A research team co-led by researchers from the City University of Hong Kong (CityU) recently invented a novel, wireless, skin-interfaced olfactory feedback system that can release various odors with miniaturized odor generators (OGs). The new technology integrates odors into virtual reality(VR)/augmented reality (AR) to provide a more immersive experience, with broad applications ranging from 4D movie watching and medical treatment to online teaching.

In view of this, Dr Yu and his collaborators from Beihang University developed a new-generation, wearable, olfaction feedback system with wireless, programmable capabilities based on arrays of flexible and miniaturized odor generators, reports CityU.

They created two designs to release odors on demand through the new olfaction feedback devices made of soft, miniaturized, lightweight substrates. The first one is a small, skin-integrated, patch-like device comprising two OGs, which can be directly mounted on the human upper lip. With an extremely short distance between the OGs and the user’s nose, it can provide an ultra-fast olfaction response. Another design is a flexible facemask design with nine OGs of different odor types, which can provide hundreds of odor combinations.

Read more: New Partnership Aims to Detect Brain Disorder Using Virtual Reality

The magic of odor generators is based on a subtle heating platform and a mechanical thermal actuator. By heating and melting odorous paraffin wax on OGs to cause phase change, different odors of adjustable concentration are released. To stop the odor, the odor generators can cool down the temperature of the wax by controlling the motion of the thermal actuator. By using different paraffin waxes, the research team was able to make about 30 different scents in total, from herbal rosemary and fruity pineapple to sweet baked pancakes. Even less-than-pleasant scents, like stinky durian, can be created. The 11 volunteers were able to recognize the scents generated by the OGs with an average success rate of 93 percent.

The new system supports long-term utilization without frequent replacement, or maintenance, and enables interaction with users for various applications. Most importantly, the olfactory interface can support wireless and programmable operation, and can interact with users in various applications. It can respond rapidly to burst or suppress odors and for accurate odor concentration control. And the odor sources are easily accessible and biocompatible.

In their experiments, demonstrations in 4D movie watching , medical treatment, human emotion control, and VR/AR experience in online teaching exhibited the great potential of the new olfaction interfaces in various applications.

For instance, the new wireless olfaction system can interact between the user and a virtual subject when the user is “walking” in a virtual garden by releasing various fruit fragrances. The new technology also showed potential for helping amnesic patients recall lost memories, as odor perception is modulated by experience, leading to the recall of emotional memories.

“The new olfaction systems provide a new alternative option for users to realize the olfaction display in a virtual environment. The fast response rate in releasing odors, the high odor generator integration density, and two wearable designs ensure the great potential for olfaction interfaces in various applications, ranging from entertainment and education to healthcare and human-machine interfaces,” said Dr Yu.

In the next step, he and his research team will focus on developing a next-generation olfaction system with a shorter response time, smaller size, and higher integration density for VR, AR and mixed reality (MR)applications.

The findings were published in the scientific journal NatureCommunications under the title “Soft, Miniaturized, Wireless OlfactoryInterface for Virtual Reality”.

When it comes to removing language barriers, the Mymanu CLIK S translation earphones are a game-changer and are currently on sale for $148.99 (regularly $157). And because of their elegant appearance, you won't come off as an awkward tourist wearing them; in fact, they seem pretty fashionable!

Concerned about taking a summer vacation abroad? No matter where you are going, you can easily speak with almost anyone using the Mymanu CLIK S translation earbuds.

Award-winning truly wireless CLIK S enables travelers to speak to more than 2 billion people in 37 languages across the globe, allowing you to experience local life and explore those hidden gems. Its dual-sided “CLIK” buttons will let you listen to your favorite music in HD sound, answer calls and read texts/notifications at your leisure, all for 30 hours. With various-sized memory foam ear tips, CLIK S will give you the highest comfort and secure fit as you enjoy all of its cutting-edge features.

So how do these enchanted buds function? Put them in your ears, then link them to the MyJuno mobile app. Then you may select the languages you want to translate into and from, and you can start conversing. The software also offers a useful speech-to-text feature that allows you to read what your chat partner is saying if you can't hear them or are in a noisy area.

These earbuds use AI to enhance translation quality over time. In other words, they get better at comprehending and translating your speech the more you use them. These cutting-edge earbuds are a game-changer when it comes to eliminating language barriers. They have been a regular fixture at the Consumer Electronics Show, including the most recent one, and have been recognized with 2019 CES Innovation Awards Honoree and Red Dot Design Awardee status.

The sleek charging case holds 30 hours of battery life, while the CLIK S earbuds hold 10 hours worth of solid single-use charge. If the case is charged, the CLIK S earbuds will automatically recharge when placed back into the case, so they recharge while you do, too.

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Thomas von Wantoch, co-CEO and co-founder of OQmented, emphasizes that the collaboration with Sharp enables significant progress towards the goal of offering fully embeddable light engines that can be easily integrated into AR glasses. The combination of Sharp's extensive experience in display manufacturing and electronics with OQmented's IP in LBS light engines opens up new possibilities.

Thanks to the strategic partnership with Sharp, OQmented will be able to develop AR glasses that consumers actually want. These glasses will be affordable, have a compact and lightweight design, be fashionable, and be comfortable to wear throughout the day. OQmented is also working to develop a first-of-its-kind fully integrated plug-and-play light engine for AR smartglasses.

The current $20 million funding round for the Itzehoe, Germany-based startup includes Sharp and existing investors such as Salvia and Vsquared again.

OQmented's core product is lightweight and compact "light engines" that can be integrated into the temple of eyeglasses to project virtual images or information onto special lenses. This creates a cross-fade of real and virtual content that provides additional information to the user. These glasses are as easy and comfortable to wear as sunglasses, which is a key requirement for AR glasses to succeed in the consumer market and replace smartphones in the metaverse era.

OQmented's light engine uses laser diodes to generate red, green and blue laser beams. These beams are used by a MEMS mirror that can move in the x and y directions to "write" virtual images. The beam then passes through nanostructured surfaces called waveguides into the eyeglass lenses and is projected into the viewer's eye.

Compared to conventional technologies such as liquid crystal on silicon (LCOS), OLED-on-silicon and microLEDs, MEMS mirror-based light engines, also known as laser beam scanning (LBS), offer several advantages. These include lower power consumption, more compact design, higher brightness, higher contrast and better display performance. All of these features are critical to the success of AR glasses in the consumer market.

Market researchers at Gartner forecast strong demand for "head mounted displays" by 2026, and systems based on MEMS mirrors are seen as having a good chance of success because they can be manufactured cheaply, consume little energy and are space-saving, as a market study

mentioned in February of this year.

Thomas Wantoch, co-CEO and co-founder of OQmented, points out, "Major tech companies and many other players are racing to be the first to develop AR glasses that consumers can happily wear in their daily lives and replace smartphones." The huge demand for our light engines is obvious, and we want to accelerate their time to market with the capital from the funding round. The ability to offer a light engine with an integrated MEMS mirror, required control electronics and laser as a complete solution is a great advantage to establish OQmented's LBS technology as a key technology to successfully bring augmented and mixed reality glasses to market.

David Woodward, president of Sharp Devices Europe, expressed optimism: "We look forward to playing a key role with OQmented in developing wearable AR glasses and leveraging OQmented's key technologies and innovations in many other market sectors." There are numerous synergies between Sharp and OQmented that can be leveraged to bring the products into mass production and make them marketable.

