations.

In the UK, Current is being used by Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust, which serves a local population of 500,000 people. These two hospitals use Current to remotely monitor patients after discharge. The Current use resulted in a 22% reduction in home visits and fewer hospital readmissions and emergency department visits, which freed up skilled nursing time and helped patients feel safe and secure.

Related Cambridge Consultants Develops Verum – an AI-Powered Remote Patient Monitoring Platform

“At Current, we’re a small team of individuals committed to changing the world through proactive healthcare,” said Christopher McCann, CEO of Current. “Our team worked hard to get here, and it’s just the first step toward monitoring the health of every human being to identify sickness earlier with the goal of saving lives. Today, we’re in the hospital, tomorrow the home, and in the near future, we’ll be everywhere. We are just getting started.”

WT | Wearable Technologies Conference in San Francisco on July 9-10

The most innovative wearables event will be back on July 9-10 in beautiful San Francisco at SEMICON West to celebrate the 34th edition of the WT | Wearable Technologies Conference Series. Topics include data analytics in professional sports, prevention, treatment and rehabilitation with wearables, the future of digital health, medication and adherence, smart patches, workflow optimization and workforce safety and much more – featuring international leaders and experts of the wearables industry´s biggest names including Abbott, Datwyler, Kopin, Maxim Integrated, Multek, NFLPA, Omron, SharkDreams, Qualcomm, Viewpointsystem and many more. Register now to be part of #WTUS19

Text Link

Oracle mHealth Platform is Revolutionizing Clinical Trials with Remote Monitoring Devices

Oracle mHealth is revolutionizing clinical trials with remote monitoring devices.

Many clinical trials get delayed or even cancelled due to problems with patient recruitment. Many patients cannot be recruited because of their locations in relation to the investigation sites. No participant would want to go to the trial location, driving through rush hour traffic to have their blood pressure checked. Large and scattered patient populations for a given trial are often outside of a reasonable commuting distance from a site; hence, they never volunteer.

Related Verisense™ Wearable Sensor Platform for Clinical Trials – Interview with Geoff Gill, president of Shimmer Americas

However, the Internet of Things (IoT) is revolutionizing clinical research. Oracle’s connected medical devices can remotely gather clinical data from patients. Oracle solutions capture and analyze that data to give researchers a real-time view of patient progress.

“Our goal is to simplify adoption of new technologies. For clinical program managers, protocol designers, and therapeutic leads, our concept is to simplify choosing the right wearable/sensor/app/ source(s) that make sense for their trials and rapidly move into patient recruitment mode,” reports Oracle.

Each clinical trial participant wears a connected mHealth sensor with a unique identifier. The device remotely and continuously collects real-world patient data, such as blood pressure and blood glucose levels, and then sends the information, via Bluetooth, to the patient’s mobile device. From there, the data is routed through Oracle Health Sciences mHealth Connector Cloud Service, an enterprise-class, highly secure, scalable, integration platform that aggregates, summarizes, and disseminates the targeted data into Oracle Health Sciences InForm or Oracle Health Sciences Data Management Workbench (DMW).

This single platform reduces the number of technical integration points, optimizes third-party vendor interactions, and simplifies the way clinical trial teams can embrace new methods as part of a digital trial program.

Related Garmin Health Partners with ActiGraph to Create Wearables for Clinical Trials

“We at Oracle Heath Sciences are very excited about this new platform, and the opportunity it provides for the industry to embrace remote patient monitoring and virtual trial methodologies at scale across all clinical trials. We look forward to sharing more of our vision for digital trials with you,” says Oracle.

WT | Wearable Technologies Conference in San Francisco on July 9-10

The most innovative wearables event will be back on July 9-10 in beautiful San Francisco at SEMICON West to celebrate the 34th edition of the WT | Wearable Technologies Conference Series. Topics include data analytics in professional sports, prevention, treatment and rehabilitation with wearables, the future of digital health, medication and adherence, smart patches, workflow optimization and workforce safety and much more – featuring international leaders and experts of the wearables industry´s biggest names including Abbott, Datwyler, Kopin, Maxim Integrated, Multek, NFLPA, Omron, SharkDreams, Qualcomm, Viewpointsystem and many more. Register now to be part of #WTUS19

Text Link

Electric Stimulation Improves the Working Memory of Older People

The performance of our working memory deteriorates as we age.

The performance of our working memory deteriorates as we age. As we get older, it becomes increasingly difficult to form new memories and hold on to them. Now researchers at Boston University have shown that it is possible to improve memory in older folks. They used external electric stimulation to give 70-year-olds the memory abilities of 20-year-olds.

Related Brain Computer Interface with Neurofeedback Can Improve Your Performance, Says Columbia Study

In a groundbreaking study published April 2019 in Nature Neuroscience, Rob Reinhart, an assistant professor of psychological and brain sciences at Boston University, and BU doctoral researcher John Nguyen demonstrated that electrostimulation can improve the working memory of people in their 70s so that their performance on memory tasks is indistinguishable from that of 20-year-olds, reports Boston University.

For their study, the researchers recruited two groups of individuals: one group consisted of people in their 20s, and the people in the other group were in their 60s and 70s.

The researchers asked both groups to perform a series of memory tasks that required them to view an image, and then, after a brief pause, to identify whether a second image was slightly different from the original.

At baseline, the young adults were much more accurate at this; they significantly outperformed the older group. However, when the older adults were given 25 minutes of mild stimulation through scalp electrodes and personalized to their individual brain circuits, the difference between the two groups vanished. What’s more encouraging is that the memory boost lasted at least to the end of the 50-minute time window after stimulation – the point at which the experiment ended.

Rob Reinhart (Photo by Cydney Scott)

The researchers explained this technique by looking at two mechanisms that allow working memory to function properly: coupling and synchronization.

“Coupling occurs when different types of brain rhythms coordinate with one another, and it helps us process and store working memories. Slow, low-frequency rhythms—theta rhythms—dance in the front of your brain, acting like the conductors of an orchestra. They reach back to faster, high-frequency rhythms called gamma rhythms, which are generated in the region of the brain that processes the world around us,” explained Boston University.

Related Innovative Brain Implant Reads and Stimulates Brain to Improve Parkinson’s Treatment

“Meanwhile, synchronization—when theta rhythms from different areas of the brain synchronize with one another—allows separate brain areas to communicate with one another. This process serves as the glue for a memory, combining individual sensory details to create one coherent recollection. As we age, our theta rhythms become less synchronized and the fabric of our memories starts to fray.”

“We showed that the poor performers who were much younger, in their 20s, could also benefit from the same exact kind of stimulation,” said Reinhart. “We could boost their working memory even though they weren’t in their 60s or 70s.”

