The global 3D printed wearables market size is expected to reach USD 5.5 billion by 2027, expanding at a CAGR of 8.2%, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. 3D printed wearable technology has witnessed high adoption in the healthcare industry. Due to numerous technological innovations in this sector, the market is expected to show significant growth over the forecast period. The demand for 3D printing is on the rise, probably due to the technology's ability to customize products to fit a customer's requirements. Moreover, numerous manufacturers have invested in the R&D of 3D printed wearables owing to increasing demand in the healthcare industry.

Read more: Silicone 3D Printing Paving The Way for Soft Robotics And Wearables

Key suggestions from the report:

• The prosthetics segment dominated the market in 2019 with a share of around 35.9% owing to increasing demand for prosthetics implants in developing countries
• The surgical instruments segment is anticipated to register the fastest growth of 8.6% over the forecast period
• The academic institutes segment accounted for the highest revenue share of 36.2% in 2019 and is anticipated to maintain its dominance over the forecast period due to increasing investment in R&D of 3D printing wearable devices
• The hospital segment is expected to register the fastest growth of 8.5% over the forecast period
• North America held the maximum revenue share of 40.6% in 2019. This can be attributed to the rapid increase in the development of wearable devices to meet the growing demand for efficient healthcare in the country.

As per the survey, it is estimated that the healthcare wearable industry is estimated to reach USD 40 Million revenue by 2022 owing to the constantly improving quality of healthcare wearables and increasing aging population. Due to these factors, the demand for portable medical devices is seen increasing in near future, says a press release.

The 3D printed medical devices can collect info including steps counts a person has walked in a day and the pulse rate. The research within the technology is presently intensive on sensors and flexible materials and their ability to be both bendy and pliable. These properties are perfect for wearables particularly in products such as small discrete sensors and smartwatches.

North America accounted for the highest revenue share of 40.6% in 2019 owing to its increasingly aging population, numerous technological innovations in the devices, and increasing investment in R&D. In addition, increase in the scope of biomedical applications, collaborations between academic institutions and hospitals, and widespread R&D activities at the industrial and academic level have fueled the market growth. Also, the presence of major players in the region contributed to market growth.

Read more: Wearable Medical Devices Market to Surpass $29 Billion by 2026, According to Transparency Market Research

Grand View Research has segmented the global 3D printed wearables market based on product type, end-user, and region:

3D Printed Wearables Product Type Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2016 - 2027)

• Prosthetics
• Orthopedic Implants
• Surgical Instruments
• Smartwatches
• Fitness Trackers

3D Printed Wearables End-user Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2016 - 2027)

• Hospital
• Pharma and Biotech companies
• Academic Institutes
• Others

List of Key Players of 3D Printed Wearables Market

• 3D Systems corporation
• EnvisionTEC
• Stratasys Ltd.
• Arcam AB
• CyfuseBiomedical
• Koninklijke Philips N.V.
• Zephyr Technology Corporation
• Omron Corporation
• Everist Health
• LifeWatch AG

Huami announced that it appointed Mr. Bing Xie, former Texas Instruments executive officer and senior vice president of worldwide sales and applications, as an independent director on Huami's board. Mr. Xie will serve on the board's Audit, Compensation, Nominating, Corporate Governance and the AI and Big Data Ethics Committees.

Read more: Huami’s Amazfit Smart Scale Will Monitor A Slew Of Health Metrics In Addition To Weight

Over a 21-year career at Texas Instruments, Mr. Xie most recently led the worldwide sales and applications teams. He was previously Texas Instrument’s president of Greater China (China, Taiwan, Hong Kong). Mr. Xie started his career at Hewlett-Packard, and later joined Bay Networks and 3Com. He has lived and worked in China, Italy, America and Canada. Mr. Xie holds a bachelor of science degree in electronics engineering from Xidian University, and an MBA from Clemson University, says a press release.

“I am very happy that Xie Bing can join the board of directors,” said Wang Huang, chairman and CEO of Huami Corp. “He has extensive experience and global vision obtained from working with Texas Instruments. With his leadership, I believe he can help Huami better lay out the company's strategy toward the smart IOT industry, and further promote the implementation of our health and medical strategies.”

Mr. Xie joins current standing board members Mr. De Liu, co-founder and a senior vice president of Xiaomi; Dr. Hongjiang Zhang, retired chief executive officer of Kingsoft (a Hong Kong listed company 03888.HK), former chief technology officer of Asia-Pacific R&D and Distinguished Scientist at Microsoft; Mr. Jimmy Lai, retired chief financial officer of China Online Education Group; Ms. Yunfen Lu, co-founder and vice president of Huami Corp.; and Mr. Xiaojun Zhang, co-founder and vice president of Huami Corp.

Read more: Huami’s Amazfit Aeri Mask Self-Disinfects and Unlocks Your Phone With Face ID

Huami's mission is to connect health with technology. Since its inception in 2013, Huami has developed a platform of proprietary technology including AI chips, biometric sensors, and data algorithms, which drive a broadening line of smart health devices for consumers, and analytics services for industry. In 2019, Huami shipped 37 million smart watches and fitness bands, including its own Amazfit brand, and products developed and manufactured for Xiaomi, comprising 23% of global category shipments. Huami Corp is based in Hefei, China, with U.S. operations, Huami-USA, based in Cupertino, Calif.

Fossil has launched a new version of its Hybrid HR line, the HR Hybrid Monroe. Designed especially for stylish women, the watch comes in stainless steel silver/white with a matching mesh strap and rose gold/black with leather strap. There’s a gold version as well.

Related: Fossil Launches Nextgen Touchscreen Smartwatches with Wear OS and Extended Battery Life

The price varies depending on the color and strap of the watch; so it is going to cost between $195-$215. The Fossil Monroe is a hybrid manual/E Ink smartwatch that features an always on customizable display, making it convenient to see your call logs, schedule alarms, read texts, and many more.