OQmented was founded in 2018 by Thomas von Wantoch and Dr. Ulrich Hofmann and currently employs 80 people at five locations worldwide. The company is in the process of further recruiting employees and expanding the team to gain greater access to Asian and American markets.

This year the “one more thing” marks a historic moment in the wearable industry. After 7 years of development, Apple introduces its first mixed-reality headset: Apple Vision Pro.

The device is based on an aluminum frame. The entire front of the product is a singular piece of three-dimensional formed and laminated glass with a wide array of cameras and sensors. Two main cameras provide high-resolution video to the display while downward cameras, IR illuminators, and side cameras enable precise head and hand tracking. To complete the AR, experience a LiDAR scanner and TrueDepth cameras perform real-time 3D mapping of the surrounding environments.

The device fits a new micro-OLED Apple silicon backplane that fits 64 pixels in the space of a single iPhone pixel. Thanks to that, the device reaches 23 million pixels across two panels delivering a better resolution of a 4K display on each eye. Along with that, Vision Pro has an innovative array of IR cameras and LEDs that project invisible light patterns onto the user’s eyes enabling responsive and intuitive inputs.  

A clickable button, positioned on top of the frame, allows users to capture spatial photos and video while a digital crown controls the immersion levels of environments.  

The back of the product is a combination of soft, textile parts that provide comfort and wearability. This flexible strap is 3D knitted as a single piece that creates a unique rib structure that provides cushioning, breathability, and stretch keeping the device safely in front of your eyes. On the side, there are new innovative audio pods that remain close to your ears and deliver an immersive audio experience.

Vision Pro features an entirely new Spatial Audio system where the sound is delivered through the integrated dual-driver audio pods. This allows the creation of ambient spatial audio where people perceive the sound coming from the surrounding environment with an immersive fidelity and sense of immersion.

To run the entire system, Vision Pro uses an Apple silicon M2 paired with a new R1 chip, which processes real-time sensor information. This setup allows to process of inputs from 12 cameras, 5 sensors, and six microphones altogether reducing latency between sensors and display avoiding any motion discomfort.

Along with new technological breakthroughs, Apple established new standards in the spatial computing industry. An example is the new feature called “EyeSight” which uses a front-facing display to reveal your eyes to other people in the room. Thanks to an initial facial scan, a representation of you is created and displayed on the curved glass.

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To turn this product into reality, Apple teamed up with 3 companies:

• Disney: Which will be the first content provider for the next generation of entertainment.
• Unity: The leading platform for creating and operating interactive, real-time 3D (RT3D) content that will help to create immersive experiences.
• ‍Zeiss:  The German manufacturer of optical systems and optoelectronics to bring custom prescription glass inserts.

With this new product, Apple opens the door of “spatial computing” where users will not be limited to operating in 2D space, but they will be able to take advantage of the surrounding environment. Vision Pro is set to co-exist and enhance the experience of the existing Apple products. For example, users can bring a version of their Mac desktop over, projected out in front of them, and interact with the elements using gestures, eyes, or traditional inputs like a keyboard.

Apple Vision Pro will be available early next year with a price point of 3,499$. Themcompany is expected to sell around 900.000 units in the first year.

MachineMD, a Swiss medical device company specializing in advanced diagnostic solutions, has been selected as the "Innovation of the Month" for its groundbreaking neurophthalmoscope. Founded in 2019, the company has been at the forefront of developing innovative tools to improve the early detection and diagnosis of brain disorders such as stroke, multiple sclerosis, and brain tumors.

The neurophthalmoscope developed by MachineMD is a state-of-the-art device that combines cutting-edge technology with a user-friendly design. It empowers neurologists and ophthalmologists with a powerful tool to assess brain health and identify potential abnormalities in a non-invasive and efficient manner.

Traditional ophthalmoscopes are limited in their ability to provide detailed imaging of the retina and optic nerve, which are crucial indicators of various brain disorders. However, MachineMD's neurophthalmoscope utilizes advanced imaging techniques and Artificial Intelligence (AI) algorithms to capture highly detailed images of the eye, enabling medical professionals to gain valuable insights into brain health.

The neurophthalmoscope incorporates multi-spectral imaging, which captures images at various wavelengths of light, revealing hidden details that might go unnoticed with conventional methods. This advanced imaging technology, combined with AI algorithms trained on extensive datasets, allows for the detection of subtle changes in the retina and optic nerve that could indicate the presence of a brain disorder.

The device is ergonomically designed for ease of use, providing a comfortable experience for both medical professionals and patients. Its user-friendly interface and intuitive controls make it accessible to a wide range of healthcare practitioners, ensuring that its benefits can be harnessed across various medical settings.

The impact of MachineMD's neurophthalmoscope extends beyond diagnosis. By enabling early detection and intervention, the device has the potential to save lives and significantly improve patient care. Early identification of brain disorders can lead to timely treatment and management, ultimately improving the quality of life for individuals affected by these conditions.

Rocket VR Health ("RVH"), a Virtual Reality digital therapeutics company transforming mental health treatments with interactive mindfulness meditations and evidence-based digital therapeutics, announced it has initiated a randomized control trial with Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH).

The 80-patient trial is examining the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of RVH's Virtual Reality digital therapeutic in improving quality of life, symptom burden, psychological distress, and self-efficacy in adult patients with blood cancers admitted for hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HCT) at MGH. Patients undergoing this type of treatment experience immense physical and psychological symptoms during a prolonged four-week hospitalization and endure significant short-term and long-term distress that affects their quality of life (QOL) and their physical and psychological well-being, according to a press release.

MGH is Harvard Medical School's largest teaching hospital. The Cancer Outcomes Research and Education Program (CORE) at MGH conducts innovative research and educational programs to improve the experience and outcomes of patients and caregivers across the continuum of cancer care. Dr. Areej El-Jawahri Associate Professor, Medicine, Harvard Medical School, and the Director of Digital Health at the Mass General Cancer Center and Dr. Hermioni L. Amonoo Assistant Professor, Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Associate Program Director, Psychiatry at Brigham, and Women's Hospital will serve as co-investigators for the study.

"We are pleased to collaborate with Rocket VR Health on this innovative project that has the potential to change the paradigm of supportive care delivery for hospitalized patients with cancer. The capacity to use VR to improve the physical and psychological well-being of patients with cancer enduring prolonged hospitalization can increase access and potential for scalability and dissemination of this supportive care platform," commented Dr. El-Jawari.

Read more: New Partnership to Realize a Modern Pharmacy

Digital Health Interventions that support patients in reducing distress and improving psychosocial well-being are lacking and RVH and MGH partnered in early 2021 to co-develop this first-of-its-kind evidence-based VR solution. The therapeutic recovery program leverages lessons learned from evidence-based palliative care interventions for patients undergoing HCT that were studied for years by the MGH team. The comprehensive 4-week therapeutic intervention combines interactive therapeutic experiences, high-definition doctor holograms, and meditations taking place at breathtaking nature-based locations.

Therapeutic content is delivered on standalone Pico Neo 3 headsets that use a Qualcomm XR2 processor for next-generation performance and have over 2.5 hours of battery life. The headsets weigh only 1.3 pounds and have an ergonomic design while leveraging gaze-based controls removing the need for physical controllers.

"Up until now, VR technology has been expensive, bulky, difficult to use, and operationalize within a healthcare environment. Today, we can deliver therapeutic VR interventions on lightweight, affordable, and ergonomic headsets with therapeutic experiences that are more engaging than what has been possible in the past. This study will guide us towards validating the efficacy of our digital therapeutic in our effort to build the go-to distress management solution for hospitalized patients."  commented Rocket VR Health's co-founder and CEO Sid Desai.

