Chugai Pharmaceutical, one of Japan's leading research-based pharmaceutical companies and Biofourmis, a Boston-based digital therapeutics company, announced that they have partnered to develop a digital solution for the objective assessment of pain associated with endometriosis.

Read more Wearables In Combination With Digital Technology Offers Huge Opportunities For Non-Invasive Pain Management

Endometriosis is the repeated proliferation and shedding of endometrial tissue outside the uterus, accompanied by dysmenorrhea (pain with menstruation) and chronic lower abdominal pain. It is also a cause of infertility. This disease affects one out of 10 women in their 20s to 40s. The only existing medications are hormonal agents. Moreover, if the pain cannot be controlled by drugs, the only treatment is surgical removal of the endometriotic tissue, says a press release.

Pain is one of the main symptoms of endometriosis and therapeutically important. The severity of pain may vary from day to day, and it can be a major issue that affects patients' quality of life.

The Chugai-Biofourmis partnership will leverage Biofourmis' Biovitals platform to co-develop a novel digital technology for the objective assessment of pain using biosensors and artificial intelligence (AI)-based algorithms. The solution will be validated in a global, multi-center observational study enrolling more than 120 endometriosis patients.

The digital solution for managing patients with endometriosis in an ambulatory setting will include a wearable, clinical-grade biosensor to capture physiology biomarkers and a patient-facing mobile app to monitor symptoms, with a gamification engine for patient engagement. The AI-based technology will provide a continuous quantification of pain by applying analytics to physiology biomarkers. The platform will also include a clinician-facing web dashboard for remote review and intervention.

“Through the partnership with Biofourmis, a leading company in research, development and commercialization of digital therapeutics, Chugai will set out to objectively assess pain associated with endometriosis and better understand its pathology," said Satoko Shisai, Chugai's Vice President, Head of Digital & IT Supervisory Division. "Through this partnership, Chugai is demonstrating its commitment to applying the most advanced digital technologies to better understand the real-life needs of patients and to develop innovative solutions for society, as outlined in the CHUGAI DIGITAL VISION 2030.”

Read more How Femtech Companies are Helping to Make Women’s Lives Easier and More Comfortable

Kuldeep Singh Rajput, CEO and founder of Biofourmis, said: “Chugai aims to become a top innovator by utilizing digital technologies, and we are thrilled to partner with them." He added: "This unique collaboration with Chugai is another indicator of the growing consensus in the healthcare industry that combining digital solutions with therapeutic developments—from discovery to patient care—is a powerful way to augment efficiency. Digital solutions can deliver faster, more reliable insights to clinicians to aid interventions, while increasing engagement and improving outcomes for patients and lowering healthcare costs for all stakeholders."

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To manipulate neural cells, doctors and scientists routinely use two methods – electrical stimulation and chemical pharmaceuticals. However, these methods have their drawbacks. Chemicals are usually slow to take effect and have side effects, while electrical stimulation usually requires invasive wires, and is nearly impossible to administer within certain parts of the brain. Now, researchers at MIT and elsewhere have found a new method for stimulating neurons.

Read more Masimo Announces Bridge, A Wearable Neurostimulation Device That Reduces Opioid Withdrawal Symptoms

The finding might offer a step toward new kinds of therapeutic treatments, similar to electrically based neurostimulation that has been used to treat Parkinson’s disease and other conditions. Unlike those systems, which require an external wire connection, the new system would be completely contact-free after an initial injection of particles, and could be reactivated at will through an externally applied magnetic field, reports David L. Chandler at MIT News.

The researchers reported their finding in the journal ACS Nano.

“An interesting thing about the nervous system is that neurons can actually detect forces,” says MIT postdoc Alexander Senko PhD. “That’s how your sense of touch works, and also your sense of hearing and balance.” The team targeted a particular group of neurons within a structure known as the dorsal root ganglion, which forms an interface between the central and peripheral nervous systems, because these cells are particularly sensitive to mechanical forces.

The key to the new process was developing minuscule discs with an unusual magnetic property, which can cause them to start fluttering when subjected to a certain kind of varying magnetic field. These discs, which are hundreds of nanometers in diameter, contain a vortex configuration of atomic spins when there are no external magnetic fields applied. This makes the particles behave as if they were not magnetic at all, making them exceptionally stable in solutions. When these discs are subjected to a very weak varying magnetic field of a few millitesla, with a low frequency of just several hertz, they switch to a state where the internal spins are all aligned in the disc plane. This allows these nanodiscs to act as levers — wiggling up and down with the direction of the field, the MIT report said.

Read more This Wearable Device Can Improve Speech of People Living with Parkinson’s Disease

The work is still in its infancy, said Polina Anikeeva, an associate professor in the departments of Materials Science and Engineering and Brain and Cognitive Sciences. “This is a very first demonstration that it is possible to use these particles to transduce large forces to membranes of neurons in order to stimulate them.”

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Innovations in health tech are changing the way people access healthcare. At the same time these innovations are enabling people to learn more about their bodies.

Read more Femtech Startup Bloomer Develops Smart Bra that Can Monitor Women’s Health

Women, in particular, are benefiting from health tech innovations as this group is worse affected by the limitations of health and sex education, reports MobiHealthNews.

Women make up about half (49%) of the world’s population. Statistics show that women live longer than men, but they may spend a greater part of their lives in poor health for various reasons. In the developing world, pregnancy and childbirth take a heavy toll on women’s health. Worldwide, nearly 380,000 women die from preventable causes related to pregnancy each year.

From wearable breast pumps to digital birth control, the Femtech market is gearing up to see an unprecedented wave of innovation.

Dr Deborah Maufi, a project manager at the Health[e]Foundation, saw the harm of ignorance and misinformation firsthand in her native Tanzania.

“It made me really aware…that a lot of educated women also don’t know [about their reproductive rights]. Now imagine those who are not educated at all,” Maufi said. In response, she developed an app called MyHealth@Hand. Using the app, pregnant women in Sub-Saharan Africa can connect with healthcare workers. “They can share health data and also the woman has access to health information about pregnancy and the newborn and can also chat to the healthcare professional in the app,” she said.