The Hybrid Monroe has a heart rate tracker. The watch also tracks your steps taken, distance covered and calories burnt. The workout mode enhances your workout experience. The built-in sleep tracker tracks your sleep and helps you achieve your personal goals.

The smartwatch is water-resistant up to 3ATM and compatible with devices running on Android 5.0 and above or iOS 12.0 and above. The battery lasts up to 2 weeks depending on usage.

Fossil claims the fast-charging can charge the watch up to 80% within 50 minutes, reports Fossil. You can easily check the weather, get notifications, control your music, and get app alerts through its Always-On Display.

Finally, the Fossil Hybrid HR is a fine and elegant smartwatch for women to wear and easy to use.

Related: Fossil Introduces Gen 5 Smartwatches with Wear OS and Preloaded Cardiogram

Here are more features:

• Material bracelet: Milanese bracelet made of stainless steel
• Closure: folding clasp
• Watch glass: mineral glass
• Water resistance: 3 ATM
• Notifications: Alarm Clock, App Alerts, Calendar Alerts, Email, Multiple Time Zones, Social Media, Text
• Functions: Activity Tracker, Challenge Friends to a Workout, Control Your Music, Customizable Buttons, Heart Rate Tracking, Interchangeable Watch Band, Notifications, Personalize Your Dial, Visualized Workout Routes
• Memory: 256 KB
• Connection: Bluetooth Smart Enabled/5.0 Low Energy
• Compatibility: Android 5.0 + iOS 10.0+
• Closure: safety folding clasp
• Charging time: charging time 50 min to 80%
• Battery Life: 2+ WEEKS (DEPENDING ON USE)
• Battery type: lithium-ion
• Activity tracker: Yes

Garmin added pregnancy tracking to its Garmin Connect app to give moms-to-be a snapshot of their pregnancy alongside other health, wellness and activity data. Through the app and compatible Garmin smartwatch, users can log pregnancy-related symptoms, track baby movement, create customizable reminders, receive exercise and nutrition tips and more.

Created for women by women, pregnancy tracking is Garmin’s latest innovative women’s health feature following the announcement of menstrual cycle tracking in 2019, reports BusinessWire.

“Garmin remains committed to creating products and features for women throughout all phases of their life,” said Susan Lyman, Garmin vice president of global consumer marketing. “The positive feedback we received when we launched menstrual cycle tracking was a clear indication that our female customers are looking for more opportunities to use technology to improve their health and fitness. It’s our hope that this pregnancy tracking feature helps women make sense of how their pregnancy ties into their active lifestyles and overall well-being.”

Read more: Garmin Joins Forces with Children’s Mercy Kansas City to Keep Kids Active During COVID-19 Pandemic

Key Features:

• Enter baby’s due date and track progress on a pregnancy timeline including baby’s size as it compares to common fruits and vegetables.
• Learn how fitness and performance metrics fluctuate during pregnancy with the option to adjust heart rate alerts, monitor hydration and even pause training status completely.
• Receive education on symptoms to expect and nutrition tips. Opt-in to receive weekly weight gain recommendations.
• Create customized reminders that are delivered directly to the user’s smartwatch to drink water, log symptoms, do Kegel exercises and more.
• Manually log 30+ symptoms, three types of baby movement, blood glucose levels, notes and more. Get a summary of logged data for easy sharing during checkups.
• Use the Pregnancy Tracking Connect IQ™ app to conveniently and discreetly log this information from a compatible smartwatch.
• Contraction Timer Connect IQ app lets mom and labor partner track the duration and frequency of labor contractions from a compatible Garmin smartwatch.

For women maintaining an exercise regimen throughout their pregnancy, Garmin Connect offers additional ways to customize settings within the app and supported devices, including the ability to:

• Pause training status, since status often will decrease with the increased heart rate and blood volume that comes with pregnancy.
• Enable high heart rate alerts for activities so users can monitor their heart rate and stay within their doctors’ recommendations.
• Adjust daily hydration goals.

Read more: Lumen Partners With Garmin To Launch Connect IQ Allowing Users to Improve Performance and Health

Pregnancy tracking is activated from the Garmin Connect app on a compatible smartphone within the menstrual cycle tracking feature allowing women to easily transition from logging their cycle to tracking a current pregnancy. The feature is available for many of Garmin’s best-selling wearables, including the Venu, vívoactive, Forerunner and fēnix series through the Connect IQ store. Pregnancy tracking is also available on the vívomove series through the Women’s Health Tracking widget.

Fitness tracking platform Strava has raised $110 million in a Series F round led by TCV and Sequoia, and including participation by Dragoneer group, Madrone Capital Partners, Jackson Square Ventures and Go4it Capital. The company said it will use the money to propel the development of new features, and expand its reach to cover even more users.

Read more: Fitness Wearable Startup WHOOP Raises $100 Million Series E to Become Unicorn

“We’re excited to partner with TCV and Sequoia. Together we’re building for athletes,” said Strava co-founder and CEO, Michael Horvath. “Today that means making Strava indispensable to athletes everywhere. When we do that well, we connect athletes to what motivates them, fuel the growth of our community, and strengthen our business. The experiences of Michael Moritz at Sequoia and Neil Tolaney at TCV with companies at Strava’s stage and beyond will be invaluable as we strive to enable athletes worldwide to get the most out of their active lives.”

AliveCor, a maker of artificial intelligence-enabled personal ECG devices, announced it has raised $65 million in Series E funding round led by existing investors OMRON, Khosla Ventures, WP Global Partners, Qualcomm Ventures and Bold Capital Partners. AliveCor will use the capital to enhance the growth of the company’s remote-cardiology platform by adding telehealth, detection and condition-management services for providers and healthcare institutions. It is also entering into a partnership with OMRON, which will add hypertension management to its portfolio, reports MobiHealthNews.