WT | Wearable Technologies Conference in San Francisco on July 9-10

The most innovative wearables event will be back on July 9-10 in beautiful San Francisco at SEMICON West to celebrate the 34th edition of the WT | Wearable Technologies Conference Series. Topics include data analytics in professional sports, prevention, treatment and rehabilitation with wearables, the future of digital health, medication and adherence, smart patches, workflow optimization and workforce safety and much more – featuring international leaders and experts of the wearables industry´s biggest names including Abbott, Datwyler, Kopin, Maxim Integrated, Multek, NFLPA, Omron, SharkDreams, Qualcomm, Viewpointsystem and many more. Register now to be part of #WTUS19

Text Link

Gatorade’s GX Sweat Patch Helps Athletes Keep Track of Hydration and Lost Nutrients

Gatorade has developed a sweat patch that will help them refuel more effectively.

Gatorade, a company that offers sports drinks for athletes to keep them hydrated, has developed a sweat patch that will help them refuel more effectively, providing them with an extra edge on the field.

Related Smart Fabric Helps Athletes and Physical Therapy Patients Reduce Injury and Accelerate Recovery

The wearable sweat patch can be worn by athletes during practice or workouts to help them track hydration and nutrients they’ve lost through perspiration, reports Inc.

Users stick the three-inch-long patch to their forearm, and built-in sensors measure how much they sweat and how much sodium they lose during their workout. That info is relayed to Gatorade’s GX app, which then offers advice on how to refuel–with Gatorade, naturally.

This is a key part of the company’s plans for providing athletes with access to comprehensive information about their performance, according to Xavi Cortadellas, Gatorade’s head of innovation and design.

Gatorade, which is owned by PepsiCo, isn’t the first sports company to make a foray into wearables. Companies like Under Armour, Nike and Adidas have already dipped their toes in the wearable space.

At the Gatorade Sports Science Institute in Florida, the company tests out new product ideas and analyzes performance data in real time.

The facility is visited by professional athletes every day. They are asked to play and sweat and do all the things fit people usually do. Doctors and scientists at Gatorade then investigate their performance. The participants are hooked up to large, expensive machines that track energy intake, sweat rate, even a person’s fat and muscle mass, to understand what’s happening at a molecular level. With this, the company is able to understand what products work and what products don’t–as well as understand how different athletes’ bodies respond to different conditions.

Related Wearable Smart Stickers May Save Lives of Patients, Athletes and Cut Medical Costs

“Sports science is complex, and athletes want it simplified and want more actionable input,” says Cortadellas. “We want to be the translators of this complexity to everyday athletes.”

WT | Wearable Technologies Conference in San Francisco on July 9-10

The most innovative wearables event will be back on July 9-10 in beautiful San Francisco at SEMICON West to celebrate the 34th edition of the WT | Wearable Technologies Conference Series. Topics include data analytics in professional sports, prevention, treatment and rehabilitation with wearables, the future of digital health, medication and adherence, smart patches, workflow optimization and workforce safety and much more – featuring international leaders and experts of the wearables industry´s biggest names including Abbott, Datwyler, Kopin, Maxim Integrated, Multek, NFLPA, Omron, SharkDreams, Qualcomm, Viewpointsystem and many more. Register now to be part of #WTUS19

Text Link

Flytta Smartwatch: A New Approach to Parkinson’s Care

Flytta smartwatch lets you track motor symptoms of parkinson.

Parkinson’s is a progressive neurodegenerative disease, characterized by both motor (tremor, rigidity, bradykinesia, postural instability) and non-motor symptoms such as depression, sleep disorder, dementia, anxiety, cognitive issues and many more. After Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s disease is the 2nd most common neurodegenerative disease for which currently, there is no known cure.

Limited resources available for the condition means people living with Parkinson’s disease aren’t getting adequate care and tailored approach needed to improve their lives, reports MedEngine.

Berlin-based MedEngine has developed an innovative smartwatch and mobile app that makes it easier to manage Parkinson’s disease.

Related IBM Develops Fingernail Sensor That Uses Artificial Intelligence to Monitor Parkinson’s, Other Diseases

Flytta smartwatch lets you track motor symptoms: tremor, bradykinesia, rigor, dyskinesia, physical activity and sleep.

The Flytta companion mobile app records clinically validated self-assessments and additional therapy relevant information.

How Does Flytta Work?

The Flytta Watch is a stylish, traditionally-styled stainless steel wristwatch that combines wireless connectivity and motion sensors to track your movement throughout the day and relays this data to your smartphone.

The data is then analyzed on the cloud and combined with additional information on sleep, exercise, nutrition, medication, clinical assessments and more.

The final insights are available on the mobile app in an easy-to-understand format so that you can make better decisions on your choice of care.

Related Tencent Partners Up with Medopad to Use AI for Parkinson’s Disease Treatment

Image: MedEngine

How Does Flytta Improve Parkinson’s Care?

To improve the quality of life of patients, it is important to see the full picture. For people living with Parkinson’s disease, simply tracking motor symptoms, does not take account for things like nutrition, mood, alternative therapies, exercise or sleep. These lifestyle factors can have a huge impact on your life so they ought to be tracked.

Flytta mobile app stores your additional information securely and combines this with the motor data from the watch to provide a more complete picture of your Parkinson’s.

WT | Wearable Technologies Conference in San Francisco on July 9-10

The most innovative wearables event will be back on July 9-10 in beautiful San Francisco at SEMICON West to celebrate the 34th edition of the WT | Wearable Technologies Conference Series. Topics include data analytics in professional sports, prevention, treatment and rehabilitation with wearables, the future of digital health, medication and adherence, smart patches, workflow optimization and workforce safety and much more – featuring international leaders and experts of the wearables industry´s biggest names including Abbott, Datwyler, Kopin, Maxim Integrated, Multek, NFLPA, Omron, SharkDreams, Qualcomm, Viewpointsystem and many more. Register now to be part of #WTUS19

Text Link

FDA Approves Breakthrough Medical Device for Children with ADHD

The US federal regulators have OK’d the first medical device to treat children with ADHD.

The US federal regulators have OK’d the first medical device to treat children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has permitted marketing of NeuroSigma’s Monarch external Trigeminal Nerve Stimulation (eTNS) System, a digital health device, about the size of a smartphone.

Related Revibe is a Fitbit-Like Wearable that Vibrates to Refocus Wearers’ Attention

The device delivers a low-level electrical pulse to the trigeminal nerve from a wire to a small patch placed above the patient’s eyebrows. It is available by prescription only for patients aged 7 to 12 years old who are not currently taking prescription medication for ADHD.