Read more How Femtech Companies are Helping to Make Women’s Lives Easier and More Comfortable

The Femtech market could appeal to women of all ages, races and nationalities. Innovations in this field aren’t only making it possible for women to manage their health on a more personalized level, but it is enabling them to learn more about their own health.

The key benefit of combining education with the digital is its accessibility. “Almost everything that we do now is digital,” comments Dr. Maufi. “Even in developing countries: you see the economy's very low, but people still have access to smartphones.”

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Houston, Texas-based Vitls Inc. won FDA 510(k) clearance for its Vitls Platform. The Vitls Platform is a combination of a vitals monitoring patch, cloud storage, and an app that lets clinicians monitor patients in multiple healthcare settings – from the hospital to the home.

Read more Abbott Receives FDA Approval for Gallant Heart Rhythm Implants Featuring Continuous Remote Monitoring

"Obtaining and managing patient vitals in a distributed environment can be challenging. The Vitls Platform, with its wearable device and accompanying software, offers a better chance for continuous, unobtrusive, remote monitoring, to better manage patient care in a multitude of scenarios,” said Stephen Meyer, former president & chief executive officer of Welch Allyn, reports BusinessWire.

Vitls developed a clinical-grade platform that enables healthcare providers to reliably and accurately monitor key patient vital signs in real-time. The Vitls Platform consists of Tégo, a small and unobtrusive wearable that wirelessly records vital signs; the Vitls Cloud, where data is stored and then sent to hospital systems, the Vitls App and other connected devices; and the Vitls App, which displays the data in an intuitive layout.

Data collected with the Vitls Platform gives healthcare providers a complete picture of a patient’s status, paving the way for early intervention and improved outcomes. Studies show that deterioration can be identified and treated more than 60 percent earlier with continuous, remote monitoring.

“When my eldest son suffered from febrile seizures, we couldn’t find anything reliable and accurate enough to alert us at the onset of his fevers; we developed Tégo to address the challenge of intermittent monitoring and late detection for both patients and clinicians,” said Werner Vorster, chief executive officer and founder of Vitls Inc. “With this FDA clearance and our US launch planned for Q3/2020, we are much closer to our goal of making continuous monitoring the standard of care in healthcare settings, as well as in the home. Healthcare needs accurate, clinical grade, continuous monitoring - especially now during COVID-19 - and we’re proud and fortunate to be in a position to help.”

Read more Medtronic Wins FDA Clearance And CE Approval For LINQ II Insertable Cardiac Monitor

Vitls Inc. is a digital healthcare company that focuses on remote monitoring of patient vital signs throughout the care continuum. The company developed the Vitls Platform which consists of the Tégo wearable, an unobtrusive patch that continuously collects vital signs and other data from the wearer, the Vitls Cloud, and the Vitls App.

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Movano Inc., a health-focused technology company dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for people affected by chronic health conditions, has raised $10M in a bridge round led by Tri-Valley Ventures. Taken alongside its prior investments, the company said it has now raised $27 million since its founding in 2018. The company said it will use the money to develop its first product – a wearable, non-invasive continuous glucose monitor (CGM) powered by Radio Frequency (RF) technology that is painless, smart and simple.

Read more Dexcom G6 Pro CGM Offers Both Blinded And Unblinded Mode For Glucose Monitoring

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the number of people with diabetes worldwide rose from 108 million in 1980 to 422 million in 2014. Without proper management diabetes can lead to heart disease, kidney failure and other serious health complications. Despite the prevalence of diabetes, only a small number of people with diabetes use a CGM today, primarily due to affordability.

“There’s a considerable disconnect between the demand for an inconspicuous and inexpensive glucose measurement solution and what’s on the market. Today, people with diabetes have two options to get a glucose reading - either prick their finger daily or wear an expensive, disposable patch,” said Michael Leabman, founder and CEO of Movano. “We plan to bridge this gap, so that measuring your glucose becomes as simple as glancing at your wrist, whether you’re a person with diabetes, pre-diabetes or a part of the greater wellness community.  We’re going to break down the current cost, usability and accessibility barriers with CGMs so that anyone can manage their glucose levels with confidence and in a way that best suits their lifestyle.”

Movano’s novel approach to glucose monitoring is centered around its patent-pending RF solution, which can be embedded in a wearable and connected to apps and the cloud. The combination of custom-built, miniature and highly flexible sensors, smart antennas and proprietary machine learning algorithms will form a glucose monitoring system that is more affordable and smaller in size than competing CGMs, reports GlobeNewsWire.

The company’s cloud-based network app will give users real-time data, including trending lines and time-in-range information. This will enable data sharing with healthcare providers, caregivers and family to optimize care routines, reinforce positive behaviors and serve as a catalyst for long-term behavioral changes. Armed with real-time knowledge about how glucose levels impact a person’s overall well-being, Movano’s solution is being designed as a valuable preventative care tool to aid users in making data-driven decisions, reducing the frequency of doctor and hospital visits.

Read more Abbott’s Freestyle Libre 2 iCGM Receives FDA Clearance For Adults And Children With Diabetes In The U.S.

“What makes a digital health tool effective is its ability to keep consumers engaged without disrupting their normal routine and a design that makes the wearer feel like a person, not a patient,” said Greg Hitchan, Managing Partner of Tri-Valley Ventures. “What resonated with us about Movano is its consumer-centric approach to glucose management. Its non-invasive solution, which can be included in wearable devices, enables users to get a continuous reading no matter where they are. With the potential to improve the quality of life for so many people dealing with serious health conditions related to diabetes, we see a bright future for Movano and its technology.”

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UnitedHealth Group has launched an innovative new therapy that combines wearable technology and customized personal support to help improve the health of people living with type 2 diabetes.