"We are grateful for the continued confidence of our investors," said Priya Abani, CEO of AliveCor, in a statement. "This financing speaks to the transformative power our technology brings to the healthcare system. We remain positioned to fulfill our vision of delivering AI-based, remote cardiological services for the vast majority of cases when cardiac patients are not in front of their doctor."

Healthcare platform Solv closed $27 million Series B+ funding round led by Acrew Capital with participation from MultiCare Health System, Light Street Capital as well as previous investors Benchmark and Greylock Partners. The company will use the capital to rapidly expand its national network of convenient healthcare providers, enabling more access, cost transparency and empowering more Americans to manage everyday healthcare from their phones.

Read more: Biofourmis Raises $100 Million In Series C Funding To Accelerate Global Expansion

"We're seeing dramatic shifts in the way healthcare is being accessed today. Until recently, it's been a one size fits all experience where you must book an appointment weeks in advance, drive to the office, wait and only then see a doctor. COVID-19 has pulled the future forward. Healthcare has shifted to a digital-first experience, allowing Americans to engage with healthcare from their homes without disruption in their daily lives," said Heather Fernandez, CEO and co-founder of Solv. "Solv is leading the charge to make sure that innovative providers can offer a digital-first experience, and consumers get more access to what they need, when they need it, from their phones."

Pharmaceutical giant Bayer is initiating a new digital partnership effort in the fields of cardiometabolic and renal disease, oncology and women’s health. Bayer will support five new startup companies as part of the company’s G4A Digital Health Partnerships Program.

Read more: Klue Announces Partnership with Stanford and Crossover Health for Its Behavior Change Tracker

The participating digital healthcare companies were selected by Bayer from over 400 applications from over 65 countries based upon current and future strategic fit, development stage and assessment, reports Bayer.

“Building new digital business models is a key element of Bayer’s business strategy, with the ambition to actively shape the future of healthcare. We are proud to support startups who share our vision of integrated healthcare solutions that put the patient in focus, not the disease,” said Jeanne Kehren, Ph.D., Head of Digital & Commercial Innovation and Member of the Pharmaceuticals Executive Committee of Bayer AG.

Bayer’s G4A partnership program offers two digital health collaboration segments. Under its Growth Track, selected early-stage startups receive EUR 100.000 funding to accelerate market uptake, coaching by Bayer executives, and tailored business acceleration clinics. Through the Advance Track framework, digital health companies are aligning for larger commercial deals.

Selected Growth Track partners are:

• Caria: Caria combines data and AI to connect women in menopause with evidence-based treatments, personalized health insights, and a supportive digital community.
• Elly Health: Elly Health is a digital health startup helping people impacted by chronic conditions to live healthier and happier through smart audio companionship. Users gain access to unique and personalized content around disease education, meditation practices, exercise videos, symptom management, psychosocial support and patient stories to improve their health-seeking behaviors.

Read more: Digital Health Company Sharecare Acquires Behavior Change Platform MindSciences

Selected Advance Track partners are:

• Decipher Biosciences: Decipher Biosciences offers a portfolio of genomic tests, is building the GRID database of over 85,000 whole transcriptome profiles, and is partnering with pharmaceutical companies to identify biomarkers of response to novel therapeutics.
• Sweetch: Sweetch is a clinically validated disease management optimization platform that utilizes Artificial Intelligence to significantly affect people's disease management behaviors and clinical outcomes. Sweetch's Just-in-Time Adaptive Intervention (JITAI) proprietary technology converts millions of data points originating from an individual's smartphone and other connected devices into contextual, hyper-personalized, just-in-time, just-in-place recommendations.
• MyONCARE: The Myoncare Digital Health Platform is a MDR certified medical device that enables the orchestration of all health process workflows with the patient at center in only one app. Since the platform is indication agnostic it provides for a holistic overview of the patients’ wellbeing and a telemedical communication system for his/her individually created care team.

Wearables maker iRhythm Technologies on Monday released data suggesting its Zio patch increased the rate of atrial fibrillation (AFib) detection and reduced cardiac events, in results presented at the American Heart Association's annual scientific meeting.

Read more: Alphabet and iRhythm Partner Up to Develop Health Management Solutions for Atrial Fibrillation Patients

Atrial fibrillation (AF or AFib) is a quivering or irregular heartbeat, also known as an arrhythmia, which can lead to blood clots, stroke, heart failure, and other heart-related complications. Normally, your heart contracts and relaxes to a regular beat. In AF, the upper chambers of the heart (the atria) beat irregularly instead of beating effectively to move blood into the ventricles.

CDC estimates that 12.1 million people in the United States will have AFib in 2030. In 2018, 175,326 deaths occurred due to AFib. People of European descent are more likely to have AFib than African Americans.

The three-year-long mHealth Screening to Prevent Strokes (mSToPS) study evaluated the detection of silent, or previously undiagnosed, atrial fibrillation (AFib) in moderate-risk individuals using the FDA-cleared Zio by iRhythm ambulatory monitoring patch. This study is the first siteless, nationwide study of its kind and was led by researchers at the Scripps Research Translational Institute, in partnership with collaborators, Aetna and Janssen Pharmaceuticals, reports GlobeNewswire.

The study aimed to determine if participant-generated data available through a wearable ECG patch could improve the identification of AFib relative to routine care and to determine if screening for AFib by wearing Zio could improve clinical outcomes at three years after the initiation of screening.

At the end of three years after the initial onset of monitoring:

• AFib was newly diagnosed in 11.4% of those actively monitored with Zio versus only 7.7% of the control group (a statistically significant 48% improvement).
• The trial found the incidence rate of a cardiac event (stroke, myocardial infarction, systemic embolism, or death) was 8.4 per 100 person-years in people diagnosed with AF who underwent active monitoring, compared to the control group incidence rate of 13.8 per 100 person-years (a statistically significant improvement). This data demonstrates Zio’s detection of AFib in moderate-risk patients supported the prevention of serious cardiac events after diagnosis.
• Active monitoring with Zio also led to fewer hospitalizations for bleeding, the primary safety endpoint for the study (incidence rate of 0.32 per 100 person-years versus 0.71 per 100 person-years).
• Active monitoring also led to fewer total hospitalizations (12.9 versus 18.9 per 100 person-years).