About Rocket VR Health

Rocket VR Health is a digital therapeutics provider that offers Virtual Reality therapeutic experiences and programs that help people improve their mental health and well-being. They are transforming the mental health treatment landscape by offering the next generation of digital therapeutics by leveraging proven clinical programs and ultra-realistic 3D environments, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) games, and VR-enhanced meditations. By creating partnerships with leading research institutions and leveraging evidence-based treatment protocols they aim to provide engaging, effective, and personalized digital health interventions that can leave a lasting impact on people's mental health and well-being.

About Massachusetts General Hospital

Massachusetts General Hospital, founded in 1811, is the original and largest teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School. The Mass General Research Institute conducts the largest hospital-based research program in the nation, with annual research operations of more than $1 billion and comprises more than 9,500 researchers working across more than 30 institutes, centers, and departments. In July 2022, Mass General was named #8 in the U.S. News & World Report list of "America's Best Hospitals." MGH is a founding member of the Mass General Brigham healthcare system.

Arvizio, a leader in Augmented and Mixed Reality for the enterprise, announced a new array of advanced features for their no-code AR Instructor Augmented Reality (AR) solution for assisted operation, maintenance, training, and field service, including computer vision alignment, 3D model animation, offline usage, and statistical tracking capabilities. With these enhancements, Arvizio is positioned to stay on the leading edge of AR technology, while significantly improving operational quality and efficiency.

Augmented and Mixed Reality are becoming an essential technology to streamline training and knowledge transfer and drive greater coordination and accuracy in the completion of critical operational tasks such as equipment repair and maintenance, reports Arvizio.

With many enterprises planning to accelerate the introduction of AR technologies, Arvizio focuses on delivering solutions that improve the customer experience and provide organizations with the optimized tools they need for successful adoption. Significant AR Instructor technology enhancements include:

• ‍Computer Vision-based Image Alignment: Advanced computer vision and image processing techniques are central to AR. With AR Instructor, a photo of an object is processed and used as a positional anchor to align AR content with real-world equipment. This approach removes the need to process 3D model geometry or use markers to align.‍
• Enhanced Conditional Workflow Branching: Many workflows involve “if this, then that” conditional instructions. AR Instructor supports unlimited branching combinations – providing users with the appropriate procedure based on the selected response.‍
• 3D Model Animation: Using AR Instructor, users can benefit from animated 3D models aligned with physical objects while conducting complex tasks. 3D models can be directionally moved, rotated, and used as part of multi-part instructions.‍
• Offline Mode: AR Instructor allows users to pre-download instructional workflows for use in scenarios where cloud connectivity is limited.‍
• Performance Statistics: Performance statistics are an important tool for tracking workflow efficiency. AR Instructor captures statistics to understand the time spent on each step in a process.‍
• Mobile AR Annotations: Annotations made by the user on a mobile device and remote experts on a web browser are shared bi-directionally, in real-time, with AR Instructor.‍
• Workflow Sharing: With AR Instructor, customers can import and export procedures allowing workflows to be copied across both users and organizations.

Read more: World’s First Immersive Gastronomy Experience

“At Arvizio, we continuously strive to evolve our products and be among the first to launch innovative solutions that satisfy our customer’s needs,” said Alex Berlin, President and CEO at Arvizio. “AR Instructor’s enhanced features demonstrate that Augmented Reality is a key element for increasing efficiency and solving operational and time management challenges in many industries.”

AR Instructor provides the tools to train and guide field service and frontline technicians, and enhance the productivity of physical work. AR Instructor enables the creation of next-generation instructional content, such as training materials and step-by-step procedures, using no-code authoring and seamless integration of 3D models, video, images, and other assets for use by dispatched personnel. In addition, users can connect with remote experts to see the on-site worker’s physical world in real-time and collaborate via their web browser.

AR Instructor is a cross-platform solution, supporting a range of the industry’s leading AR headsets and devices, including Microsoft HoloLens 2 and Magic Leap 2, as well as iPads, iPhones, and Android mobile devices. Arvizio recently demonstrated AR Instructor with Lenovo ThinkReality A3 headsets utilizing Qualcomm Snapdragon Spaces.

Niostem is an innovative company focused on designing technology with the purpose of empowering healthier lives by unlocking the body’s regenerative potential through the reactivation of stem cells.

[Köln, Germany] – Niostem, a German technology startup, just launched to market their smart wearable to combat common hair loss through an Indiegogo campaign. With its breakthrough scientific technology cultivated through over 15 years of stem cell research and 4 years of R&D, this technology amplifies the body’s regenerative power to regrow hair and stop common hair loss, also known as pattern baldness. Niostem’s approach, termed “Stem Cell Reactivation Technology”, reawakens dormant hair follicle stem cells thus stimulating physiological hair regrowth. This technology has shown to be 6x more effective in half of the time in terms of hair regrowth than the standard of care and has no side effects.

The smart wearable is designed for practicality and can be easily used in the comfort of one’s own home – and is even ideal for people leading hectic lives. Through a study, users saw very promising results, with a clear stop in hair loss in 3 months and healthy hair regrowth in just 6 months (19.3% and 9% average increase in hair density and hair thickness, respectively)!

“We are proud to offer our product to the market and to truly help people suffering from hair loss regain their confidence, and self-esteem, as well as a thick head of hair! We are overjoyed at the great results our product shows, and we aim to assist people in their self-healing journey so that they can live happier and healthier lives.” [CEO and founder of Niostem, Dr. Carlos Chacón]

Pre-orders are already open for the Niostem wearable, which offers customers a very attractive discount as well as priority shipping before the device is available on the market. Customers in the US, UK, and EU are also given free shipping through their pre-orders! The Indiegogo campaign has pre-orders only for the first 500 users, so in order to secure this fabulous offer, visit the Niostem website before spots run out!

“Our product is made in Germany, and we’re proud to offer a reliable and effective solution that can transform the lives of millions. We are committed to making it accessible to as many people as possible.” [Co-founder of Niostem, Emil Aliev]

The Indiegogo campaign will be launched 2^nd of May. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to be one of the first 500 lucky owners of Niostem and be a part of a groundbreaking innovation – join Niostem’s Indiegogo campaign and get ready to experience the transformative power of stem cell reactivation technology. Say goodbye to hair loss and hello to a new, more confident you!

Lockheed Martin, Korea Aerospace Industries, and Red 6 Aerospace announced a new partnership that will deliver advanced 21st Century Security capabilities across a spectrum of training and combat aircraft. The partnership will initially bring Red 6's revolutionary Augmented Reality platform, the Airborne Tactical Augmented Reality System (ATARS), into the TF-50 and its variants. The system gives pilots and ground operators new capabilities to see and interact with synthetic threats in real-time and high-speed environments, according to a press release.

"Readiness and lethality are critical if our warfighters are to prevail against peer adversaries. Lockheed Martin and Korea Aerospace Industries aircraft are ideal platforms for our Augmented Reality system. Advanced aircraft, together with ATARS technology, will deliver a paradigm shift in the quality, quantity, and cost of training future pilots," said Daniel Robinson, Founder and CEO of Red 6.

Lockheed Martin recently submitted the TF-50A variant in response to the U.S. Air Force's February 2023 request for information for a two-seater aircraft to cover three near-term missions including tactical training, adversarial air support, and to serve as a tactical fighter surrogate. The TF-50A is configured as a light attack fighter/trainer with additional enhancements to include radar, electronic warfare system, tactical data link, and other capabilities to meet Air Combat Command requirements.