The therapy — known as Level2 — helps eligible participants gain real-time insights about their condition and, for some, successfully reduce spikes in blood sugar levels or even achieve type 2 diabetes remission. Level2 equips eligible participants with integrated tools that include a mobile continuous glucose monitor (CGM), activity tracker, app-based alerts and one-on-one clinical coaching to help encourage healthier lifestyle decisions, such as food choices, exercise and sleep patterns. In the future, UnitedHealth Group may offer the Level2 model to support people with other chronic conditions beyond type 2 diabetes.

Read more Dexcom G6 Pro CGM Offers Both Blinded And Unblinded Mode For Glucose Monitoring

Level2 is available at no additional cost to more than 230,000 employer-sponsored, fully insured UnitedHealthcare members in 27 states and Washington, D.C.

Maintaining appropriate blood sugar levels, as measured by hemoglobin A1C, is a key focus for people with diabetes. In a pilot study of more than 790 UnitedHealthcare members, certain Level2 participants achieved a clinically meaningful reduction in their A1C within 90 days. Participants who began this therapy with the most significantly elevated A1C (above 8.0%) saw the greatest reduction (more than 1 percentage point decrease on average). By helping participants better control blood sugar levels and, in certain cases, achieve type 2 diabetes remission, some Level2 participants no longer require medication for their condition. To date, Level2 has helped participants improve their health to the degree they eliminated the need for more than 450 prescriptions, reports UnitedHealth Group.

“The combination of insights and resources in Level2 provides a high-touch, therapeutic benefit to help participants take charge of their type 2 diabetes and achieve better health,” said Amy Meister, D.O., CEO of Level2. “Connected devices such as continuous glucose monitors and activity trackers may be game-changers for the approximately 30 million people2 nationwide living with type 2 diabetes. By expanding this innovative new therapy to more members across the country, we are empowering people with actionable information and personalized support.”

Initial studies show that sudden changes in blood sugar levels among people with type 2 diabetes may indicate potential COVID-19 infections. Closely monitoring this metric among Level2 participants and supporting people at greater risk for COVID-19 complications, Level2 has demonstrated the ability to predict potential COVID-19 infections and help encourage access to needed medical care earlier. Type 2 diabetes may be a risk factor associated with worse outcomes related to COVID-19.3 However, people with type 2 diabetes whose blood sugar is stable may experience fewer medical complications and greater likelihood of recovery from COVID-19.

Read more Innovosens’ Diabetes Monitoring Technology May Help In Early Detection Of COVID-19

Level2 is part of UnitedHealth Group’s industry-leading focus on integrating human support with advanced data analytics, including from real-time sources such as digital health technologies, to help improve and personalize therapies.

Level2 will be made available to select employers with self-funded plans later this year.

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Wearable technologies can be innovative solutions for healthcare problems. According to a literature review of wearable technology applications by Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society, Inc. (HIMSS), wearable applications can directly impact clinical decision making. Wearable technologies enable the continuous monitoring of human physical activities and behaviors, as well as physiological and biochemical parameters during daily life. The most commonly measured data include vital signs such as heart rate, blood pressure, and body temperature, as well as blood oxygen saturation, posture, and physical activities through the use of electrocardiogram (ECG), ballistocardiogram (BCG) and other devices.

Read more Thinklabs One Electronic Stethoscope Keeping Healthcare Professionals Safe During COVID-19 Pandemic

Wearable technology is playing a crucial role during the current pandemic. For example, according to Harvard University, Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics, in March 2020, the South Korean government implemented a smartphone app to supervise the self-quarantine of those who met criteria for confirmed contact with individuals who were confirmed to have the viral infection, according to news provided by FinancialBuzz.com.

Nemaura Medical, Inc. announced earlier last week breaking news that it has, "issued a presentation outlining potential new applications for monitoring disease progression in Covid-19 patients using Continuous Lactate Monitoring (CLM). The company’s both CGM and CLM products are based on Nemaura's BEAT platform, which is designed to non-invasively extract a number of analytes through the skin. By adapting the sensor chemistry, algorithm and mobile app interface initially developed for sugarBEAT, the BEAT platform has the potential to be utilized for several markets beyond glucose monitoring and diabetes. Nemaura is evaluating the timelines for bringing the CLM to market as a Class 2 approved Medical Device.

OPKO Health, Inc. announced earlier this month that it will conduct COVID-19 testing for all Major League Soccer (MLS) players as well as match officials, and Club and League staff participating in the MLS is Back Tournament. MLS has chosen BioReference as its laboratory to assist in informing its return-to-play policies for the Tournament kicking off in Orlando in early July.

Moderna, Inc. announced last week the publication of an interim analysis of the open-label Phase 1 study of mRNA-1273, its vaccine candidate against COVID-19, in The New England Journal of Medicine. This interim analysis evaluated a two-dose vaccination schedule of mRNA-1273 given 28 days apart across three dose levels (25, 100, 250 µg) in 45 healthy adult participants ages 18-55 years, and reports results through Day 57.

Koninklijke Philips N.V. reported earlier this month that it had introduced first-of-its-kind mobile Intensive Care Units (ICUs) in India. Designed to meet the critical-care requirements of patients, each prefabricated ICU has a capacity of nine beds. The units will be locally manufactured by Philips in India, with each ICU unit capable of being deployed in one day. India is in the top 5 countries with the highest amount of COVID-19 cases. The country's healthcare system is under immense pressure as infections spike. Leveraging its clinical, technical and design expertise, Philips has developed new mobile ICUs to address the challenging needs of critical-care services in India.

Read more BHP Trials Wearable Technology On Its Iron Ore Mines During COVID-19

iBio, Inc. announced back in June that IBM Watson Health had selected iBio to receive 18 months of use of the IBM Clinical Development (ICD) solution, free-of-charge. IBM Watson Health recently began offering its ICD solution to eligible trial sponsor organizations as part of its efforts to help support the medical community to address the COVID-19 pandemic. IBM Watson Health has received interest in the offering from numerous hospitals, sponsors, contract research organizations and academic institutions, and is currently enabling 15 COVID-19 disease trials.