Ultimately, the mSToPS study found that active screening for AF, as part of a prospective, pragmatic, direct-to-participant, and nationwide study, was associated with a significant improvement in clinical outcomes and safety at three years relative to routine care.

“Through clinical validation with studies like mSToPS, iRhythm demonstrates the importance of shifting to preventative and more proactive care to catch undiagnosed atrial fibrillation and improve the lives of millions of people,” said Kevin King, CEO of iRhythm. “Zio also helps decrease costs associated with increased healthcare utilization and more significant, potentially life-threatening clinical events. At iRhythm, we are helping to create a new standard of patient care.”

Read more: Apple Heart Study Shows Wearable Technology Can Help Detect Atrial Fibrillation

iRhythm is a leading digital health care company redefining the way cardiac arrhythmias are clinically diagnosed. The company combines wearable biosensor devices worn for up to 14 days and cloud-based data analytics with powerful proprietary algorithms that distill data from millions of heartbeats into clinically actionable information.

VivaLNK, a leading provider of connected healthcare solutions, announced the availability of the newest addition to its medical wearable platform, the Vitals Data Service. This turnkey service is designed for clinical trials and healthcare applications - in remote or clinical settings.

Read more: SPHCC Partners with Cassia and VivaLNK to Use Wearable Tech for Monitoring COVID-19 Patients

The Vitals Data Service includes VivaLNK's line of FDA-cleared ambulatory medical wearable sensors, a customizable remote patient monitoring app, cloud and data concierge services for consolidated data access in customizable data formats. It is designed for fast and easy continuous data capture in remote locations even in the event of intermittent network disconnections common in ambulatory situations. Data captured from patients are sent to a centralized cloud service that offers both on-demand and retrospective data access, says a press release.

Used in pharmaceutical clinical trials including hypertension and neurological drug development, the Vitals Data Service is designed to capture and deliver a continuous dataset from anywhere the patient is located. In addition, leading institutions are using the service for advanced research such as the 3,000-patient atrial fibrillation study at UCSF and a study on the effects of stress and teenage depression at Stanford University.

“The launch of the Vitals Data Service is an important step towards enabling the diverse and ever-growing need to bring life-changing healthcare applications to market,” said Jiang Li, CEO of VivaLNK. “The next generation of medical application and drug discovery is dependent on the ability to rapidly analyze continuous streams of data in order to understand a more complete picture of human physiology.”

Vitals Data Service also offers a convenient way to download data files from multiple sites for retrospective analysis, or directly integrate clinical applications for machine-to-machine processing on demand. The vitals data available with the service include ECG rhythm, heart rate, respiratory rate, oxygen saturation, and accelerometer.

Read more: Current Health Partners with VivaLNK and MIR to Improve Remote Patient Monitoring

VivaLNK’s portfolio includes medical wearable sensors and data services that continuously monitor physiological parameters. The company's vision is to improve the quality and accessibility of healthcare worldwide by combining technology, data, and analytics into an integrated solution.

Researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder have developed a circuit board that provides true flexibility and can be easily recycled. Described as “really wearable”, the device is inspired by, and sticks onto, human skin, the authors said.

Read more: Stretchable Sensor Provides Skin-Like Sensation to Robots, AR/VR

The team, led by Jianliang Xiao and Wei Zhang, reports its new electronic skin in a paper published in the journal Science Advances. The device can heal itself, much like real skin. It also reliably performs a range of sensory tasks, from measuring the body temperature of users to tracking their daily step counts.

The device is also reconfigurable, meaning that the device can be shaped to fit anywhere on the body, reports Daniel Strain in CU Boulder Today.

“If you want to wear this like a watch, you can put it around your wrist,” said Xiao, an associate professor in the Paul M. Rady Department of Mechanical Engineering at CU Boulder. “If you want to wear this like a necklace, you can put it on your neck.”

The researchers said that one day, such high-tech skin could allow people to collect accurate data about their bodies—all while cutting down on the world’s surging quantities of electronic waste.

“Smartwatches are functionally nice, but they’re always a big chunk of metal on a band,” said Zhang, a professor in the Department of Chemistry. “If we want a truly wearable device, ideally it will be a thin film that can comfortably fit onto your body.”

The researchers previously described their design for electronic skin in 2018. But their latest version of the technology makes a lot of improvements on the concept—for a start, it’s far more elastic, not to mention functional.

To manufacture their bouncy product, Xiao and his colleagues use screen printing to create a network of liquid metal wires. They then sandwich those circuits in between two thin films made out of a highly flexible and self-healing material called polyimine, the CU Boulder report said.

The resulting device is a little thicker than a Band-Aid and can be applied to skin with heat. It can also stretch by 60% in any direction without disrupting the electronics inside, the team reports.

“It’s really stretchy, which enables a lot of possibilities that weren’t an option before,” Xiao said.

Read more: Artificial Skin Could Enhance Sense of Touch and Provide Real-Time Haptic Feedback

Another advantage of this electronic skin is reusability. If thrown into a recycling solution, the polyimine will depolymerize, or separate into its component molecules, while the electronic components sink to the bottom. Both the electronics and the stretchy material can then be reused.

“Our solution to electronic waste is to start with how we make the device, not from the endpoint, or when it’s already been thrown away,” Xiao said. “We want a device that is easy to recycle."

One of the biggest challenges faced by companies in the medtech industry is to protect the trade secrets of wearable medical devices. Medical Wearables are the handheld monitoring tools primarily used in monitoring and identification of disease.