While the ATARS system is initially targeted for the TF-50 and variants, it could eventually be applied to operational Lockheed Martin platforms such as the F-16, F-22, and F-35.

Read more: Partnership to Develop Premier Metaverse Experiences

"Our vision is to help our customers leverage emerging technologies to seamlessly and securely connect all assets in the joint battlespace and enable fast and decisive action," said OJ Sanchez, Vice President and General Manager, Integrated Fighter Group at Lockheed Martin. "Lockheed Martin has made significant advances across the board in digital engineering and open architectures during the past few years, as well as strategic partnerships. These are enabling us to accelerate development, production, upgrades, responsiveness, and sustainment across our platforms.

"One such example is this new partnership with Red 6, and we look forward to building advanced capabilities that support our customers' needs," Sanchez continued.

About Lockheed Martin

Headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, Lockheed Martin Corporation is a global security and aerospace company that employs approximately 116,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration, and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products, and services.

About Red 6

Red 6, founded in 2018, is the creator of Airborne Tactical Augmented Reality System (ATARS), Combined Augmented Reality Battlespace Operational Network (CARBON), and Augmented Reality Command and Analytic Data Environment (ARCADE). Red 6 systems are the first widefield-of-view, full-color demonstrably proven outdoor augmented reality solution that operates in dynamic outdoor environments. Together, they bring virtual and constructive assets into the real world by allowing pilots and ground operators to see synthetic threats in real-time, outdoors, and critically, in high-speed environments. Red 6 is a Lockheed Martin Ventures portfolio company.

HeartBeam, a cardiac technology company that has developed the first and only 3D-vector electrocardiogram (VECG) platform for heart attack detection anytime, anywhere, announced the strategic acquisition of substantially all assets from LIVMOR, a digital health solutions company providing a patient-engaging remote monitoring system of critical physiological biomarkers. The acquisition extends HeartBeam’s reach in remote monitoring and detection with full ownership of an existing cutting-edge FDA-cleared product.

Founded in 2016, LIVMOR developed the Halo+™ Atrial Fibrillation (AF) Detection System, the world’s first FDA-cleared prescription wearable for continuous cardiac rhythm monitoring. The Halo system provides continuous monitoring of pulse rhythms for the detection of AF on-demand during the day and automatically overnight. LIVMOR’s technology was commercially deployed within the VA Healthcare System in Dallas, Texas, states a press release.

In February 2022, HeartBeam partnered with LIVMOR to build a HeartBeam-branded version of LIVMOR’s FDA-cleared Halo cloud-based software platform to connect physicians and patients. Utilizing the Halo cloud-based platform allowed HeartBeam to meet its schedule for FDA submission of the HeartBeam AIMI™ software for acute care settings that provides a 3D vector electrogram (VECG) comparison of baseline and symptomatic 12-lead ECG to more accurately identify a heart attack.

Read more: New Partnership to Realize a Modern Pharmacy

Under the terms of the acquisition agreement, HeartBeam purchased LIVMOR’s intellectual property for an undisclosed amount, including 3 issued United States patents, LIVMOR technology, including the Halo AF Detection System, LIVMORs business contracts and relationships as well as all Samsung watch and tablet inventory. Additionally, HeartBeam hired LIVMOR’s key technical employees.

“We’re very pleased to complete this acquisition as it is a natural fit and extension of our successful partnership with LIVMOR and our complementary goals to dramatically improve patient outcomes and to significantly reduce healthcare system costs,” said Branislav Vajdic, Ph.D., HeartBeam CEO and Founder. “The fact that these intellectual property and product assets were developed by the technical team that is now part of HeartBeam means that we will be able to integrate the Halo cloud-based software platform with our AIMGO solution in an efficient and cost-effective manner,” concluded Vajdic.

About LIVMOR

Founded in 2016, LIVMOR is a digital health solutions company whose mission is to assist physicians and medical professionals in addressing the global chronic disease epidemic by providing a patient-engaging remote monitoring system of critical physiological biomarkers. LIVMOR’s goals are to dramatically improve patient outcomes and to significantly reduce healthcare system costs with better quality data for diagnosis and treatment of chronic diseases.

About HeartBeam, Inc.

HeartBeam, Inc. is a cardiac technology company that has developed the first and only 3D-vector ECG platform for heart attack detection anytime, anywhere. By applying a suite of proprietary algorithms to simplify vector electrocardiography (VECG), the HeartBeam platform enables patients and their clinicians to determine if symptoms are due to a heart attack, quickly and easily, so care can be expedited if required. HeartBeam has two patented products in development. HeartBeam AIMI is software for acute care settings that provides a 3D comparison of baseline and symptomatic 12-lead ECG to more accurately identify a heart attack. HeartBeam AIMIGo is the first and only credit card-sized 12-lead output ECG device coupled with a smartphone app and cloud-based diagnostic software system to facilitate remote heart attack detection. HeartBeam AIMI and HeartBeam AIMIGo have not yet been cleared by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for marketing in the USA or other geographies.

UK-based digital therapy and coaching platform HelloSelf announced that it raised $20 million in Series B funding, which will help the company expand its platform. The round was led by Octopus Ventures, with participation from returning investors such as Omers, Mantaray, and Oxford Capital. Similar companies have garnered significant interest from investors, payers, and providers alike. In February, Headway secured “unicorn” status following a reported $100 million funding round.

HelloSelf aims to use the money to further grow its network of trusted therapists, members, and partners across the UK and Europe.

Read more: Alphabet’s Verily Raises $1 Billion for Funding

"There are over 1.2 billion people who are underserved globally, so with this investment and the trust of our network, we can accelerate HelloSelf's impact across the UK and beyond," said CEO Charles Wells.

Rumina Taylor, the company's chief clinical officer, said: "We are driven to improve access to personalized psychological interventions and support our members to be proactive in looking after their wellbeing using meaningful outcomes that last."

HelloSelf links users with clinical psychologists and offers AI-powered online assistance, including chat, tracking, and activities, between sessions through its app as an online therapy and psychological coaching service for people and organizations, including the NHS. “HelloSelf is about giving everyone access to the personalized psychological advice they need. We want to help make Every Self Better,” says Wells.

Before the Series B funding announcement, HelloSelf had raised $11.3 million, according to Crunchbase. In 2022, it secured a pilot program with the United Kingdom’s National Health Service.

Google showed off an array of new artificial intelligence (AI)-driven health care tools at its annual event called “The Check UP”. The tools included a souped-up chatbot that can shed light on your medical symptoms to enhanced search features that tell you if a doctor takes Medicaid.

The company revealed new collaborations during the event to advance AI-assisted ultrasounds, cancer treatments, and tuberculosis tests, but the latest iteration of its Med-PaLM medical large language model generated the most interest. Late last year, Google debuted Med-PaLM for the first time. It's intended to offer excellent replies to medical queries. The first artificial intelligence (AI) system to pass multiple-choice questions resembling those in US medical license tests, or receive a score of at least 60%, was called Med-PaLM.

According to the manufacturer, Med-PaLM 2, the technology's second iteration, regularly answered medical test questions at an "expert" level. More accurate than 85%, Med-PaLM 2 scored 18% better than its previous scores, reports CNBC.