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According to a new report by Technavio, the fitness app market is poised to grow by USD 1.68 billion during 2020-2024, progressing at a CAGR of 12% during the forecast period. The report offers an up-to-date analysis regarding the current market scenario, latest trends and drivers, and the overall market environment.

Read more Global E-compass Market Is Expected To Grow At A CAGR of 14% From 2019 to 2024

Although the COVID-19 pandemic continues to transform the growth of various industries, the immediate impact of the outbreak is varied. While a few industries will register a drop in demand, numerous others will continue to remain unscathed and show promising growth opportunities, reports BusinessWire.

The market is fragmented, and the degree of fragmentation will accelerate during the forecast period. adidas AG, ASICS Digital Inc., Azumio Inc., BetterME., FitNow Inc., Google LLC, Nike Inc., Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., Under Armour Inc., and YAZIO GmbH are some of the major market participants. To make the most of the opportunities, market vendors should focus more on the growth prospects in the fast-growing segments, while maintaining their positions in the slow-growing segments, the Technavio report said.

Increasing demand for wearable devices has been instrumental in driving the growth of the market.

Technavio's custom research reports offer detailed insights on the impact of COVID-19 at an industry level, a regional level, and subsequent supply chain operations. This customized report will also help clients keep up with new product launches in direct & indirect COVID-19 related markets, upcoming vaccines and pipeline analysis, and significant developments in vendor operations and government regulations.

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Fitness App Market is segmented as below:

Gender

• Female
• Male

Application

• Lifestyle Monitoring
• Health Monitoring
• Others

Geographic Landscape

• APAC
• North America
• Europe
• South America
• MEA

Fitness App Market 2020-2024: Scope

Technavio presents a detailed picture of the market by the way of study, synthesis, and summation of data from multiple sources. The fitness app market report covers the following areas:

• Fitness App Market Size
• Fitness App Market Trends
• Fitness App Market Analysis

This study identifies the proliferation of a variety of fitness apps as one of the prime reasons driving the fitness app market growth during the next few years.

Read more Global Blockchain IoT Market Expected To Grow At A CAGR of 44.83% To $2,389 Million By 2025

Technavio suggests three forecast scenarios (optimistic, probable, and pessimistic) considering the impact of COVID-19. Technavio’s in-depth research has direct and indirect COVID-19 impacted market research reports.

Vendor Analysis

• Vendors covered
• Vendor classification
• Market positioning of vendors
• adidas AG
• ASICS Digital Inc.
• Azumio Inc.
• FitNow Inc.
• Google LLC
• Nike Inc.
• Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Under Armour Inc.
• YAZIO GmbH

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Medtronic, the global leader in medical technology, announced it has received U.S. FDA clearance and European CE Mark approval for its LINQ II insertable cardiac monitor (ICM) with remote programming, which enables clinicians to optimize device settings without the need for patients to return to the office or hospital. The LINQ II system also delivers improved device longevity (4.5 years*1) compared to other ICMs and enhanced accuracy to correctly detect abnormal heart rhythms, simplifying the diagnosis and monitoring of patients.

Read more Medtronic Buys Diabetes Management Startup Klue to Strengthen Personalized Closed Loop System

LINQ II is a small (one-third the size of a AAA battery), wireless ICM for patients with abnormal heart rhythms who experience infrequent symptoms including dizziness, palpitations, syncope (fainting) and chest pain, thereby requiring long-term monitoring or ongoing management. The device will be commercially available in the U.S. and Europe later this summer, reports Medtronic.

“In the current COVID-19 environment, the LINQ II system offers patients a seamless way to experience ongoing connectivity between their device and their physician, while reducing the need for in-office visits,” said Rob Kowal, M.D., Ph.D., chief medical officer of the Cardiac Rhythm and Heart Failure division, which is part of the Cardiac and Vascular Group at Medtronic. “LINQ II gives physicians actionable data to help diagnose underlying heart conditions and define treatment protocols for patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) or other abnormal heart rhythms.”

The LINQ II device incorporates many of the features of LINQ with TruRhythm plus improvements that differentiate the device from other ICMs:

• Accuracy and Streamlined Workflows. The LINQ II device has the lowest published rates of AF false detections compared to previous ICMs.2-5 It also has an industry-exclusive Premature Ventricular Contraction (PVC) detector to help with patient diagnosis; PVCs are extra, abnormal heartbeats that begin in the ventricles, and disrupt the heart rhythm. Additionally, clinicians spend 33 percent less time reviewing ICM transmissions,6 resulting in potential office efficiencies and reduced costs due to more streamlined workflows.
• Remote Programming. The LINQ II ICM offers remote programming, which reduces the need for patients to come into the office to have their device settings adjusted – a benefit for both patients and physicians, especially during the current COVID-19 pandemic.
• Remote Patient Management. Patients with the LINQ II ICM can choose one of two monitoring options to fit their lifestyles and increase remote monitoring compliance, potentially leading to improved patient outcomes:
  • Patients can use their smartphones to automatically transfer device data via the MyCareLink Heart™ mobile app using BlueSync™ technology that enables secure communication via Bluetooth.
  • Patients who are unable or prefer not to use a cell phone can transmit device data with the MyCareLink Relay™ Home Communicator.
• Increased Longevity. The LINQ II device offers an extended duration of continuous monitoring at 4.5 years*1. Continuous monitoring gives physicians greater insights into patient data, aids in diagnoses and helps them manage chronic cardiac arrhythmias.

Read more Medtronic Receives CE Mark For Its MiniMed 780G Insulin Pump With Artificial Pancreas Capabilities

In collaboration with leading clinicians, researchers and scientists worldwide, Medtronic offers the broadest range of innovative medical technology for the interventional and surgical treatment of cardiovascular disease and cardiac arrhythmias.

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Want to learn how Wearables can increase Women´s Health?

Wait no further! Listen to Julia van Zanten, Chief Product Officer at Lifesense Group (Chapter 2: 33:00 min. in the Webinar) as well as to Emeline Hahn, CEO of Fizimed (Chapter 1: at 21:00 min. in the Webinar)!