“It emits a low level electrical pulse that essentially stimulates a cranial nerve called the trigeminal nerve and the idea is that nerve then sends signals into the brain particularly to the areas that are important for attention, for functioning and behavior,” Dr. Tara Narula said on CBS This Morning. “And they did see in this small study of about 60 kids over four weeks it did reduce symptoms. It seems to be on par with the effects seen with non-stimulant medications.”

The FDA specifies that the Monarch eTNS System should be used in the home under caregiver supervision.

What’s ADHD?

ADHD is the most commonly diagnosed mental disorder of children. Children with ADHD may be hyperactive and unable control their impulses. Or they may have trouble paying attention. These behaviors interfere with school and home life. An estimated 6.1 million children have been diagnosed with ADHD in the U.S., according to a national survey of children’s health in 2016.

Related The Octopus by Joy Is a Smartwatch that Teaches Kids to Follow Routine

Image: Creative commons

Study Shows the Device can Improve ADHD Symptoms

In a clinical trial of 62 children, those who used the device had statistically significant improvements in their ADHD symptoms, compared to those who received a placebo, according to the FDA.

Although the study didn’t find any serious side-effects, there were some adverse effects including drowsiness, increased appetite, fatigue, headache and teeth clenching.

“But as I said it was a small study and it was over a short period of time. We don’t know what it would be like if kids were on medication when they used this,” Dr. Narula said.

WT | Wearable Technologies Conference in San Francisco on July 9-10

The most innovative wearables event will be back on July 9-10 in beautiful San Francisco at SEMICON West to celebrate the 34th edition of the WT | Wearable Technologies Conference Series. Topics include data analytics in professional sports, prevention, treatment and rehabilitation with wearables, the future of digital health, medication and adherence, smart patches, workflow optimization and workforce safety and much more – featuring international leaders and experts of the wearables industry´s biggest names including Abbott, Datwyler, Kopin, Maxim Integrated, Multek, NFLPA, Omron, SharkDreams, Qualcomm, Viewpointsystem and many more. Register now to be part of #WTUS19

Text Link

Maxim MAX86150: The First Ever Integrated PPG and ECG Biosensor Module for Wearables

Fitness tracker and smartwatch markers to wrestle with complex and costly multi-component solutions.

Demands for more accurate fitness and cardiac health data are forcing fitness tracker and smartwatch markers to wrestle with complex and costly multi-component solutions. Although these wearable devices eventually deliver higher accuracy, they consume too much power, greater footprint, and take long time to develop. Maxim Integrated, who will be speaking at WT | Wearable Technologies Conference in San Francisco on July 9, has an easier and cheaper solution to these problems.

Traditional method of ECG requires placement of 10 electrodes in strategic locations around the body. These are then combined in 12 pairs, or leads, designed to align with different axes of waveforms generated across the volume of cardiac tissue, reports Digikey.

In contrast, ECG measurements performed by consumer wearables typically use only one electrode pair. Although one-lead ECGs might lack detail required for diagnosis by a cardiologist, they do provide enough information for the cardiologists. But one-lead ECG measurements in a fitness device can cause problems since the measurements can easily be corrupted by any movement by the individual. As a result, accurate ECG measurements require the person to remain still, whether lying in a health facility or during a workout. For this reason, fitness trackers and smartwatches that provide heart rate data during exercise typically rely on photoplethysmography (PPG) methods.

Related Matrix PowerWatch 2 Uses Solar and Body Heat to Power Heart Rate Monitor, GPS

Maxim Integrated PPG and ECG Biosensor

The MAX86150 overcomes these challenges, sampling both PPG and ECG simultaneously to provide the highest sensitivity of pulse transit time. To reduce battery drain, the module can be shut down through software with near-zero standby current, allowing the power rails to remain powered at all times.

Designers now have an easier way to deliver both photoplethysmogram (PPG) and electrocardiogram (ECG) measurements for health monitoring from a mobile, battery-powered device. The new MAX86150 from Maxim Integrated is a first-of-a kind biosensor module, comprised of internal LEDs, photodetectors and an ECG analog front-end (AFE) to provide highly accurate, FDA-certifiable PPG and ECG performance in compact, power-saving designs, including mobile phones, laptops, tablets and smart speakers.

The MAX86150 is available at Maxim’s website for $4.00 (1000-up, FOB USA); also available from authorized distributors.

WT | Wearable Technologies Conference in San Francisco on July 9-10

The most innovative wearables event will be back on July 9-10 in beautiful San Francisco at SEMICON West to celebrate the 34th edition of the WT | Wearable Technologies Conference Series. Topics include data analytics in professional sports, prevention, treatment and rehabilitation with wearables, the future of digital health, medication and adherence, smart patches, workflow optimization and workforce safety and much more – featuring international leaders and experts of the wearables industry´s biggest names including Abbott, Datwyler, Kopin, Maxim Integrated, Multek, NFLPA, Omron, SharkDreams, Qualcomm, Viewpointsystem and many more. Register now to be part of #WTUS19

Text Link

SKIIOT: The Next Generation Skiing Analyzer

SKIIOT has come out as an outstanding start-up from Finland with an ankle-worn seven sensor device.

SKIIOT – The Internet of Things is changing the game for the athletes and changing the way audiences are engaged. The 10th IoT/WT Innovation World Cup® thus enabled the search for the most disruptive Sport & Fitness innovators, to find out who was capable to make the practice and play smarter and more engaging. SKIIOT, accordingly, has come out as an outstanding start-up from Finland with an ankle-worn seven sensor device combined with the mobile/web application for cross-country skiing. Our partners had a conversation with Marko Höynälä, Co-Founder & CEO of SKIIOT and explored the fantastic all-in-one device that counts all sports lovers in: from the amateur to professional skiers, from the service teams to the ski facility providers, and especially the ski fans who enjoy watching skiing competitions.

1. WHAT IS THE IDEA BEHIND SKIIOT?

Our aim is to digitalize winter sport, starting from cross-country skiing.

2. WHAT IS SPECIAL ABOUT THIS DEVICE?

The device is an all-in-one. SKIIOT is a skiing analyzer that solves the variety of challenges related to cross-country skiing. The seven sensors patented IoT device measures everything you need to know about your ski performance, surrounding conditions and technique. SKIIOT also provides a solution for objective ski performance testing. Same SKIIOT device serves all target groups from casual skiiers, service staff, professionals to B2B customers who offer facilities such as Ski tunnels, Ski resorts, Ski Events, to name but a few. SKIIOT application is compatible with iOS and Android.

3. WHAT ARE THE NEXT BIG STEPS?

SKIIOT has cooperation in place with skiing professionals from different nations e.g. Norwegian Olympiatoppen and Norwegian marathon skiing teams. The primary market launch is in Norway and Europe.  After that, we will make a market extension for China Winter Sports. We want to cover both B2B for professional skiers, the skiing community and B2C for casual ones.