With the rise in prevalence of chronic diseases, patients are opting for home healthcare tools as an efficient and cost-effective of treatment, instead of hospital services. Many people are working from home as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Given the risk of coronavirus exposure, patients tend to prefer wearables and telehealth options over in-office visits. As the pandemic is making wearables more important than ever, more companies are now turning to trade secret law for protection.

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

The Medical Wearables Market size is projected to reach USD 19.5 billion by 2025 from USD 7.4 billion in 2020, at a CAGR of 21.4 % during the forecast period, according to the new market research report by MarketsandMarkets.

Medical wearables encompass technologies such as hardware, software, telemetry, sensors and diagnostic tools. While some of these technologies may be easy to protect by a patent, in some countries, it may be difficult to protect software and computer-implemented technologies. In the same way, protecting ways of treatment or diagnosis can be difficult in some countries, especially in the United States, reports Amanda Stark in ManagingIP.

Patents vs. Trade secrets

Patent protection encompasses a costly and lengthy process, but on the other hand trade secrets arise automatically. Trade secrets may be used to protect data, algorithms and processes provided they can be kept confidential. Trade secrets have an immediate effect and there’s no requirement to register them. The cost is also significantly lower compared to patents.

Copyright

Medical wearables and apps collect data and transfer them to healthcare professionals for evaluation. While the data per se aren’t protected by copyright, collection of it or the database itself may be protected under copyright.

Read more: How Secured is Blockchain for Healthcare Data Security?

Design rights

Design rights allow the protection of a product’s shape or appearance but not its function. As the appearance of the wearable device is often a key factor in its demand, design rights should be clearly explained in the IP portfolio of the company.

There are time limits in patent protection but trade secrets protection is not limited in time. Trade secrets may be protected forever, helping a digital health firm to keep ahead of the competition.

Medtronic has launched InPen, an FDA- cleared smart insulin pen for people on multiple daily injections (MDI). The smart insulin pen will link with the Medtech giant’s Guardian Connect continuous glucose monitoring system, to help track insulin doses alongside real-time blood sugar readings through a single smartphone app provided by Medtronic.

Related: Medtronic Buys Smart Insulin Pen Company Companion Medical

The integration of real-time CGM data into the smart insulin pen app is a result of the addition of Companion Medical's InPen to the Medtronic portfolio, as of September 2020. The acquisition enables Medtronic to serve more people — regardless of how they prefer their insulin to be delivered — and offers a unique and expansive ecosystem of support across their diabetes journey, reports Medtronic.

“We're strongly committed to delivering solutions that make life easier for people living with diabetes. We're pleased to build on the success of InPen with added real-time glucose data which provides a complete picture for users as they look to give themselves the right dose of insulin at the right time," said Sean Salmon, executive vice president and president of the Diabetes Business at Medtronic. "Our successful integration of these devices in just two months following the close of our Companion Medical acquisition is a testament to the close collaboration of our employees and a strong passion to serve our customers with better solutions to manage their diabetes.”

The InPen app will continue to display information from other currently compatible CGM systems on a three-hour delay.

Medtronic is working together with the global community to change the way people manage diabetes. The company aims to transform diabetes care by expanding access, integrating care and improving outcomes, so people living with diabetes can enjoy greater freedom and better health.

Related: Medtronic Wins FDA Clearance And CE Approval For LINQ II Insertable Cardiac Monitor

Headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, Medtronic is among the world's largest medical technology, services and solutions companies – alleviating pain, restoring health and extending life for millions of people around the world. Medtronic employs more than 90,000 people worldwide, serving physicians, hospitals and patients in more than 150 countries. The company is focused on collaborating with stakeholders around the world to take healthcare further.

The combination of artificial intelligence (AI) and IoT with 5G wireless networks is opening new horizons on the planet, and even in outer space.

Read more: How 5G Will Make Wearables More Advanced and Futuristic

AI and 5G are two of the most disruptive technologies we’ve seen in decades. While each is individually transforming various industries, their combined power will truly revolutionize everything.

“5G will cause a proliferation in sensors all around us, and each one of those sensors is a new input available to create better models,” Jake Moskowitz, Head of the Emodo Institute at Ericsson Emodo told Forbes. “Many of these 5G sensors will directly enable vast data aggregation for remote monitoring and immediate reaction. In some cases, there will be opportunities to use those sensors as AI inputs. In other cases, there will be new AI efforts that require the distribution of new sensors.”

When compared with 4G, 5G technology provides very high data rates (several gigabits per second) and low rates of latency. 5G technology is designed to enhance connection between devices and speed up wireless applications. This technology will revolutionize wireless infrastructure for the service providers.

Applying artificial intelligence to 5G network will lead to more efficient wireless communications, longer battery life, and enhanced user experiences.

AI will be present in other aspects of 5G as well. While AI already is playing an important role in our daily interactions with our cell phones, it will bring major changes in how we use voice assistants such as Alexa, Siri, and Google Assistant.

Using 5G, industries including manufacturing, logistics and supply chain, construction, and warehousing that manufacture and do their business globally may be able to compete with countries that offer lower-paid labor rates, suggests Rui Inacio, head of consultancy and solutions at Vilicom, an IT services management firm, in an interview in Silicon. “This means that developed countries affected by the offshoring advent of the 1990s and 2000s can retain a competitive position,” he said.

Read more: FDA is Backing the Use of Artificial Intelligence in Telemedicine

There are numerous candidates for 5G applications and it is hard to predict how it’ll impact industries. As we’ve seen before, the applications that are expected to make a huge change at an early stage aren’t always successful.

Since its release, the AirPods have been maintaining its status as premium wireless earbuds, But now Samsung wants to beat Apple with its Galaxy Buds Live. Since the two tech giants are no strangers to fierce rivalry, let’s find out who becomes the winner when it comes to earbuds.

Read more: Samsung Launches First All-In-One PMIC for Wireless Earbuds

Price

Apple’s devices are always a bit pricier than its competitors’ and the same goes for its AirPods.