Dr. Alan Karthikesalingam, research head at Google Health, said the business also compares Med-responses PaLM's to those of actual medical professionals. He claimed that Med-PaLM assesses the veracity, bias, and risk of injury in its responses. The demo wasn't live, so Karthikesalingam provided controlled instances of how Med-PaLM 2 could respond to queries like "What are the earliest warning indications of pneumonia?" likewise, "Can incontinence be treated?" In several instances, Med-PaLM 2's responses were just as thorough as those offered by doctors, if not more so. But, Med-PaLM 2's replies weren't always as precise.

Read more: Google Shows Off AR Glasses With Translation In Real Time

“You can see from this sort of work that we’re still learning,” Karthikesalingam said during the event. Given the sensitivity of medical data, Karthikesalingam said that it would take some time before the typical customer had access to this technology. He stressed the significance of responsible and managed innovation.

Karthikesalingam stated that Google will continue to collaborate with academics and industry professionals on Med-PaLM and that the business will provide additional updates in the future.

TytoCare, a virtual care company enabling accessible, high-quality primary care from home, announced that it received FDA clearance for its Tyto Insights for Wheeze Detection, paving the way for its rollout in the US. The wheeze detection algorithm expands the company's existing AI-powered Tyto Insights™ smart diagnostic capabilities, filling the quality gaps currently experienced with traditional telehealth and alleviating challenges imposed by the ongoing shortage of healthcare professionals.

Tyto Insights for Wheeze Detection is designed to aid in the clinical assessment of lung sound data for adults and children aged two and above, enabling clinicians to accurately diagnose respiratory conditions remotely. Fueled by TytoCare's own database of lung sounds– the largest of its kind – the AI-powered decision support software automatically analyzes lung sounds recorded by TytoCare's FDA-cleared handheld remote exam device's stethoscope to determine whether wheezing is detected. Whenever a remote lung exam is carried out with TytoCare, Tyto Insights for Wheeze Detection prompts a clinician if a specific abnormal lung sound suggestive of wheezing is suspected, states a press release.

The FDA clearance comes as TytoCare is continually strengthening its offerings to provide the best possible virtual primary care from home with its Home Smart Clinic. By expanding its clinical decision support, Tyto Insights for Wheeze Detection bolsters the Home Smart Clinic's support of acute care and long-term care for chronic conditions, many of which are respiratory in nature, and helps to alleviate challenges posed by the ongoing healthcare professional shortage. To date, TytoCare has found that respiratory diagnoses constitute over 40% of all diagnoses made using its virtual care solution, reflecting both the common nature of respiratory illnesses and conditions including asthma across patient populations, as well as TytoCare's unique ability to provide optimal virtual care for the large numbers of patients with respiratory symptoms by offering remote auscultation.

Read more: Excellent Combination For Remote Care

"Our Tyto Insight capabilities, including our wheeze detection algorithm, furthers our goal of enhancing the virtual care experience for all patients, clinicians, providers, and health plans – not just by increasing the quality of care and expanding our chronic care management capabilities, but also by further assisting clinicians and specialists to make informed and accurate diagnoses remotely," said Dedi Gilad, CEO and Co-Founder of TytoCare. "At TytoCare, we have the world's largest database of lung and heart sounds, as well as related symptoms and vital signs, and we will continue to leverage it to provide superb quality of care for families worldwide."

TytoCare's Home Smart Clinic was introduced to solve the Home Healthcare Delivery Gap™ that patients experience with traditional audio/video-only telehealth solutions. The solution combines TytoCare's FDA-cleared handheld remote examination device, the AI-backed TytoInsights™ smart diagnosis support, including the Wheeze Detection, and the TytoEngagement Labs™ configured for each specific program and cohort to provide high-quality, accessible virtual care in the home and enable health plans and providers to deliver on expected ROI and drive improved health outcomes. The Tyto Insights for Wheeze Detection already bears the CE Mark for usage by clinicians in Europe.

About TytoCare

TytoCare is a virtual care company working with leading health plans and providers to roll out the Home Smart Clinic, an offering that enables accessible, high-quality primary care from home, with no compromises. The Home Smart Clinic solutions include remote physical exams that work across primary care modalities and can be tailored to any cohort or population. Together with AI-powered guidance, provider integrations, and member journeys and engagement frameworks, the Home Smart Clinic solutions ensure more equitable access to care across the globe and enable healthcare organizations to meet their KPIs. TytoCare's solutions resolve 59% more conditions than audio and video telehealth solutions and reduce the cost of care by an average of 10%. Co-founded by Dedi Gilad and Ofer Tzadik in 2012,T ytoCare has FDA and CE clearances and partners with over 220 major health systems, health plans, and strategic partners in the U.S., Europe, Asia, Latin America, and Israel.

Are you unhappy with the way your smartphone camera reproduces colors? Would you like your phone or another home gadget to recognize various materials or even determine whether food is fresh? The answer lies in the newly developed field of multispectral cameras and tiny spectrometers. These inexpensive gadgets can expose information that was previously accessible through specialized equipment because they detect spectral information rather than just straightforward RGB color coordinates.

A developing tendency to detect optical information beyond what the eye can detect involves gathering spectral information with reasonably priced sensors. As machine vision technology advances, algorithms need input data that is more extensive than what can be obtained from traditional RGB sensors, reports PrintedElectronicsWorld.

IDTechEx's report, "Emerging Image Sensor Technologies 2023-2033: Applications and Markets", covers a wide range of these emerging image sensor types, including shortwave infrared (SWIR) sensors based on organic semiconductors, quantum dots or germanium, event-based vision, hyperspectral imaging, quantum imaging, and more.

Opportunities for Use

Smartphones are in demand for spectral image sensors due to the need to differentiate themselves by incorporating more functionality. Fraunhofer ENAS, a German research organization, stated in 2021 that it aimed to create infrared spectrometers for smartphone integration that weighed 1 gram and cost US$1. Compared to traditional infrared spectrometers, which may cost thousands of dollars and weigh several kilos, this is a significant improvement. The low-cost spectrometer developed by Fraunhofer will be able to examine food deterioration, assess air quality, and identify phony pharmaceuticals and medications.

Read more: New Capacitor Could Enable Energy-Efficient Microchips

The early-stage Belgian business Spectricity is a significant player in the commercialization of inexpensive spectral sensing. It unveiled its first product earlier this year, a miniature multispectral image sensor that can identify 16 color channels in the visible spectrum. As smartphones are the target market and camera quality influences many customer buying decisions, the higher spectral resolution compared to conventional sensors enables more accurate color reproduction.

Wearable health monitoring is another consumer application that spectral sensing can help with. While smartwatches now use LED light sensors to detect heart rate, oxygen levels, sleep patterns, and respiration rates, more advanced sensors would offer additional capability. One of the developing SWIR (short wave infrared) detection technologies, such as quantum dots, may spectrally resolve wavelengths above 1000 nm, allowing the identification of biomarkers that are invisible to visible and NIR light. Then, wearable technology may measure levels of glucose, lactate, hydration, and alcohol, widening its application and offering a point of distinction from the present crop of smartwatches with increasingly similar features.

Miniaturized spectrometers and multispectral cameras are anticipated to become more popular alongside consumer electronics for industrial inspection and robotics since their modest weight enables integration into current machinery. The challenges of object recognition and material distinction hold the most promise. When trying to discern between two materials that are visually identical, such as different polymers or oil and water, spectral resolution is extremely useful.

Miniaturized spectrometers and multispectral sensors promise to expand the capabilities of mobile gadgets, portable electronics, and industrial image inspection equipment due to their cost and small design. Smartwatches, smartphones, and even robotic vacuums can now use features that were previously exclusive to laboratories.