Explore further:

Check out SKIIOT official website for more insight into their excellent skiing products.

Hands-on Developer Workshop in Helsinki by STMicroelectronics, Sigfox and Connected Finland

STMicroelectronics teamed up with Sigfox, Connected Finland and Innovation World Cup® Series for a Developer Workshop on May 15, 2019 at Meeting Park Campus, Helsinki.

From 9:15 AM to 1:00 PM, supported by the companies’ tech experts, you will get a general overview about the STM32 Open Development Environment, insight into Sigfox Technology by Sigfox and Connected Finland, and learn how to connect the ST IoT tracker node to Sigfox back-end. What is more, you will receive tips to advance your solution with the 11th IoT/WT Innovation World Cup®, and win prizes worth over 500,000 USD including a cash prize of 10,000 Euro.

After the workshop, you will be invited to a networking lunch with tech experts, workshop facilitators and fellow participants.

Participation is free of charge. Each participant will receive a free IoT tracker node kit.

Registration is required. Book now as seats are limited: https://bit.ly/2G9QFSs

Text Link

Cardiogram Signs Deal with Oscar Health to Allow Members Free Wearable-Based Monitoring

Startup makes smartwatch app to detect health conditions like diabetes and atrial fibrillation.

Cardiogram, a digital health startup that makes smartwatch app to detect health conditions like diabetes and atrial fibrillation (Afib), has cut a deal with upstart insurer Oscar Health. The deal makes Oscar Health members eligible for Cardiogram’s wearable-based monitoring for atrial fibrillation and diabetes, without paying out-of-pocket.

Related Cardiogram Joins Garmin to Integrate its Heart Health App into Garmin Wearables

“You will be monitored for signs of diabetes and atrial fibrillation, and if it turns out you are at a high risk for one of these conditions you will be offered a confirmatory test, so a blood test or an ECG,” Brandon Ballinger, cofounder of Cardiogram, told MobiHealthNews. “And if that confirms you have that condition, then you will be referred to an in network for physician for Oscar.”

The new partnership comes after a 2018 study, done in collaboration with UC San Francisco, showed Cardiogram can detect diabetes in patients with 85 percent accuracy.

In order to take advantage of the benefit, an Oscar member would need to have their own Apple Watch, Garmin or Android wearable which can be linked to the Cardiogram app for passive health monitoring.

If Cardiogram’s technology highlights a potential issue of Afib or diabetes, patients will be given free access to what the company calls a “gold standard” diagnostic test to confirm the results.

“So it is not just an algorithm or technology — it is a full clinical workflow that guides Oscar members to treatment and better health,” Ballinger said.

The program is designed not only for people with health conditions, but also for healthy people. The technology lets users monitor their resting heart rate, sleep and stress, according to Ballinger. Additionally, a feature added in January allows, members already managing a health condition to share their data with a doctor.

“For chronic conditions like diabetes, atrial fibrillation, hypertension, and sleep apnea, anywhere between 20–80% of cases are undiagnosed. These are people with serious, worsening medical conditions who are at a dramatically higher risk of acute complications, yet are not receiving appropriate care,” said Cardiogram in its blog.

Related Wearable Tech Can Safely Detect Atrial Fibrillation, Says Apple Heart Study

WT | Wearable Technologies Conference in San Francisco on July 9-10

The most innovative wearables event will be back on July 9-10 in beautiful San Francisco at SEMICON West to celebrate the 34th edition of the WT | Wearable Technologies Conference Series. Topics include data analytics in professional sports, prevention, treatment and rehabilitation with wearables, the future of digital health, medication and adherence, smart patches, workflow optimization and workforce safety and much more – featuring international leaders and experts of the wearables industry´s biggest names including Abbott, Datwyler, Kopin, Maxim Integrated, Multek, NFLPA, Omron, SharkDreams, Qualcomm, Viewpointsystem and many more. Register now to be part of #WTUS19

Text Link

Heatstroke Prevention Project with Smart Helmet Decreases Heatstroke Accidents at Construction Sites

Exposure to extreme heat can result in occupational illnesses and injuries.

Exposure to extreme heat can result in occupational illnesses and injuries. A new study has found that workers can suffer fatal heat stroke from temperatures that only reach the high 80s. Heatstroke is difficult to prevent and predict. Workers tend to keep doing their work, even though they feel sick. With no method of checking and monitoring the physical condition of each worker before and during work, managers usually learn about a heatstroke event only after a worker becomes sick. Now Sooth, an experience design company, has set out to solve this challenge.

Related Spot-r Clip: Revolutionary Wearable Device to Ensure Workers’ Safety

The system devised by Sooth checks each worker’s physical condition in real-time, predicts the likelihood of heatstroke for each worker, and notifies the worker and manager when the danger of heatstroke is detected so that the worker can rest, reports OutSystems.

Working with OutSystems, BlueMeme and Altitude Inc., Sooth successfully developed a prototype that decreases heatstroke-related accidents for Japanese construction and engineering companies.

The Heatstroke Prevention Project combines a smart helmet with multiple embedded vital sensors and an integrated application with a rich interface for workers and managers to check and monitor physical conditions to prevent heatstroke. When the device detects an imminent heatstroke, it notifies the managers and workers via their iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch.

“Sooth considers viral reaction as data and summarizes it into “SOOTH Platform,” an experience design platform which focuses on vital sensing. We, as a creative company, design and offer unique design experiences for life, industry, and society based on the analyzed data from the platform. We will improve our solution service for more industries and business from the experience in this project.” said Nukada Yasutoshi, CEO of Sooth Inc.

Related Wearable SOS Button to Reduce Lone Worker Hazards

It is projected that the Heatstroke Prevention Project will save millions in costs for the recovery of these types of accidents.

WT | Wearable Technologies Conference in San Francisco on July 9-10

The most innovative wearables event will be back on July 9-10 in beautiful San Francisco at SEMICON West to celebrate the 34th edition of the WT | Wearable Technologies Conference Series. Topics include data analytics in professional sports, prevention, treatment and rehabilitation with wearables, the future of digital health, medication and adherence, smart patches, workflow optimization and workforce safety and much more – featuring international leaders and experts of the wearables industry´s biggest names including Abbott, Datwyler, Kopin, Maxim Integrated, Multek, NFLPA, Omron, SharkDreams, Qualcomm, Viewpointsystem and many more. Register now to be part of #WTUS19

Text Link

Neurotech: The Next Frontier for Wearable Technology

Wearable technology is continuously evolving.