Watch the whole WT | Webinar "Wearables for Women's Health" here:

https://vimeo.com/438213195/5106d67e6a

Do you have a question to the Speaker? Place your question here:

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HandsFree Health, well-known for its WellBe, a secure, HIPAA compliant, voice-enabled virtual health assistant platform, announced the company has filed a new patent to add to its technology portfolio. The patent-pending technology identifies individuals within a household so that each person has a secure and personalized health experience within the HandsFree Health platform.

Read more Orbita Launches AI-Powered Virtual Bedside Assistant To Improve Patient Care

“Our new patent-pending technology provides layers of security for WellBe smart speaker users to ensure that their interactions with the voice technology device will be unique to them," said Dan Messina, Co-Founder, HandsFree Health. “This new patent uses a series of security components to not only identify household members, but also provide them with a unique and personalized voice technology experience based on their own health and wellness preferences."

This new patent filed covers a variety of technology features in the HandsFree Health WellBe device that allow each family member to have a secure experience. The individualized support includes personalized care, appointment and medication reminders, and different colored lights for each family member who is interacting with the WellBe smart speaker. This latest patent builds on the HandsFree Health patent portfolio which also includes patent-pending technology which allows remote setup of the HandsFree Health platform from anywhere in the U.S, says a press release.

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HandsFree Health's HIPAA-compliant, proprietary product offerings for the healthcare market include a voice assistant, mobile applications, and wearable devices. The devices will be sold on the HandsFree Health website as well as major retailers later this month.

Read more Apple Announces Airpods 2 with Voice Control and Optional Wireless Charging

HandsFree Health was recently featured at VOICE Global Summit, a worldwide conference highlighting leaders in voice technology. HandsFree Health's Co-Founder was also named a PM360 ELITE winner (Exceptional-Leaders-Innovators-Transformers-Entrepreneurs), as one of the 100 most influential people in the healthcare industry. Employee Benefit News and Employee Benefit Adviser awarded HandsFree Health's Co-Founder with a 2019 Digital Innovator Award for WellBe. HandsFree Health was also featured at Microsoft Build 2019 demonstrating artificial intelligence integration for the healthcare market.

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Some of the most widely used wearable devices are applications for assessing and monitoring vital signs. However, they are typically complex devices and tend to be expensive and fragile. Now, researchers at the University of Missouri have invented a method of using simple graphite pencils and paper to create highly functional bioelectronic devices.

Read more Graz University Researchers Develop Tattoo Electrodes For Long-Term EEG Brain Monitoring

The researchers said their discovery could have broad future applications in home-based, personalized health care, education and remote scientific research such as during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Their findings are published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Zheng Yan, an assistant professor in the College of Engineering, said many existing commercial on-skin biomedical devices often contain two major components — a biomedical tracking component and a surrounding flexible material, such as plastic, to provide a supportive structure for the component to maintain an on-skin connection with a person’s body, reports Eric Stann in Mizzou News.

“The conventional approach for developing an on-skin biomedical electronic device is usually complex and often expensive to produce,” he said. “In contrast, our approach is low-cost and very simple. We can make a similar device using widely available pencils and paper.”

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Leads in the pencil are made of various levels of graphite, clay and wax. Since their invention, they’ve been used for writing and drawing. In this new study, the researchers discovered that pencils containing more than 90% graphite are able to conduct a high amount of energy created from the friction between paper and pencil caused by drawing or writing. Specifically, the researchers found pencils with 93% graphite were the best for creating a variety of on-skin bioelectronic devices drawn on commercial office copy paper. Yan said a biocompatible spray-on adhesive could also be applied to the paper to help it stick better to a person’s skin. He said their next step would be to further develop and test the use of the biomedical components, including electrophysiological, temperature and biochemical sensors.

Read more New Stretchable E-Tattoo for Long-Term Uninterrupted Heart Monitoring

“For example, if a person has a sleep issue, we could draw a biomedical device that could help monitor that person’s sleep levels,” he said. “Or in the classroom, a teacher could engage students by incorporating the creation of a wearable device using pencils and paper into a lesson plan. Furthermore, this low-cost, easily customizable approach could allow scientists to conduct research at home, such as during a pandemic.”

An additional benefit to their approach, Yan said, is that paper can decompose in about a week, compared to many commercial devices that contain components that are not easily broken down.

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BHP said cutting edge wearable technology is enabling its teams in Perth to remotely assist auto electricians’ and mechanical fitters remotely. The company used mixed-reality (MR) like the Microsoft HoloLens to link its teams in Australia with auto electricians and mechanical fitters on-site from 1,300 kilometers away.

Related NexTech AR Inks Deal with Romios Gold to Bring 3D Augmented Reality Solution to the Mining Sector

“When COVID-19 struck, our teams couldn’t travel from Perth to our sites in Western Australia,” said Alex Bertram, Manager Digital Transformation in WAIO. “So we improvised. In mining, people FIFO (fly-in, fly-out). Some DIDO (drive-in, drive-out). Soon our teams will be able to RiRo – which stands for Remote-In Remote-Out. RiRo is essentially our teams providing remote assistance via live point of view video calls to our personnel on site.”

According to Bertram, the teams could soon start a new travel arrangement termed as remote-in, remote out (RiRo). With RiRo, teams can provide remote assistance via live point of view video calls to BHP personnel on-site, reports SafeToWork.

"RiRo…[allows] BHP engineers, integrated planning and remote operations (IPRO) operators and technical experts in Perth, in site offices or anywhere in the world to see exactly what people in the field see, in real-time,” said Cristina Perbellini Silva, who serves as the manager of decision automation in technology.

BHP’s team of technicians used cloud services and a headset device to call for help and support when needed, such as for complex tasks. BHP has a very high-performance rate at its Western Australian Iron Ore division operations, leaving little room for downtime, Bertram said.

“Utilizing cloud services and a mixed reality headset device, our technicians on the frontline can call for help and technical support when they need it most – during critical breakdowns and when undertaking new or complex tasks,” Bertram said.