Design and Comfort

Galaxy Buds Live are without a doubt more comfortable and better-looking than AirPods. Their bean-like design really complements your ear, but AirPods Pro, with their stems, are easier to take in and out of your ears, and their rubber tips allow them to fit in most people’s ears easily.

Noise Cancelling

Both of AirPods and Galaxy Buds Live sound good. But the Galaxy Buds Live have a much more dynamic sound profile when left on default settings. The AirPods Pro on the other hand, sound more neutral, with less bass, reports CNet.

Voice Assistants (Both have same features)

You can give enjoy a hands-free experience with Siri when you’re using an iPhone. Also, when using Galaxy Buds Live, you can summon Samsung's smart assistant Bixby while you’re using a Samsung phone. These voice assistants can give you the news on the weather, play music, or send messages to a friend, entirely hands-free. The voice assistants can also be triggered via a touch gesture on both the AirPods Pro and Buds Live.

Read more: Halo Launches Wireless, USB Battery Charging Solution for True Wireless Stereo Earbuds

Comparing Price and Other Features‍

AirPods Pro:     

Price: $249

Colors: White

Weight: .19 ounces

Battery life: 4.5 hours (24 hrs. with charging case)

Water resistance: IPX4 water and sweat resistance

Other features: Adaptive EQ, Customizable fit, Audio sharing, Wireless charging, Spatial audio‍

Galaxy Buds Live:        

Price: $169

Colors: White, Black, Bronze

Weight: .19 ounces

Battery life: 6 hours (ANC on), 21 hours with charging case

Water resistance: IPX2 water and sweat resistance

Other features: EQ, Spotify integration, Game mode, Music share, Wireless charging

Researchers at Cornell University have created fiber-optic sensor that can detect sensations like pressure, strain, and bending, much like human skin. The sensor that combines low-cost LEDs and dyes, could give soft robotic systems – and anyone using augmented reality technology – the ability to feel the same rich, tactile sensations that mammals depend on to navigate the natural world.

Read more: Artificial Skin Could Enhance Sense of Touch and Provide Real-Time Haptic Feedback

The researchers published their findings in the journal Science. The research team was led by Rob Shepherd, associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering in the College of Engineering. The paper’s co-lead authors are doctoral student Hedan Bai ’16 and Shuo Li, Ph.D. ’20.

The project builds upon an earlier stretchable sensor, developed in 2016 in Shepherd’s Organic Robotics Lab. To create that sensor, researchers sent light through an optical waveguide, and a photodiode detected changes in the beam’s intensity to determine when the material was deformed, reports David Nutt in Cornell University.

For the new project, Bai drew inspiration from silica-based distributed fiber-optic sensors, which detect minor wavelength shifts as a way to identify multiple properties, such as changes in humidity, temperature and strain. However, silica fibers aren’t compatible with soft and stretchable electronics. Intelligent soft systems also present their own structural challenges.

“We know that soft matters can be deformed in a very complicated, combinational way, and there are a lot of deformations happening at the same time,” Bai said. “We wanted a sensor that could decouple these.”

Bai’s solution was to make a stretchable lightguide for multimodal sensing (SLIMS). This long tube contains a pair of polyurethane elastomeric cores. One core is transparent; the other is filled with absorbing dyes at multiple locations and connects to an LED. Each core is coupled with a red-green-blue sensor chip to register geometric changes in the optical path of light.

The dual-core design increases the number of outputs by which the sensor can detect a range of deformations – pressure, bending or elongation – by lighting up the dyes, which act as spatial encoders. Bai paired that technology with a mathematical model that can decouple, or separate, the different deformations and pinpoint their exact locations and magnitudes.

The new SLIMS sensors are simpler to make and can be easily integrated into systems, like incorporating into a robot’s hand to detect slippage.

Using this wearable technology, the researchers designed a 3D-printed glove with sensors running along each finger. The glove is powered by a lithium battery and equipped with Bluetooth so it can transmit data to basic software, which Bai designed, that reconstructs the glove’s movements and deformations in real-time, the Cornell report said.

Read more: H&M and Boltware Partnership Develops A Jeans Jacket That Mimics Touch

“Right now, sensing is done mostly by vision,” Shepherd said. “We hardly ever measure touch in real life. This skin is a way to allow ourselves and machines to measure tactile interactions in a way that we now currently use the cameras in our phones. It’s using vision to measure touch. This is the most convenient and practical way to do it in a scalable way.”

The researchers are now looking into the ways SLIMS sensors can boost virtual and augmented reality experiences.

The U.S. military’s coronavirus response includes protection help for service members and families, along with resources and many announced cancellations. Now AFWERX, the innovation-pushing startup of the US Air Force, is planning to buy around 10,000 wearable devices that can pinpoint and tip-off personnel of potential COVID-19 infections early on.

Read more: U.S. Military’s AI-Powered Wearable Can Detect COVID-19 Two Days Before You Get Sick

While the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19 continues to ravage the globe – and some regions are seeing spikes in cases – AFWERX, in collaboration with the Office of the Joint Surgeon General, wants to put the coronavirus-tracking apparatuses to use, reports Brandi Vincent in Nextgov.

This is not the first time the Air Force considered utilizing wearables to monitor its employees’ health, in July, the organization revealed intentions to purchase a wrist-worn gadget that captures data about wearers’ health.

“The government is seeking commercially available wearable technologies that can provide insight into biometric data (ex: heart rate fluctuation, O2 levels, etc.) that can identify a potential COVID-19 infection early and alert the user through its user dashboard with warnings,” said a request for information published late Tuesday.

According to the RFI, “the work will be done in support of the Pandemic Case Management Suite, which it deems an operational requirement meant to boost the Air Force’s moves to combat the pandemic and inform and enhance key leaders’ choices around unit readiness.”

Devices to be potentially purchased through this latest solicitation should not trace wearers’ locations, or collect or store personally identifiable information, the RFI notes, as published in Nextgov.