Wearable technology is continuously evolving. The technology is making a breakthrough in healthcare with integration of AI and Machine learning into wearable devices. The next big wave of innovation is now coming in the form of neurotechnology. This is one form where wearable technology can make a huge leap forward.

Related Brain Computer Interface with Neurofeedback Can Improve Your Performance, Says Columbia Study

“It feels like neurotech now is where PCs were in the 70s; a lot of tech was there but the applications weren’t clear,” says Shahin Farshchi, a partner at Lux Capital, a New York City-based venture firm that invests in emerging technologies in the physical and life sciences.

So, let’s look at some of the newest applications of wearables and neurotech.

MindX

MindX is a startup that develops brain-controlled smartglasses. The company combines neurotechnology, augmented reality and artificial intelligence to create a new computing interface. Julia Brown, CEO of MindX, said that her company plans to produce glasses that let you “access information with a single thought,” reports IEEE Spectrum. With the smartglasses, the idea is that “Look & Think” would replace “point and click” as the prime form of interaction. The smartglasses would be controlled by drawing on a contextual AI — or artificial intelligence that can draw on environmental cues — and technology that combines ocular and neural signals. Without having to make a physical click or tap, it provides a more natural way of controlling the interface.

NeoSensory

NeoSensory develops wearable devices that “empower people with new senses.” NeoSensory focuses on sending a variety of data streams to the brain via the sense of touch. NeoSensory’s wearable devices take in information that is not easily accessible — for example, sound (in deaf individuals), light outside the visible spectrum, or information from connected devices — and translate them into patterns of vibrations on the body. With practice, these associations become automatic and a new sense is born. “With so much unused real estate on the body, the skin presents huge potential for the delivery of new information. They are currently building the world’s first hearing assistive technology that enables people to listen with their skin,” according to the company.

Sana pain relief mask (Image credit: Sana)

Sana

Sana, a Colorado-based startup makes wearable mask for pain relief. Opioids are still the most effective treatment for most severe/ chronic pain states, but they are hampered by side effects, abuse and addiction. Sana wants to solve that problem with its wearable mask. When a user wears the mask over their eyes for 15 minutes before bed, or in 15-minute intervals throughout the day, it puts them into a state where they feel relaxed and less pain. The Sana mask measures minute changes between each heartbeat, and administers precisely timed pulses of light and sound to stimulate the audio and visual cortex of the user’s brain.

Related Stanford’s Artificial Intelligence Institute Aims to Put Humans at the Center of this Field

WT | Wearable Technologies Conference in San Francisco on July 9-10

The most innovative wearables event will be back on July 9-10 in beautiful San Francisco at SEMICON West to celebrate the 34th edition of the WT | Wearable Technologies Conference Series. Topics include data analytics in professional sports, prevention, treatment and rehabilitation with wearables, the future of digital health, medication and adherence, smart patches, workflow optimization and workforce safety and much more – featuring international leaders and experts of the wearables industry´s biggest names including Abbott, Datwyler, Kopin, Maxim Integrated, Multek, NFLPA, Omron, SharkDreams, Qualcomm, Viewpointsystem and many more. Register now to be part of #WTUS19

Text Link

Finland-Israel Partnership to Promote Digital Health Innovation

A collaboration program between Israel and Finland in the field of digital health.

The Israel Innovation Authority announced that it has launched together with the Israel-Europe R&D Directorate (ISERD) a collaboration program between Israel and Finland in the field of digital health.

Related Israel-Based Itamar Medical’s WatchPAT 300 is a Simple and Reliable Home Sleep Apnea Detection System

“Israel and Finland are both leading innovation economies with technology and entrepreneurship at their core. Finland ranks among the strongest markets in healthcare technology in the world, with digital health its largest high-tech export – increasing more than five-fold over the last two decades. Finland is one of the first countries in the world to set up a national digital patient data repository covering both the public and private healthcare sectors. A hundred percent population penetration in electronic health records make Finnish health data unique in terms of breadth and depth,” Israel Innovation Authority said in a press statement.

This pilot project will provide funding and matching services for Greater Helsinki-based and Israeli companies seeking to partner in order to co-develop, test, improve, or pilot impactful technologies, products, services and/or devices with strong market potential in the fields of digital health, smart mobility, and information and communication technologies (ICT), reports MobiHealthNews.

“We are thrilled to provide this bridge between the pioneering innovation ecosystems of Israel and Finland, in a field that impacts us all: digital health,” said Aharon Aharon, CEO of the Israel Innovation Authority. “Collaboration with Israeli companies will help Finnish start-ups access groundbreaking technologies that support the country’s progressive health policies, protect Finnish citizens’ well-being, and maintain Finland’s status as a global leader in healthcare technology. This is also an extraordinary opportunity for Israeli companies to connect with Finnish leaders in the digital health ecosystem, gain exposure to new cutting-edge technologies, receive support for meaningful innovations, and tap into the Finnish market.”

Related How Big Tech Companies Are Disrupting the Digital Health Market

Helsinki Business Hub CEO Marja-Liisa Niinikoski said:

“Greater Helsinki is a driving force in Finland’s innovation sector, home to 750 health and life sciences companies, where over 80 percent of tech deals occur in our country. Given Israel’s technological prowess, highly skilled workforce, and record on innovation in digital health, we see endless opportunities for fruitful collaboration.”

WT | Wearable Technologies Conference in San Francisco on July 9-10

The most innovative wearables event will be back on July 9-10 in beautiful San Francisco at SEMICON West to celebrate the 34th edition of the WT | Wearable Technologies Conference Series. Topics include data analytics in professional sports, prevention, treatment and rehabilitation with wearables, the future of digital health, medication and adherence, smart patches, workflow optimization and workforce safety and much more – featuring international leaders and experts of the wearables industry´s biggest names including Abbott, Datwyler, Kopin, Maxim Integrated, Multek, NFLPA, Omron, SharkDreams, Qualcomm, Viewpointsystem and many more. Register now to be part of #WTUS19

Text Link

These Wearables Are Helping Seniors Stay Safe and Healthy

Nursing home costs are going through the roof as people are living longer.

Nursing home costs are going through the roof as people are living longer. The skyrocketing cost of nursing homes are forcing many seniors to stay with family members or live alone. Here are some wearables that can help keep the seniors healthy and safe without the need for a full-time professional care.

Apple Watch

The two most talked about feature of Apple Watch 4 are ECG and fall detection, both of which are aimed at senior citizens. If the watch senses that you have fallen it delivers an alert to let you initiate an emergency call. If it senses that you’re immobile for more than a minute, the watch will start the emergency call automatically and contact the emergency contact saved in your phone. The new watch can also screen your heart rhythm for irregularities, such as atrial fibrillation, and alert you about any problems. The Watch 4 is also able to take an electrocardiogram (ECG) in just 30 seconds, and enables you to share the data with your doctor.