"This approach is essentially our teams providing remote assistance via live-point-of-view video calls to our personnel on-site.”

Related Smart Equipment to Enable Hands-Free Mining in the Future

BHP Minerals Australia vice president of technology, Pat Bourke said:

“Remote work using technology was always an option for us, however, COVID-19 has pushed us to really harness innovative technology and we will only continue to improve our productivity as we make it widely available and perfect its use.”

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To stay safe during the COVID-19 pandemic many healthcare companies are implementing telehealth and telemedicine platforms and wearable devices that allow remote patient monitoring. Now, Thinklabs One announced the launch of its electronic stethoscope that helps keep healthcare workers safe during the COVID-19 pandemic by allowing Safe Distance Auscultation. This is the process by which doctors can listen to patients' hearts and lungs while wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) or from a safe distance with the use of external speakers, or earbuds.

Read more KYOCERA and TMDU Join Forces To Develop Wearable for Remote Rehab Monitoring During COVID-19 Pandemic

Thinklabs One helps doctors listen to patients' heart and lungs, which is imperative to a doctor's ability to treat patients, particularly those affected by COVID-19. Currently in use at prestigious medical facilities including Johns Hopkins, Mount Sinai, and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, the Thinklabs One features more than 100X amplification, as compared to a traditional acoustic stethoscope, says a press release.

Conventional stethoscopes with rubber tubing are not compatible with layers of PPE. The Thinklabs One has no tubing—just a universal size jack that can connect to speakers, headphones, or a Bluetooth transmitter to listen from a distance. This makes it easier to listen to patients' lungs over the noise caused by the filtration and purification systems in some PPE, or to set up telemedicine systems to listen to patients in separate rooms. The Thinklabs One is used extensively in telemedicine practices, and Thinklabs has created partnerships with key video conferencing providers including Zoom, Vidyo, Vsee, and others to provide best-in-class telemedicine capabilities with the device.

Thinklabs One supported doctors during the Ebola epidemic in Africa and at hospitals that were on the frontline in the U.S., including Bellevue Hospital Center in New York, the Nebraska Medical Center, and Emory Healthcare in Atlanta.

Read more Elektra Labs Introduces Free Platform For Clinicians And Researchers In The Fight Against COVID-19

“For more than 25 years, we have developed and manufactured electronic stethoscopes to improve the detection and diagnosis of disease and save patients' lives. Within one week in March, COVID-19 placed a new demand on our device: to save doctors' lives," said Clive Smith, CEO and founder of Thinklabs. "Like other medical device manufacturers, we saw a step-change in demand. Like doctors and nurses on the frontlines, we had to innovate in real-time, to accommodate entirely new use cases, such as doctors who wanted to listen from 25 feet away to patients who might be sitting in their cars in a drive-through diagnostic or testing site.”

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VOS Systems has launched AlertTrace, an anonymous contact tracing solution for workplace safety. VOS is a joint venture of three leading U.S. technology companies: VOLT Wearable Tech, Ottogee and Scout IoT. AlertTrace provides reliable daily monitoring to record close contact interactions through wearable Bluetooth technology, then uploads interaction data with end-to-end encryption for ensured privacy and anonymity. Through the use of AlertTrace, organizations are able to react quickly and accurately to safeguard employees that may be at risk of contracting COVID-19 in the workplace.

Read more btwTAG Contact Tracing Solution Now Available For US, Europe, South American Companies

“The pen and paper method of contact tracing is cumbersome, time-consuming and is difficult to deploy effectively on a large scale,” said James Davis, President of Scout IoT. “We knew we had to develop an automated way to collect and quickly analyze contact tracing data while avoiding the privacy concerns that come with phone apps.”

Manufactured in the United States, AlertTrace is unique in having been developed by engineers specifically for contact tracing. Its data collection with true military-grade block-chain security can quickly and effectively triage those with greater risk of developing COVID-19 symptoms while also providing insight for improvements in overall workplace safety. For instant data analysis, the AlertTrace administrator dashboard provides employers with analytics derived from the AI built into an advanced IoT platform. With seamless plug and play integration, AlertTrace can be deployed in a matter of hours, says a press release.

“Improving contact tracing should not be at the expense of invading people's privacy, location or personal phones and should not be driven by profits at a time when small and large companies are facing tremendous organizational and financial challenges,” said Omar Ghazzaoui, Founder of Ottogee, a Techstars backed company. “We made sure that Alert Trace aligns with those principles and this is what's driving adoption by government entities and fortune 1,000 companies.”

Read more EmbedTek’s PariRange Wearable Provides Peer-To-Peer Social Distancing And Contact Tracing

Currently, AlertTrace is being used in several federal pilot programs to proactively address the spread of COVID-19.

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Medical implants, such as pacemakers offer additional advantages for the patient. They’ve had a significant impact on healthcare, especially on the long-term management of chronic conditions. But, to power these devices, re-implants and invasive surgery are often required, which may lead to a risk of surgical complications. Now, researchers at the Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST) in South Korea have developed a new method to power medical implants using an active photonic wireless system.

Read more Washington University Researchers Use Glucose as Power Source for Medical Implants

Most of the medical devices in use today require a constant source of energy to operate. Naturally, this causes some limitations: batteries, which provide an energy source for the implants, have a finite lifespan. Once the battery power gets exhausted, there is no other option but to perform invasive surgery to replace the battery, which poses a risk of surgical complications, such as bruising, infections, and other adverse events, reports GIST.

In a new study published in PNAS, a research group from South Korea, led by Professor Jong ho Lee at GIST, dug deeper to find a solution: they attempted to develop a strategy to recharge the internal battery of devices without invasive surgery or risky penetrative procedures.

“One of the greatest demands in biomedical electronic implants is to provide a sustainable electrical power for extended healthy life without battery replacement surgeries,” explains Prof Lee. Although this is a tricky concept, Prof Lee believes that the answer lies in the “translucency” of living tissue.