Read more: US Army Is Testing AR Goggles for Dogs To Give Remote Commands

AFWERX is the Air Force's team of innovators who encourage and facilitate connections across industry, academia, and the military to create transformative opportunities and foster a culture of innovation. Our mission is to solve problems and enhance the effectiveness of the service by enabling thoughtful, deliberate, ground-up innovation.

Researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and MIT have developed a new reusable respirator that could serve as an alternative to an N95 respirator. The transparent, elastomeric, adaptable, long-lasting (TEAL) respirator has embedded sensors which inform the user if the respirator is on properly and whether the filters are becoming saturated. The TEAL respirator can be sterilized repeatedly, helping to reduce waste and avoid respirator shortages.

Related: Huami’s Amazfit Aeri Mask Self-Disinfects and Unlocks Your Phone With Face ID

The team tested the respirator at the Brigham and at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), and reports a 100% success rate for fit testing among 40 participants, with feedback demonstrating exceptional fit, breathability and filter exchange. Results are published in ACS Pharmacology & Translational Science.

“During the COVID-19 pandemic, the need for respirators and masks has been urgent. Our team has worked to develop a respirator platform that not only fits comfortably and snugly but can also be sterilized and re-sterilized,” said corresponding author Giovanni Traverso, MB, BChir, PhD, a gastroenterologist and biomedical engineer in the Division of Gastroenterology at the Brigham and assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at MIT. “In this study, we looked at up to 100 re-sterilization cycles and found that the TEAL respirator we've designed can withstand that.”

The team evaluated 7 different methods for repeatedly sterilizing the TEAL respirator, including 100 cycles of autoclaving, 100 cycles of microwaving, prolonged exposure to UV treatment, high heat (200 °C), 100 percent isopropyl alcohol, and bleach. The researchers found minimal change to the respirator's elasticity after repeated sterilization, according to a news release.

The TEAL respirator is comprised of a transparent, stretchy shell that can be sterilized and filters that can be replaced by the user. The team found that all participants could successfully replace their filters and most participants (90 percent) reported an excellent or good fit for the respirator.

"TEAL is the first elastomeric respirator designed for use in a surgical setting, preserving the sterile field and providing the user a comfortable, reusable personal protective equipment solution," said co-author Adam Wentworth, MS, a senior research engineer in the Brigham's Division of Gastroenterology and the Traverso lab.

Related: Face Masks Made Of Electroceutical Fabric Kills Coronavirus On Contact

The respirator's sensors can help detect respiratory rate, exhalation temperature, and exhalation and inhalation pressures. The team also added a thermochromic coating to the respirator -- a coating that changes color from black to pink when the respirator is in direct contact with a person's face and therefore has a snug fit.

The researchers filed multiple patents surrounding the respirator and sensors. In addition, Wentworth, Byrne and Traverso have a financial interest in TEAL Bio, a biotechnology company focused on developing the next generation of personal protective equipment.

Nanowear, a leading connected-care and remote diagnostic platform, announced it has received FDA Class II 510(k) clearance for a first-of-its-kind cloth-based diagnostic platform, SimpleSENSE. SimpleSENSE is a multi-parameter remote diagnostic undergarment and machine learning digital platform, which simultaneously and synchronously monitors and assesses the heart, lungs, and upper vascular system.

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

Gender-neutral and size adjustable, the SimpleSENSE platform effectively replaces the digital stethoscope, multi-channel Holter monitor, Capnogram respiration machine, and blood pressure cuff by providing a diagnostic quality monitoring system that remotely captures more than 100 million data points per patient per day across cardiac, pulmonary, and circulatory biomarkers. With the increased need for telemedicine and remote diagnostic monitoring, SimpleSENSE provides a digital tool to assess medical data and trends between these biomarkers in a way that has not been previously available, empowering clinicians to treat patients earlier and more effectively, Nanowear said in a press release.

“SimpleSENSE marks the company's second FDA 510(k) clearance and follows Nanowear's strategy of continued data-driven differentiation in the connected-care and remote diagnostic market,” said Venk Varadan, co-founder and CEO of Nanowear. “In the face of the unexpected and unprecedented COVID-19 public health emergency, Nanowear began working collaboratively with FDA to evaluate a broadened indication for use for SimpleSENSE. Our platform can now efficiently serve the new need for remote diagnostics across primary care, acute illness and procedure, and chronic disease cases.”

In addition to near-term commercialization of SimpleSENSE with select channel partners, Nanowear plans to continue its SimpleSENSE clinical trials in diagnosing worsening Heart Failure and COVID-19, maintaining a robust product and clinical R&D pipeline.

“Nanowear is transforming the virtual care continuum as physicians and hospitals can now safely monitor patients' multiple biomarkers and assess the associated medical trends indicative of clinical deterioration,” said Spero Theodorou MD, Chief Medical Officer of InMode. “The pandemic is transforming the way healthcare services are accessed and delivered today and for years to come. We are excited about the role that Nanowear will play in the field of remote diagnostics and how it will provide patients around the world access to better outcomes and improved quality of life, regardless of whether they are being cared for in the clinic or in the comfort of their homes.”

Read more: PhysIQ Partners with DoD and Henry M. Jackson Foundation To Use Continuous Remote Monitoring For COVID-19 Study

Nanowear is a leading developer of patented, cloth-based nanosensor technology with applications in the cardiac, neurological, industrial safety/government and sports medicine/performance diagnostics monitoring markets. The company's proprietary technology enables continuous and synchronous electrophysiological, hemodynamic, acoustic, metabolic and activity monitoring that empowers medical professionals with accurate diagnostic data through a cost-effective and gender-neutral, size adjustable undergarment.

Italian IT and communications firm Partitalia is known for producing smart cards, RFID (radio frequency identification) tags and other forms of ID tags, but earlier this year it started making wearable devices that track social distancing in response to Covid-19.