Related This Smart Cane Can Double as an Activity Tracker for the Elderly

CarePredict Tempo

CarePredict is an AI-driven digital health company that is on a mission to develop technologies that can provide high-quality senior care. CarePredict’s premiere wearable product – Tempo – is a wrist-worn bracelet with a touch-button sensor and built-in microphone and speaker, along with sensors that detect activities of daily living (ADL). Tempo uses sophisticated AI algorithms to sense ADLs such as eating, drinking, bathing, grooming, tooth-brushing, toilet use, walking, sitting, sleeping, and more and to communicate wirelessly with peel-and-stick beacons to pinpoint the rooms in which those activities are occurring.

Image: GoLiveClip

GoLiveClip

GoLiveClip is another wearable that is ideal for seniors. Made by Gociety Solutions, the wearable counts your steps, sounds an alarm when you fall and even sends you a warning as soon as your fall risk increases! GoLiveClip is a non-invasive smart clip. Just attach the it to your clothing and it will keep you safe, wherever you go! It is ideal if you work alone or in a dangerous profession, or enjoy adventurous activities – but equally useful if you simply wish to enjoy life whatever your age. The device makes sure that you’re not alone. GoLiveClip and its accessory apps have been developed in collaboration with renowned scientific institutes. Independent scientific validation has proven the fall detection rate is not less than 93% accurate, providing a level of reliability you can depend on. Using GoLiveClip, you can track your activity level, have an alarm button near you at all times, send notifications to friends or family and receive notifications as soon as your fall risk increases.

Related Wearable Accelerometers Can Predict Seniors’ Risk of Falling, Says Study

BodyGuardian Heart

BodyGuardian Heart monitors your activity, heart rate, respiration and other vital signs. You need to stick it directly onto your skin. It connects to a smartphone app, allowing your doctor or caregivers to monitor vital signs and receive an alert when there’s a potential health problem. This is a prescription device and the good news is that it is covered by many health insurance policies.

WT | Wearable Technologies Conference in San Francisco on July 9-10

The most innovative wearables event will be back on July 9-10 in beautiful San Francisco at SEMICON West to celebrate the 34th edition of the WT | Wearable Technologies Conference Series. Topics include data analytics in professional sports, prevention, treatment and rehabilitation with wearables, the future of digital health, medication and adherence, smart patches, workflow optimization and workforce safety and much more – featuring international leaders and experts of the wearables industry´s biggest names including Abbott, Datwyler, Kopin, Maxim Integrated, Multek, NFLPA, Omron, SharkDreams, Qualcomm, Viewpointsystem and many more. Register now to be part of #WTUS19

Text Link

With Sensors and AI, These Smart Hearing Aids Are Meant Also for People Who Don’t Have Hearing Problems

Hearing aids have come a long way over the last several years.

Hearing aids have come a long way over the last several years and the technology within them is improving rapidly. From sensors to artificial intelligence, modern hearing aids are packed with technology. They’re like a mini computer for your ears. They not only help you hear better, but they also help you live a far more fulfilling life. Even if you do not have a hearing problem, you might want a wearable that tracks your heart rate, monitor vital signs, and translates foreign languages. The prices of these next-level hearing aids are next-level too. They normally cost $2,000 to $3000, even more.

Related Signia Styletto: High-tech Hearing Aids with Stylish Design

Denmark-based GN Hearing, best known for its ReSound brand, is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of hearing aids. GN Hearing also makes the very popular line of Jabra ear buds.

“There is no doubt that hearing aids have completely changed, even in the last 10 years. Everything from the quality, functionality and even the look has changed dramatically, allowing people to seamlessly integrate hearing aids into their everyday life without hassle or embarrassment. There are many things that have become possible for hearing aid users. Today, you can connect them to a TV, iPhone or Android phone, wirelessly streaming anything from a phone call to music straight to your ears,” Laurel Christensen, Chief Audiology Officer at GN Hearing, told MedGadget.

However, not all hearing aids are actually hearing aids, they are PSAPs, or Personal Sound Amplification Products. While hearing aids are FDA approved medical devices, PSAPs are not. These devices don’t offer nearly the same sound quality, especially in noisy situations. They might amplify speech a little in a quiet environment, but they do not have the level of sophistication that hearing aids have today, according to Christensen.

Image: ReSound

Starkey Hearing Technologies is an Eden Prairie, Minnesota-based company that manufactures smart hearing aids. Starkey now makes hearing aids that are also meant for people who don’t need hearing aids. Their new product Livio AI uses tiny sensors and artificial intelligence to selectively filter noise and focus on specific sound sources—for instance, the person across the table in a busy restaurant.

Livio AI also tracks various health metrics such as, steps walked, stairs climbed, and cognitive activity. It can also translate 27 languages and will, after a forthcoming update, measure heart rate.

“In the next five to seven years, your hearing aids are going to be like Jarvis from Iron Man,” says Brandon Sawalich, president of Starkey. “It’s going to be your personal assistant. It’s going to know more about what’s going on with your body that you want to know—your heart rate, blood pressure, glucose. The ear is the new wrist.”

WT | Wearable Technologies Conference in San Francisco on July 9-10

The most innovative wearables event will be back on July 9-10 in beautiful San Francisco at SEMICON West to celebrate the 34th edition of the WT | Wearable Technologies Conference Series. Topics include data analytics in professional sports, prevention, treatment and rehabilitation with wearables, the future of digital health, medication and adherence, smart patches, workflow optimization and workforce safety and much more – featuring international leaders and experts of the wearables industry´s biggest names including Abbott, Datwyler, Kopin, Maxim Integrated, Multek, NFLPA, Omron, SharkDreams, Qualcomm, Viewpointsystem and many more. Register now to be part of #WTUS19

Text Link

Apple and Alphabet Both Want to Revolutionize Healthcare But in Different Ways

Apple and Alphabet are taking different approaches to bring about changes in healthcare.

Making inroads in the $3.2 trillion healthcare industry is intimidating, complex, and expensive. Now, Apple and Alphabet, two of the world’s largest technology companies, are taking different approaches in their efforts to bring about changes in healthcare.  

Related Shimmer Launches Verisense™ Wearable Sensor Platform for Clinical Trials

After a study showed mixed results about Apple Watch’s ability to detect arrhythmia, Verily, Alphabet’s research organization, is showing its own effort to bring scientific precision to the use of wearables for diagnosing health problems.

According to Jessica Mega, Verily’s chief medical officer, who’s also a cardiologist and former clinical trial investigator, Verily’s Study Watch can collect far more data by measuring participants continuously, reports Financial Times.