This can be explained through an interesting phenomenon. When you hold your hand up to a powerful light, you can see that the edges of your hand glow as the light passes through your skin. Taking inspiration from this, Prof Lee and his team developed an “active photonic power transfer” method, which can generate electrical power in the body. This novel system consisted of two parts:  a skin-attachable micro-LED source patch—which can generate photons that would penetrate through the tissues—and a photovoltaic device integrated into a medical implant—which can capture the photons and generate electrical energy. This system provides a sustainable way of supplying the medical implant device with enough power to avoid any high-risk replacement methods. Prof Lee says, “Currently, a lack of a reliable source of power limits the functionality and performance of implant devices. If we can secure enough electrical power in our body, new types of medical implants with diverse functions and high performance can be developed.”

When the scientists tested this power system in mice, they found that this wireless power transfer system is easy to use, regardless of weather, clothes, indoor or outdoor conditions, etc. The light photons emitted from the source patch successfully penetrated live tissues in mice and recharged the device in a wireless and convenient manner.

Read more 7 Innovative Methods of Harvesting Energy to Power Wearable Devices

“These results enable the long-term use of currently available implants, in addition to accelerating emerging types of electrical implants that require higher power to provide diverse, convenient diagnostic and therapeutic functions in human bodies,” says Prof Lee, pleased with the efforts of his team and already looking forward to furthering their experiments. He concludes, “Our device would probably not work for ‘Iron Man,’ but it can provide enough power for medical implants.”

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Smartwatches for seniors can be a real added value. Provided you make the right choice when buying. Which functions do you need and what can you do without?

Read more Wearables Can Help the Elderly Manage Heart Disease and Early Detect Alzheimer’s

If you’re a senior and you are planning to buy a smartwatch, you will obviously get overwhelmed with the choices presented to you. Many such wearables offer little added value for people over 50. When choosing, you should therefore pay close attention to what the potential fitness tracker or smartwatch offers seniors.

Keeping an eye on health: the right sensors

The following sensors are important when buying a suitable watch for seniors:

• Accelerometer & gyroscope: They are used to count your steps or activities quite accurately. An additional barometer can increase the precision and also perceives heights.
• This feature is important for the elderly who have problems finding their way around.
• Heart rate monitor (heart rate monitor, pulse oximeter, blood oxygen sensor): LEDs that shine through the skin in order to detect changes in the color of the blood using a photodiode. Used to measure the pulse, but also to determine the oxygen saturation in the blood and to recognize the stress level.
• Heart rate sensor: Most smartwatches with heart rate measurement use the heart rate monitor, which can also analyze the heart rate. Those who like it more precise, need special wearables, for example with multi-wavelength PPG sensors.
• (Optional) Fall sensor: Usually, the acceleration sensor and gyroscope help with automatic fall detection (in the event of an accident), which, for example, the Apple Watch has.

A smartwatch for seniors should at least have an accelerometer and heart rate monitor. An enormous number of functions, including, for example, the automatic recognition of current activities, calorie consumption, a drink reminder function, or the distances covered during walks or sports - all of these are calculated information based on the sensor data, reports Trendblog.

Smartwatches for seniors are NOT medical products

What you should absolutely be aware of: Although manufacturers suggest that you might buy a health product, very few fitness bracelets and smartwatches are really medical devices. However, many companies such as Garmin explain openly and transparently where inaccuracies could arise. The information from heart rate sensors is, therefore, more of a helpful orientation - but they are less suitable for diagnosing, treating, or curing diseases.

But there are one or two exceptions: The Withings ScanWatch, for example, even advertises with a “clinically validated” and medically precise oxygen saturation including an ECG. If you attach great importance to this, you are not spoiled for choice - there are hardly any suitable devices with a corresponding claim available.

More features to look for

In addition to the design and suitable sensors, there are also very pragmatic aspects that play a role in choosing the "right" smartwatch for seniors:

Big display

1.2 inches doesn't sound like much, but for a smartwatch, that means a diameter of 30mm - which may no longer be tiny on the wrist. On the other hand, this is a good minimum size to be able to recognize something on the display.

Robust construction

When buying a watch, make sure that it is protected from water and/or dust. Many fitness trackers and smartwatches that are suitable for seniors already have a corresponding IP certification.

Long battery life

The GPS on the smartwatch eats up the battery. Even with an Apple Watch, you have to charge it every day. The same applies to the Galaxy Watch from Samsung. You may opt for fitness bracelets or specialized smartwatches such as the Withings ScanWatch mentioned above. The small, light trackers, in particular, last between 5 and 30 days, depending on the use, the functions, and of course the battery itself.

Read more The 5 Best Smartwatches And Fitness Trackers For Women In 2020

Dependency on the smartphone

Keep in mind that a smartwatch always requires a smartphone. Apart from the Apple Watch, which requires an iPhone, it doesn't matter whether it is one with Android or one with iOS.

Smart Feature Phones with KaiOS, with which senior smartphones are often equipped, are left out. You cannot use them to set up and call up the statistics of the sensor data.

What should you consider when buying a smartwatch for seniors?

In short, here are the recommendation for seniors’ smartwatches:

• Pay attention to the presence of sensors necessary for health and movement data
• Robust, waterproof housing, and a weight of up to 40-50 grams are important
• The display should be at least 1.2 inches for optimal readability
• The smartwatch or tracker must be compatible with your smartphone
• Do not go for the first product available, but rather check whether it is a manufacturer who also offers a warranty and support

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Honda Xcelerator, a global open innovation program from Honda Innovations, will debut industrial innovation collaborations with startups focused on augmenting human capabilities to improve productivity at the CES 2020.

Read more Hyundai Develops Lighter Exoskeleton to Ease Burden in Overhead Work

Honda Xcelerator also will showcase soon-to-be commercialized technologies based on successful collaborations with Drivemode and SoundHound Inc., says a press release.