In the past, the recording of data concerning patients’ vital signs was carried out solely by medical professionals within specialist clinical facilities. It is now becoming increasingly apparent, however, that this places huge constraints on the healthcare services that can be provided. Motivated by improving such services, and benefiting from technological progression, there has been an upheaval within the medical sector. Where possible, the approach now starting to be followed is to take vital sign readings using wearable technology outside of hospitals or other medical units, and have these activities conducted at home.

The global market for vital signs monitoring is currently worth $5.3 billion, according to figures compiled by industry analysis consultancy Research and Markets. Furthermore, the company predicts that this market will witness a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of around 6.3% over the next five years - reaching an annual worth of close to $7.2 billion by 2027.

A tactical adjustment

The validity of moving vital signs monitoring out of the clinical environment and making it more reliant on wearable devices is beyond doubt. By doing so it will be possible for several major difficulties that the healthcare sector has been facing for many years to be overcome. These include:

• Alleviating pressure on medical staff/resources - With the healthcare systems in many countries having to deal with staffing shortages and budget cuts, the prospect of offloading certain time-consuming activities will be very appealing.
• Addressing the increasing prevalence of chronic conditions and an aging population - Factors like air pollution and poor diet are leading to a larger proportion of people suffering from chronic health complaints. Two examples of this that are worth noting are the rise in the cases of type 2 diabetes (which have tripled in the last two decades) and asthma (which has almost doubled in that period). On top of this, there is a shift in the global population’s age demographics, with a much greater percentage being above 60 years old than there was previously.
• Improving patient safety and avoiding unnecessary stress - The disruptive effects that having to visit a hospital causes, especially on particularly frail patients, can be severe. They may have to travel considerable distances, and also being in such environments could expose them to viruses (such as COVID) or other forms of infection. Being able to monitor a patient’s condition while they remain at home will be much more convenient and far less traumatic for them.
• Enabling better quality of life - For the elderly or those with debilitating infirmities, vital signs monitoring can be pivotal in helping them to continue living independently. Not only does this mean they can have a more enjoyable time, but it also places less strain on overcrowded care homes.
• Implementing a predictive strategy - If medical conditions can be caught earlier on, the cost associated with subsequent care will be curbed dramatically. By having continuous streams of data on an individual’s vital signs, medical practitioners will be able to identify the initial indicators of certain health issues. This will mean that preventative measures can be taken to combat these issues (such as advice being given on lifestyle changes, etc.) or direct actions (such as surgery) can be undertaken on acute problems before they get worse.
• Making individuals more responsible for their health - Aligning vital signs monitoring with wearable technology is not just advantageous from a professional healthcare standpoint. There is a huge demand emerging within the consumer electronics sector for such functionality, as an ever larger proportion of people want to have a better grasp on their fitness levels and overall well-being. Smartwatches with built-in fitness tracking capabilities, smart rings, and even hearables will be just some of the conduits through which data is captured and compiled accordingly. It should be noted that, by giving insurance companies access to this data, individuals will be able to secure lower-cost life insurance.

Ways of ascertaining vital signs data

There are a multitude of different sensing techniques that can be employed in vital signs monitoring. Here is a brief overview of the most prominent of these:

• Electrocardiogram (ECG) - This relies on electrodes detecting differences in electrical potential generated by the heart. Through it, cardiomyopathy (a weakening of the heart muscle), arrhythmia (an irregularity in heartbeat), and other heart-related peculiarities can be investigated. It is also possible to determine pulse transit time (PTT) using ECG signals. This is the period that it takes a pulse to pass from one point within an artery to another. It gives an accurate evaluation of blood pressure without requiring the use of an inflatable cuff. This makes it much more convenient than conventional blood pressure measurement methods. Though ECG machines were previously large and costly, meaning this technique could only be used in a clinical setting, there are growing opportunities for wearable devices into which ECG functionality has been integrated.
• Photo-plethysmography (PPG) - Here applying modulated light emissions to body tissues enables the measurement of pulse rate. Though the rest of the area subjected to the light emissions remains unchanged, the contraction/expansion of blood vessels causes alterations in light intensity to be picked up by photodiodes. Heart rate (HR), respiratory rate (RR), and heart rate variance (HRV) can all be determined via this methodology. Peripheral capillary oxygen saturation (SpO2), which shows how much oxygen is in arterial blood (and can result in sleep apnea if too low), may also be calculated using it. Like ECG, provided that effective algorithms are employed, PPG can give blood pressure measurements too. What has held back PPG’s adoption in wearable devices has been the fact that body movements negatively impact its accuracy. Through the introduction of superior optoelectronic components (such as high lumen output LEDs and sensor devices with better sensing resolution), in conjunction with more complex algorithms and accelerometer inputs (that compensate for movement), higher precision data can now be retrieved. PPG capabilities are thus becoming more commonplace in wearable designs.
• Temperature monitoring - Having an accurate non-contact temperature measurement mechanism is going to be another important aspect of wearable vital signs monitoring. By taking surface skin temperature measurements then extrapolating these, a person’s body temperature can be estimated to a high degree of accuracy, thereby eliminating the need for invasive measurements. The quality of the sensed data will be best at places where the skin temperature is closer to the body temperature. This is why OEM development of smart rings (worn on fingers) and earbuds (located within the ear) is now underway.
• Fibre Bragg Gratings (FPGs) - There is the prospect that this optical technology could be utilised in a vital signs monitoring context. FPGs can be created by laterally exposing single-mode fibre cores to periodic patterns of intense laser light and then measuring the incremental differences in light levels. By incorporating FPGs into smart textiles, they could act as micro-level strain sensors that react to fluctuations on the skin’s surface caused by the movement of blood through vessels. Consequently, HR, RR, and blood pressure might all be calculated. Though research in this area is still in its early stages, there are high expectations for this technique.    

Key product innovations

As a valued distribution partner for the world’s leading semiconductor vendors, EBV Elektronik continues to provide the market with a trusted and reliable source of the latest technology for both medical and fitness-oriented monitoring. Here are a few examples of the products stocked for this purpose.  

Via EBV, ams OSRAM’s SFH 7072 offers a compact but function packed solution for vital signs monitoring. Thanks to its small size (with 7.5mm x 3.9mm x 0.9mm dimensions), it can be applied to fitness trackers and smartwatches for capturing medical data. This multi-chip module is comprised of two photodiodes, two green emitters, one red emitter, and one NIR emitter. Light barriers are incorporated to prevent optical crosstalk from occurring. Through the optical engineering advances it leverages, this solution achieves elevated levels of sensitivity. It is able to take accurate PPG measurements for HRM and pulse oximetry monitoring.

The AS7057 bio-signal sensor AFE developed by ams OSRAM features three photodiode inputs and three LED drivers. As two of the photodiode inputs are able to operate independently of one another, with automatic photodiode offset control, higher-quality results can be achieved. Supplied in a chip-scale package, this unit has an ultra–small form factor that makes it optimised for deployment within space-constrained applications, such as in-ear medical monitoring activities or earbud-based fitness trackers. Not only can this unit detect PPG and PTT signals for HRM and HRV measurement, it can also measure SpO2 and blood pressure. Built-in proximity detection means that the device can go into power-saving mode when not in use, allowing battery charge to thus be retained.  