Read more: Coolpad Partners With M2MD To Develop Innovative Social Distancing and Contact Tracing Solutions For Workplace

The “Close-to-me” wearable device is small and unobtrusive, designed to be worn around the wrist or the neck all day long without becoming uncomfortable, reports Healthcare.

When worn by two or more people present in the same room, it monitors "social distancing" based on a variable distance that can be set according to directives and regulations.

This is how "Close-to-me" works:

Using radiofrequency technology, it creates a non-invasive, low-frequency radio bubble around the person.

A sound and vibration warn wearers when the set distance is not respected.

Moreover, through simple adaptations, the device can be used to control accesses, detect presences and pay the company canteen.

Alfredo Salvatore, CEO of Sensor ID, an engineering company that designed the technology for Partitalia, describes the new product which is already in demand in view of the imminent re-opening of businesses: "Close-to-me can be personalized and purchased either as a wristband or key-ring: it is non-invasive, designed above all to simplify procedures involved in re-opening businesses and can be implemented easily and rapidly."

S.I.BE.G. srl, one of Coca Cola’s bottling companies, purchased 550 of the devices to track social distancing between employees at its plants in Catania, Sicily, and Tirana, capital of Albania.

Read more: How Technology Is Helping Employers Reopen Their Businesses After COVID-19 Lockdown

“In March, at the peak of the Covid-19 emergency, the company set up a task force to define and implement appropriate safety measures, including the indispensable adoption of a system that would help us observe social distancing rules” explains Gaetano Russo, S.I.BE.G. srl Procurement Manager.

“We needed a simple but effective device, something that would remind employees and everyone present in the plant to keep a distance of one and a half to two meters from each other. We needed something that was light to wear, an acoustically non-invasive device, but that performed this function.

The term "shin splints" refers to pain along the shin bone, also known as the tibia. It is the large bone in the front of your lower leg. Shin splints are common in runners, dancers, and military recruits. The strained tissue usually heals after two weeks of rest, but if exacerbated, shin splints can result in more serious stress fractures.

Read more: Vanderbilt Researchers Develop Next-Gen Wearable Sensor Algorithms To Prevent Injury in Athletes

Nurvv, a London-based wearable device maker, launched smart insoles that will help runners understand their gait and run injury-free. While there are similar products in the market, Nurvv Run is a little different. The device uses 32 high-precision sensors fitted inside lightweight insoles to accurately capture data from the feet at 1,000 times per second, per sensor. In February, the company raised $9 Million Venture Round Led by Hiro Capital.

Features include:

• 16 high-precision sensors for each foot capture data at the point of action
• Multi-sensor trackers record your run with world-leading accuracy
• Real-time monitoring generates metrics with live audio and visual cues
• Running Health helps you to manage and improve injury risk
• Daily Run recommendation to maintain your optimal fitness
• Lightweight trackers (22g each) with IP67 rating, giving full protection against dust, mud, sweat and water
• Long-lasting innersoles built to last over the duration of 3 pairs of running shoes
• Soft, light and breathable. Designed to fit comfortably in any running shoe and with any custom insole
• Supports four ways to run: Garmin, Apple Watch, phone or in standalone mode with NURVV Run only
• Connects to Bluetooth Heart Rate monitor to provide live HR zone cues during your run and a comprehensive report on your heart rate after
• 5+ hours of operation on a single charge

Over the past three years, Nurvv Run has been tested by hundreds of athletes, universities and leading institutions including SATRA Technology and the National Physical Laboratory.

Read more: Runners At This Year’s London Marathon Will Wear Social Distancing Wearables

The captured data, which includes unique running metrics such as cadence, step length, footstrike, pronation and balance, is fed into the NURVV Run coaching app to show a complete picture of the wearer’s running technique. It uses advanced biomechanics to deliver simple, actionable insights as well as personalized coaching that gives guidance on how to improve before, during and after each run.

Researchers at Penn State have developed a highly sensitive flexible gas sensor that can be implanted in the body — and, after it’s no longer needed, safely biodegrade into materials that are absorbed by the body.

Read more: Penn State Engineers Print Sensors Directly On Human Skin Without Using Heat

The team reported their findings in NPG Asia Materials.

Monitoring various forms of nitric oxide (NO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) gas is important because these gases can significantly impact human health. However, exposure to NO2 from the environment is linked to the progression of conditions such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, reports Matt Swayne in Penn State News. The conventional method uses devices outside of the body to monitor gas levels, but they aren’t as accurate and the patients have to go through another surgery to remove these implantable devices.

All the components in the new sensor are biodegradable in water or in bodily fluids, but remain functional enough to capture the information on the gas levels. The researchers made the device’s conductors out of magnesium, and for the functional materials, they used silicon, which is also highly sensitive to nitric oxide. The body can safely absorb all of the materials used in the device.

“Silicon is unique — it’s the building block for modern electronics and people consider it to be super-stable,” said Huanyu “Larry” Cheng, Dorothy Quiggle Career Development Professor in the Department of Engineering Science and Mechanics and an affiliate of the Institute for Computational and Data Sciences. “Silicon has been shown to be biodegradable, as well. It can dissolve in a really slow manner, at about one to two nanometers a day, depending on the environment.”

The researchers tested their sensor in humid conditions and aqueous solutions to see if it could stably perform in the harsh conditions of the body.

The team used computational resources of ICDS’s Roar supercomputer to create the computer simulations that can calculate extremely small changes caused by slight changes of shape, or deformations, of the material.

“We base the measurement on resistance, which can change based on the gas absorption, but it can also be changed due to the deformation,” said Cheng. “So, if we deform the sensor on the skin surface, that will cause a large force and a large change in resistance and we would have no idea whether the gas’ performance is from the deformation or the exposed environment.”

Read more: This Wearable Gas Sensor is Meant for Monitoring Health and Environment

In the future, the team plans to design integrated systems that could monitor other bodily functions for healthy aging and various disease applications.