“Currently we have a few gigabytes per person of health data — that’s projected to be terabytes in the future. We need to think about rigorous studies to figure out what signals matter,” she said.

Apple, on the other hand, is one of the few companies that has resources to contribute to healthcare. Over the past few years, the company has hired hundreds of researchers, engineers, and doctors, and acquired small companies in order to gain a toehold in the healthcare industry.

On January, Verily announced that it raised $1 billion in an investment round led by a private equity firm. The company said the funding will be used to help it grow in key areas such as investments and future acquisitions.

Image: Apple

Verily recently expanded its Project Baseline initiative, a partnership with Duke University and Stanford Medicine. The project is collecting health data on more than 10,000 people using the Study Watch, as well as traditional methods, to discover clues that can predict disease. With its new partnership with the American Heart Association, Verily is opening up a registry of women, often under-represented in research, who want to participate in clinical trials and test new technologies.

Large tech companies, as well as start-ups are vying to revolutionize the clinical trials market which, according to CB insights, is worth $65 billion. Clinical trials are necessary for regulatory approval of new treatments, but the process can take an average of 7.5 years and cost up to $2 billion per drug, according to the research firm.

Even the FDA, which have rigid requirements on how trials are conducted, are pushing for more partnership and data sharing, and the adoption of new technologies.

Related Garmin Health Partners with ActiGraph to Create Wearables for Clinical Trials

“If you’re a physician working on a clinical trial your experience is probably no different than 20 or 30 years ago,” said Gary Hughes, chief executive of Teckro, a software platform that helps doctors and patients take part in the trials. “It’s still a people and paper process.”

WT | Wearable Technologies Conference in San Francisco on July 9-10

The most innovative wearables event will be back on July 9-10 in beautiful San Francisco at SEMICON West to celebrate the 34th edition of the WT | Wearable Technologies Conference Series. Topics include data analytics in professional sports, prevention, treatment and rehabilitation with wearables, the future of digital health, medication and adherence, smart patches, workflow optimization and workforce safety and much more – featuring international leaders and experts of the wearables industry´s biggest names including Abbott, Datwyler, Kopin, Maxim Integrated, Multek, NFLPA, Omron, SharkDreams, Qualcomm, Viewpointsystem and many more. Register now to be part of #WTUS19

Text Link

World Health Organization Releases First Guideline on Digital Health Adoption

WHO just released first ever guidelines on digital health adoption.

World Health Organization (WHO) just released first ever guidelines on digital health adoption. The 10 guidelines suggest how countries can use digital technology, accessible via mobile phones, tablets and computers, to improve patient care and essential services.

Read more How Big Tech Companies Are Disrupting the Digital Health Market

“Harnessing the power of digital technologies is essential for achieving universal health coverage,” says WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “Ultimately, digital technologies are not ends in themselves; they are vital tools to promote health, keep the world safe, and serve the vulnerable.”

Designed to help decision makers in government health departments, the public health sector and other stakeholders better understand how they could help people with digital tools, the guidelines also address issues of patient privacy, appropriate implementation and adoption hurtles.

Over the past two years, WHO systematically reviewed evidence on digital technologies and consulted with experts from around the world to produce recommendations on some key ways such tools may be used for maximum impact on health systems and people’s health, reports WHO.

One such digital intervention is already making positive impacts in some areas by sending reminders to pregnant women to attend antenatal care appointments and having children return for vaccinations.

Other digital interventions reviewed by who include decision-support tools to guide health workers as they provide care; and enabling people and health workers to communicate and consult on health issues from across different locations.

“Health systems need to respond to the increased visibility and availability of information,” WHO says in the guideline.

WHO aims to encourage decision makers to review and adapt to use digital tools to drive tangible changes in regard to patient data and privacy.

Read more The State of Wearable Technology in Healthcare: Current and Future

“Health workers need adequate training to boost their motivation to transition to this new way of working and need to use the technology easily,” WHO says. “The guideline stresses the importance of providing supportive environments for training, dealing with unstable infrastructure, as well as policies to protect privacy of individuals, and governance and coordination to ensure these tools are not fragmented across the health system.”

WT | Wearable Technologies Conference in San Francisco on July 9-10

The most innovative wearables event will be back on July 9-10 in beautiful San Francisco at SEMICON West to celebrate the 34th edition of the WT | Wearable Technologies Conference Series. Topics include data analytics in professional sports, prevention, treatment and rehabilitation with wearables, the future of digital health, medication and adherence, smart patches, workflow optimization and workforce safety and much more – featuring international leaders and experts of the wearables industry´s biggest names including Abbott, Datwyler, Kopin, Maxim Integrated, Multek, NFLPA, Omron, SharkDreams, Qualcomm, Viewpointsystem and many more. Register now to be part of #WTUS19

Text Link

Ava Bracelet Can Detect Changes in Physiology and Predict Fertility: Study

Ava Bracelet can detect physiological changes in women and predict fertility.

A recent study published in the JMIR shows that Ava Bracelet, an ovulation tracking bracelet, can detect physiological changes in women and predict fertility. Lea von Bidder from Ava Science will be speaking about AI in women´s health at our WT | Wearable Technologies Conference in San Francisco, July 9-10.

Previous studies examining physiological changes in menstrual cycle has considered biological responses to shifting hormones in isolation. For example, clinical studies showed that women’s nightly basal body temperature increases from 0.28 to 0.56 ˚C following postovulation progesterone production. However, in the past, studies probed only 1 or 2 of these physiological features in a given study, requiring participants to come to a laboratory or hospital clinic multiple times throughout their cycle.

Related Ava Fertility Tracker to Partner with Claire Holt to Promote Fertility, Pregnancy Awareness

For the new study, researchers decided to investigate how a wearable bracelet can detect wearer’s Wrist Skin Temperature (WST), heart rate, HRV, respiratory rate, and skin perfusion. Utilizing AI and machine learning, the team sought to develop an algorithm that could identify the fertile window in real time.

For their prospective longitudinal study, the team recruited 237 conception-seeking Swiss women. All participants were given an Ava bracelet to be worn nightly while sleeping for up to a year or until they became pregnant. The devices were synced to their smartphone apps, and the women were required to complete an electronic diary about their activities in the past 24 hours. Finally, the participants took a urinary luteinizing hormone test at several points in a given cycle to determine the close of the fertile window.

The results showed that Ava bracelet can detect significant, concurrent phase-based shifts in WST, heart rate, and respiratory rate.

Researchers said their findings were robust to daily, individual, and cycle-level covariates. Also, their machine learning algorithm can now detect the fertile window with 90% accuracy.