The Smart Oximeter reference design that Renesas has constructed presents OEMs with the foundation they need to rapidly incorporate vital signs measurement functions into their hardware - whether it is for consumer or medical usage. The reference design showcases various items from the company’s technology portfolio. These include the OB1203 multi-channel light sensor module, the DA14531 SmartBond TINY BLE module, and the ISL9122A ultra-low quiescent current non-inverting buck-boost switching voltage regulator. There is also an accompanying mobile app available. Leveraging the OB1203 module, HR, pulse oximetry, and SpO2 figures can be obtained. 3200Sps sample rates are supported and up to 18-bit data resolution. The board (which has 4.2mm x2mm x 1.2mm dimensions) can easily be installed into smartphone handsets, body-worn monitoring patches, and even gym equipment.  

Conclusion

Availability of data on the various different vital signs parameters discussed in this article will be of huge benefit to society. It will mean that medical practitioners will have greater insight into their patients’ state of health, allowing them to respond more quickly to situations. At the same time, by having access to such data, the public at large will be much more aware of their health and may proactively attempt to make improvements.

With a strong prior track record, the application engineering team at EBV Elektronik is able to offer in-depth technical support to designers working on wearable devices for health monitoring purposes. Advice can be given with regard to which optoelectronic components, wireless modules, analogue ICs, and power discretes should be specified. You can engage with them by clicking here.

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About EBV Elektronik

EBV Elektronik, an Avnet (NASDAQ:AVT) company, was founded in 1969 and is the leading specialist in European semiconductor distribution. EBV maintains its successful strategy of personal commitment to customers and excellent services. 240 Technical Sales Specialists provide a strong focus on a selected group of long-term manufacturing partners. 120 continuously trained Application Specialists offer extensive application know-how and design expertise. With the EBVchips Program, EBV, together with its customers, defines and develops new semiconductor products. Targeted customers in selected growth markets will be supported by the Vertical Sales Segments. Warehouse operations, complete logistics solutions, and value-added services such as programming, taping & reeling, and laser marking are fulfilled by Avnet Logistics, EBV’s logistical backbone and Europe’s largest service centre. EBV operates from 65 offices in 29 countries throughout EMEA (Europe – Middle East – Africa). For more information about EBV Elektronik, please visit www.ebv.com.

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EBV Innovation Hero

The EBV Innovation Hero special prize of the 15th Innovation World Cup® is EBV Elektronik‘s initiative to support techpreneurs all over Europe! Take a look here and become the 7th EBV Innovation Hero!

On Tuesday, Google launched fall detection capabilities for its Pixel Watch, as per a blog post. The wearable device will utilize its motion sensors to identify if the wearer has experienced a hard fall. If there is no movement sensed for approximately 30 seconds, the watch will vibrate, set off an alarm, and exhibit an on-screen notification. The user can indicate if they need help or if they are okay. If there is no response after roughly a minute, the device will try to contact emergency services and play an automated message. Users can also speak with a 911 operator on their own. To activate fall detection features, users can access the updates page on the Watch Companion app or the Personal Safety app on the Pixel Watch.

Wearables have been incorporating fall-detection features for some time. Apple introduced the capability to its watch series in 2018, and Samsung has similar functionality on its Galaxy Watch range. Other digital health and tech companies have also entered the fall detection space, particularly in senior care. Amazon recently announced that it is partnering with third-party firms to include fall detection in its AlexaTogether remote monitoring service. Vayyar, SkyAngelCare, and AltumView currently list compatible devices. SafelyYou, a different company, raised two funding rounds in 2021.

Read more: Apple Introduces Apple Watch Series 8

Google unveiled its Pixel Watch last year. While the company owns Fitbit, the Pixel Watch is the first watch under the Google brand. Google noted in its announcement that the device can differentiate between a genuine fall and intense activity that may trigger false alarms, a concern for rival Apple Watches. According to the New York Times, last month, iPhone and Apple Watch fall detection and car crash detection were frequently inundating 911 dispatchers in skiing towns with inaccurate alerts.

"We trained this process using a broad variety of human and simulated fall data and other motion patterns to accurately detect real falls and minimize potential false alarms," Paras Unadkat, product manager for Pixel Watch, and Edward Shi, product manager forPixel Safety, wrote in Google's blog post. "We also tested this feature against high-energy activities that involved impact, sudden drop or excessive arm movements — think activities like burpees, jumping or swimming — to avoid those types of activities from triggering a false notification."

Amazon and 1Life Healthcare announced that Amazon completed its acquisition of One Medical. One Medical’s seamless in-office and 24/7 virtual care services, on-site labs, and programs for preventive care, chronic care management, common illnesses, and mental health concerns have been delighting people for the past 15 years. Together, Amazon and One Medical look to deliver exceptional healthcare to more people to achieve better health outcomes, better care experiences, and more value, within a better care team environment. For a limited time, One Medical is offering annual memberships at the discounted price of $144 for the first year(regularly $199/year), the equivalent of $12 per month, to new customers. Redeem the One Medical membership promotion and learn more about what’s included, reports One Medical.

“We're on a mission to make it dramatically easier for people to find, choose, afford, and engage with the services, products, and professionals they need to get and stay healthy, and coming together with One Medical is a big step on that journey,” said Neil Lindsay, senior vice president of Amazon Health Services. “One Medical has set the bar for what a quality, convenient, and affordable primary care experience should be like. We’re inspired by their human-centered, technology-forward approach and excited to help them continue to grow and serve more patients.”

“One Medical has been on a mission to help transform healthcare through its human-centered and technology-powered model to delight people with better health, better care, and better value, within a better team environment,” said Amir Dan Rubin, CEO of One Medical. “We now set our sights on delivering even further positive impacts for consumers, employers, care teams, and health networks, as we join Amazon with its long-term orientation, history of invention, and passion for reimagining a better future.”

“If you fast forward 10 years from now, people are not going to believe how primary care was administered. For decades, you called your doctor, made an appointment three or four weeks out, drove15-20 minutes to the doctor, parked your car, signed in, and waited several minutes in reception, eventually were placed in an exam room, where you waited another 10-15 minutes before the doctor came in, saw you for five to ten minutes and prescribed medicine, and then you drove 20 minutes to the pharmacy to pick it up—and that’s if you didn’t have to then go see a specialist for additional evaluation, where the process repeated and could take even longer for an appointment,” said Amazon CEO Andy Jassy. “Customers want and deserve better, and that’s what One Medical has been working and innovating on for more than a decade. Together, we believe we can make the health care experience easier, faster, more personal, and more convenient for everyone.”

One Medical sets a high bar for human-centered primary care experiences

Access to primary care where, when, and how people prefer, with:

• Around-the-clock access through the One Medical app, giving people more control of how they seek care and the ability to do so from home or on-the-go
• On-demand virtual care services, like 24/7 video chats and easy in-app messaging, which are included in membership at no extra cost; for other services, such as in-office appointments, One Medical accepts most major insurance health plans
• Same and next-day in-office or remote visits, so people can quickly get the care they need
• Thoughtfully designed and welcoming One Medical offices, offering care close to where people work, live, and shop
• Walk-in availability for on-site laboratory services, making it easy to get lab work done where and when it’s most convenient

A comprehensive approach to make healthcare easier to navigate by offering:

• A healthcare home base with primary care providers that help manage a person’s full health picture; from preventive and acute care needs to chronic disease, and mental health concerns
• Pediatricians and family care providers available in a growing number of locations, serving children and families
• Providers trained to address both physical and mental health needs, which may include lifestyle recommendations, medications, or referrals to appropriate specialists
• Clinical and digital integrations with leading hospital networks across the U.S. for more seamless access and coordinated care across primary and specialty care services
• Easy access to vaccine and medical records, prescription renewals, specialty referrals, and lab results in the One Medical app
• Outstanding care for seniors in a growing number of locations, with teams specialized in serving people on Medicare