“At Honda, we believe the human touch is still required to achieve high-quality and flexibility in manufacturing,” said Dennis Clark, managing director of Strategic Venture Partnerships at Honda Innovations. “By collaborating with innovative startups, we want to ensure our associates have a safe production environment while providing them with advanced tools that make our manufacturing processes even more efficient.”

At CES 2020, Honda Xcelerator will showcase the following industrial innovation collaborations:

Monolith AI’s library of machine learning algorithms will allow companies to create and share sophisticated AI solutions faster, linking different departments and applications, ultimately saving time and money in today's hyper-efficient product development processes.

Noonee, a Germany company, will demonstrate Chairless Chair 2.0, a passive exoskeleton that enables employees with standing workplaces to work ergonomically, comfortably and productively. The lightweight wearable chair enables users to flexibly switch between active sitting, walking and standing – avoiding unhealthy posture and pressure on joints that can lead to injuries.

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Skelex has developed Skelex 360, an ergonomic device for the manufacturing environment to reduce risk of repetitive strain injuries. The wearable device creates a sensation of weightlessness in the arms when reaching overhead by providing adjustable lift force from 0.5 kg to 4 kg. The device works as an extension of the body, providing support to the arms without obstructing movement.

Read more Sarcos Robotics Unveils Alpha Version of its Guardian XO Full-Body Industrial Exoskeleton

UVeye’s new artificial intelligence-powered technology promises to dramatically change how auto makers and dealerships inspect vehicles for quality issues. It can check chassis components, bodywork and tires for external and mechanical flaws and detect other quality issues. The scanning, detecting and alerting process completes within seconds and can be used throughout the entire lifecycle of a vehicle.

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A joint study conducted by ARK Crystal LLC, the maker of ARK crystal wearable pendant, Torus Tech LLC and the Energy Medicine Research Institute, found that wearing the ARK crystal pendant improves several athletic outcome measures.

Read more Zinc, iBreve Collaborate to Develop Wearable Stress Management Device

Results showed that wearing the ARK crystal, also known as PGQMEM (Precision Geometric Quartz modulated electromagnetically) for 21 days significantly increases performance in every test conducted for strength, balance, and endurance. Furthermore, the active crystal produced improved changes in all tests compared to placebo controls, indicating the ability of the PGQMEM crystal to increase human athletic performance.

Research was conducted by Lisa Tully, PhD, owner of Energy Medicine Research Institute and Ryan Shilling, owner of Watts Up, a company that specializes in athletic training. Subjects were evaluated at 0, 21 and 42 day time points, after wearing the placebo and active crystal pendants for 3 weeks each. Several athletic tests were conducted to assess flexibility, balance, strength and endurance, ARK Crystal said in a press release.

Key Findings of the Study Were:

• Increased Processing Speed: The group wearing PGQMEM showed 9.8% increase in processing speed. The placebo group showed no change.
• Increased Psychomotor Speed: Both PGQMEM and placebo group showed significant increases in psychomotor speed. The participants in the PGQMEM group showed an increase of 15.2% in their psychomotor speed.
• Psychoemotional State (PES): The participants in the PGQMEM group had a 19.6% increase in Psychoemotional State (PES) – a measurement of the capacity of the brain / body to handle stress.

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The results of this pilot study demonstrate that the PGQMEM produced a significant improvement in several of the assessed HRV and cognition measures. While placebo testing showed a slight increase over baseline, when the PGG placebo produced an effect, the PGQMEM outperformed the PGG placebo. A larger population of subjects is recommended to establish the effects on the addressed values. Finally, it is likely that the PGQMEM will produce greater or sustained effects when worn for longer periods, the press release said.

Read more Nexus Uses Revolutionary Tracking Technology for CrossFit Athletes to Quantify Their Workout

“Although the absolute changes seem small for some of these tests, they are in fact significant,” said William Brown, Biophysicist at Torus Tech LLC. “When one takes into account the importance of the results from the stretch and reach test, in which the mean value of the change from baseline was 0.9 inches, which is a substantial change in flexibility.”

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Vuzix announced that the company has received its largest single order for M400 Smartglasses to date. Ubimax, a leading provider of fully integrated industrial augmented reality (AR) solutions, has placed an order in excess of $550,000 for immediate delivery.

Read more Ubimax Partners with Vuzix to Deliver Everything-as-a-Service for Smart Glasses

“Ubimax and Vuzix have a rich history going back 5+ years. The new M400 is pushing the boundaries of smart glasses performance for work instructions, vision picking and video streaming across the board. Ubimax is very satisfied with the new M400 from Vuzix and I believe our customers will be happy with the results it will deliver,” said Jan Junker, Chief Commercial Officer of Ubimax.

The Ubimax Frontline platform improves manual work processes across industries along the entire value chain on the basis of the latest wearable computing technologies. The solutions are designed to consciously empower the human worker in an increasingly digitized working environment. The Ubimax Frontline solutions have received numerous awards, including the Auggie Award for "Best Enterprise Solution", the MHI Award for "Best IT Innovation" and the Automotive Logistics Award. ABI Research calls Ubimax the world's leading company for industrial wearables and augmented reality solutions. The fast-growing company serves 400 customers worldwide, says a press release.

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“We are very proud of our M400 Smart Glasses and its capabilities. We see this new order from Ubimax as a strong validation of the M400 and our efforts to build it. There were certain non-negotiable performance targets and specifications like IP-67 that were set from beginning of the M400 project. The Vuzix team nailed them all with a product that's proudly designed and assembled in Rochester, New York. We look forward to growing this business with Ubimax even more in the future. This is just the beginning,” said Paul Travers, Vuzix President and Chief Executive Officer.

Read more Vuzix Now Offers Blade Smartglasses in a New Safety Glasses Rated Version

Based in Rochester, NY, Vuzix is a leading supplier of Smart-Glasses and Augmented Reality (AR) technologies and products for the consumer and enterprise markets. The Company's products include personal display and wearable computing devices that offer users a portable high-quality viewing experience, provide solutions for mobility, wearable displays and augmented reality. Vuzix holds 147 patents and patents pending and numerous IP licenses in the Video Eyewear field.