Related Silicon Valley Takes on Challenges of Fertility with Simple, Affordable Testing Solutions

“Our contributions highlight the impact of artificial intelligence and machine learning’s integration into health care. By monitoring numerous physiological parameters simultaneously, wearable technology uniquely improves upon retrospective methods for fertility awareness and enables the first real-time predictive model of ovulation,” wrote the researchers.

WT | Wearable Technologies Conference in San Francisco on July 9-10

The most innovative wearables event will be back on July 9-10 in beautiful San Francisco at SEMICON West to celebrate the 34th edition of the WT | Wearable Technologies Conference Series. Topics include data analytics in professional sports, prevention, treatment and rehabilitation with wearables, the future of digital health, medication and adherence, smart patches, workflow optimization and workforce safety and much more – featuring international leaders and experts of the wearables industry´s biggest names including Abbott, Datwyler, Kopin, Maxim Integrated, Multek, NFLPA, Omron, SharkDreams, Qualcomm, Viewpointsystem and many more. Register now to be part of #WTUS19

Text Link

Upskill’s AR Software Helping Big Companies Reduce Cost and Improve Quality and Productivity

Upskill, formerly known as APX Labs is an AR startup that many people do not know about.

Upskill, formerly known as APX Labs is an AR startup that many people do not know about. Upskill provides wearable technology to connect hands-on workers from the factory to the warehouse to the jobsite.

Founded in 2010 by Brian Ballard, Jeff Jenkins and Chris Hoyt, this Virginia-based company creates Augmented Reality software for big companies like Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Coca Cola, and GE.

Related Wearables with IoT Connected Sensors Helping to Improve Worker Safety

For Coca Cola, Upskill software provides field service such as Coca Cola technicians using smart glasses to service their bottling plants.

“In the Coke scenario, a remote technician is helping debug an error on the bottling line. Think about a changeover process where a certain product line is ending its production run. For example, the line is making Sprite today and Coke Zero tomorrow,” Ballard, who’s also the CEO of Upskill, told PC Mag. “Every part of the changeover has to be done properly, but all of this is now digitized and in your field of view through the headset.”

In 2017, Upskill launched Skylight R6, the latest version of its industrial augmented reality software platform for smart glasses. This robust platform connects the industrial workforce with the people, processes, information, and equipment they need to do their jobs with greater efficiency and fewer errors, leaving them hands free to focus on their tasks at hand, and their tools.

Image: Upskill

The Skylight technology augments workers’ experiences with custom voice and gesture-driven apps, and provides HD audio and video feeds for a first-person view into everything from field service training to constructing jet engines.

GE is using Upskill’s AR technology in a number of different ways, using analogies like the precise turns of a torque wrench. Skylight collects and stores all the real-time data from the worker’s glasses, including time-stamped video and granular calibration data, to reduce manufacturing errors and increase productivity in the field.

Related DAQRI Announces AWS Industrial Software Competency Achievement

“For organizations in the competitive global market looking to increase productivity, improve quality, reduce costs, train new workers, retain tribal knowledge, and provide a strong foundation for further investments, the future starts with Upskill.”

WT | Wearable Technologies Conference in San Francisco on July 9-10

The most innovative wearables event will be back on July 9-10 in beautiful San Francisco at SEMICON West to celebrate the 34th edition of the WT | Wearable Technologies Conference Series. Topics include data analytics in professional sports, prevention, treatment and rehabilitation with wearables, the future of digital health, medication and adherence, smart patches, workflow optimization and workforce safety and much more – featuring international leaders and experts of the wearables industry´s biggest names including Abbott, Datwyler, Kopin, Maxim Integrated, Multek, NFLPA, Omron, SharkDreams, Qualcomm, Viewpointsystem and many more. Register now to be part of #WTUS19

Text Link

February 2026: Feel Music Through Touch

Wearable haptic music tech that turns sound into body sensations for inclusive experiences.
Text Link

January 2026: Nutromics Lab-on-a-Patch

Skin-worn patch enabling continuous, real-time biomarker monitoring for personalized healthcare.
Text Link

December 2025: Miniaturized Temperature Sensing Accuracy

AS6223 – Miniaturized temperature sensing accuracy for next-generation wearables.
Text Link

November 2025: Transforming Cancer Care with Wearables

Wearable implant delivering continuous, personalized cancer therapy for everyday life.
Text Link

October 2025: The New Era of Meta Smart Glasses

Meta Smart Glasses 2025: Sleek, AI-powered eyewear for hands-free capture and connection.
Text Link

September 2025: Innovation in Oxygen Monitoring

OxiWear - Innovation in wearable health, protecting you from silent hypoxia every day.
Text Link

August 2025: Ultra-Thin Battery Revolution in Wearables

NGK's 0.45mm EnerCera Battery: Non-Swelling, Non-Flammable Power for Wearables
Text Link

July 2025: Mudra Link - Neural Gesture Control Wristband

Touchless neural wristband for seamless gesture control across devices and platforms.
Text Link

June 2025: Biobeat’s Next-Generation Wearable Solution

AI-powered wearable for continuous, cuffless vital sign monitoring in clinical and home settings.
Text Link

May 2025: Breakthrough in Continuous Glucose Monitoring

Needle-free biosensor patch for real-time glucose monitoring and metabolic health insights.
Text Link

April 2025: Robeauté’s Brain Microrobot

Robeauté's microrobot enables precise, minimally invasive brain intervention with cutting-edge tech.
Text Link

March 2025: The Future of Cognitive Health

G.Brain boosts focus and brain health with AI-powered neurotechnology.
Text Link

February 2025: Revolutionizing Women's Health

Nettle™ by Samphire Neuroscience: A non-invasive, drug-free solution for women's health.
Text Link

January 2025: The Future of Heated Apparel

Revolutionizing heated clothing with sensor-driven, real-time temperature control.
Text Link

December 2024: Remote Health with Smart Patches

Wearable tech enables non-invasive, continuous health monitoring, transforming patient care.
Text Link

November 2024: Bearmind Launches Brain Health Wearable

Bearmind’s helmet sensor tracks head impacts in real time, advancing safety in contact sports.
Text Link

October 2024: Ambiq Empowers Digital Health with Edge AI

Ambiq’s low-power chips enable personal AI on-device for digital health and remote monitoring.
Text Link

September 2024: The Revolutionary .lumen Glasses

Empowering the visually impaired with smart, award-winning technology for greater independence.
Text Link

August 2024: Breakthrough in the Field of Health Monitoring

BioButton: award-winning sensor for continuous vital health monitoring with advanced AI technology.
Text Link

July 2024: Innovation in the Fight Against Voice Disorders

Speaking without vocal cords, thanks to a new AI-assisted wearable device.
Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.