A more human health care experience enabled by:

• Highly engaged clinicians focused on meeting the whole needs of people, thinking about healthcare comprehensively, and taking time to treat people as people and not solely as diagnoses
• More time in appointments to engage with providers for more personalized and comprehensive healthcare
• Proactive app reminders for follow-up care and referral needs facilitating better prevention and coordination of care so the dots are better connected for people to get and stay healthier
• A human-centered and technology-powered approach, offering an easy-to-use app and innovative clinician tools to simplify the experience for both the patient and the provider

About One Medical

One Medical is a U.S. national human-centered and technology-powered primary care organization with seamless digital health and inviting in-office care, convenient to where people work, shop, and live. One Medical’s vision is to delight millions of members with better health and better care while reducing costs, within a better team environment. One Medical’s mission is to transform healthcare for all through a human-centered, technology-powered model. Headquartered in San Francisco, 1Life Healthcare, Inc. is the administrative and managerial services company for the affiliated One Medical physician-owned professional corporations that deliver medical services in-office and virtually. 1Life and the One Medical entities do business under the “One Medical” brand.

Varjo, a Finnish manufacturer of virtual reality, augmented reality, and mixed reality headsets, is partnering with Swiss medical device company machineMD to develop Neos, a diagnostic tool that aims to assist in the early diagnosis of brain disorders such as multiple sclerosis, stroke, and brain tumors using built-in VR-based eye-tracking technology.

Varjo offers extended reality hardware and software with integrated eye-tracking capabilities, while machineMD develops tools for the early detection of brain disorders, reports MobiHealthNews.

Neos will combine Varjo's Aero headset with VR-based eye-tracking technology and machineMD's device that examines eye and pupil movements.

“These types of examinations of the eyes and pupils – how the eyes move, the gaze direction, the reaction of the pupils, how they're delayed – that's done all manually,” Dominic Senn, cofounder and CEO of machineMD, told MobiHealthNews. “And there are a couple of studies showing that at least with ophthalmologists and neurologists […] there are many misdiagnoses based on these type of examinations simply because they can't do the measurements right.”

Dr. Mathias Abegg, medical director at machineMD, told MobiHealthNews that the company's initial device for eye examinations was not done with headsets but with desktops, eye trackers, or big machinery, and only measured one eye. The company then discovered Varjo's eye-tracking tool which he said has the quality of measure they need.

Read more: Study Finds VR Therapeutic Reduces Pain Intensity

The Varjo video-based eye tracking system captures images of a patient's eyes at 200 Hertz while measuring pupil position, pupil dilation, interpupillary distance, focus, and eye-movement patterns. It does this by using two integrated high-speed cameras and infrared illumination.

"We can basically, through our APIs, connect that to machineMD that then can analyze it. That enables machineMD to quantify, analyze and build up a database that is basically repeatable to diagnose these conditions," Seppo Aaltonen, Chief Commercial Officer at Varjo, told MobiHealthnews. Senn added that Neos will be a tool that enables physicians' assistants to administer the test, reducing the length of time patients must wait to see a specialist and the time restrictions that come with a shrinking workforce for providers.

"With our device, they should be able to examine most patients themselves, and if there are any doubts, they can send the examination report and then a specialist can look at the report" Senn said.

Neos is currently in development. The companies aim to receive regulatory approval for market release in the U.S. or Europe and begin selling the first devices by the end of 2023.

Apple has reached the proof-of-concept stage for sensor technology that could ultimately allow Apple Watch wearers with diabetes to monitor their blood sugar levels, according to a Bloomberg report. A few unnamed insiders who were familiar with the incredibly covert project - referred to within the firm as E5 - were quoted in Bloomberg's report. The sources claimed that after more than a decade of development, E5 has lately achieved "important milestones" that have given Apple hope for the viability of the technology in the marketplace.

Apple declined to reply to requests for comment from Fierce Medtech and declined to comment on the Bloomberg report. According to the article, Apple is now developing an iPhone-sized prototype that may be attached to a person's bicep. If Apple were to include it in a future Apple Watch, it would need to be substantially smaller.

The source claims that TSMC has been charged with developing the core chip for the sensor, which will be used in Apple's glucose tracker.

Read more: DarioHealth to Integrate Dexcom CGM Data

“Apple is taking a different approach, using a chip technology known as silicon photonics and a measurement process called optical absorption spectroscopy. The system uses lasers to emit specific wavelengths of light into an area below the skin where there is interstitial fluid - substances that leak out of capillaries - that can be absorbed by glucose. The light is then reflected back to the sensor in a way that indicates the concentration of glucose. An algorithm then determines a person’s blood glucose level.”

Diabetics would be better able to identify the meals that are elevating their blood sugar levels if glucose levels were continuously and non-invasively monitored. Using that information, they might change their diet to maintain a steady blood sugar level.

The news weighed on shares of diabetes technology companies on Wednesday, with both Dexcom and Abbott falling more than 3% before recovering. Apple gained 0.3% to $148.91 by the close in New York, the Bloomberg report said.

MyndVR, the award-winning provider of VR-based, digital therapeutic experiences designed for the aging population, has announced that its VR therapeutic technology will be covered by insurance for the first time ever. To achieve this, MyndVR has partnered with AgeWell New York, a specialty managed care organization serving Medicare and Medicaid populations in New York, according to a press release.

"Our members are enthusiastic about their ability to use MyndVR," said Agewell New York Lead Senior Benefits Advisor, Constance Harris-Fields. "We see this program helping with isolation, anxiety, and depression, while stimulating memories, conversation, and socialization, which is especially important in the wake of the pandemic." AgeWell New York's CareWell Plan members can use MyndVR headsets to enjoy virtual travel, special adventures, entertainment, and more. They can also share their real-time experience with family members nearby. "We've seen first-hand how visiting a special place can brighten the outlook of our skilled nursing facility members. The MyndVR benefit enhances our personalized approach to health care."

Read more: World’s First Immersive Gastronomy Experience

"It is monumental to our mission to bring on board our first health insurance provider, to help broaden access to the impactful results of MyndVR to CareWell members," said MyndVR CEO and Founder, Chris Brickler. "As we continue spreading awareness of the importance of therapeutics in VR being covered by insurance, this is an exciting step in the right direction – only further proving why the Access to Prescriptive Digital Therapeutics Act has a growing need to be passed by Congress."

The partnership marks a major milestone for MyndVR as the company looks to expand coverage of its groundbreaking technology amongst Medicare Advantage plans and Managed Medicaid plans. The company also recently announced its DitigalTherapyNow.org coalition in support of the Access to Prescription Digital Therapeutics Act, which would formally recognize digital therapeutics at a federal level. The coalition provides information, updates, resources, and a growing petition to support the successful passing of the bill.

About MyndVR

MyndVR is the leading provider of Virtual Reality solutions for senior living communities, home care agencies, Veteran homes, and individual adults aging in their own homes across the US, Canada, and Australia. The company is also a proud Allied Partner with We Honor Veterans. MyndVR is building the most advanced portfolio of original and licensed therapeutic VR content.

About AgeWell New York

AgeWell New York offers high-quality and affordable Medicare Advantage Prescription Drug Plans for individuals with Medicare, Medicare, and Medicaid, and a Medicaid Advantage Plus (MAP) Plan for those who need community-based long-term care services and supports in the home. AgeWell New York launched in 2012 to help seniors and vulnerable adults live well, feel well, and age well in New York by delivering value in healthcare coverage and care management services.