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

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

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

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

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

Related How Big Tech Companies Are Disrupting the Digital Health Market

Helsinki Business Hub CEO Marja-Liisa Niinikoski said:

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

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

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

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

Apple Watch

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

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

CarePredict Tempo

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

GoLiveClip

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

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

BodyGuardian Heart

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Related Shimmer Launches Verisense™ Wearable Sensor Platform for Clinical Trials

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Related Wearables with IoT Connected Sensors Helping to Improve Worker Safety

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

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

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

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

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

Related DAQRI Announces AWS Industrial Software Competency Achievement

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

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

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

Many students, especially younger ones, struggle to stay focused in the classroom. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) affects children and teens and can continue into adulthood. Lack of focus in the classroom means the student will have a hard time learning new things and at the same time it puts pressure on the teacher as well as the parents. Revibe Technologies, a NY-based startup wants to solve this issue with its wearable called Revibe Connect.

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

Revibe Connect is a Fitbit-like wristband that vibrates to help the wearer stay focused. The founder of Revibe Tech is Rich Brancaccio, a former school psychologist. Brancaccio says that he saw students struggle to stay focused in the classroom; and worked with helpless parents that wanted to find a new way to approach the issue, reports Hypepotamus.

Brancaccio created an algorithm that would send vibration signals through the device to spark metacognitive awareness and snap the student out of a distracted state.

When the student needs to stay focused, the device makes whisper-quiet vibrations without attracting the attention of nearby peers. The battery lasts for 7 days.

“The more they wear it, the wearable starts figuring out when they’re in a certain class and how it should prompt them,” says Brancaccio.

Revibe collects six core metrics including overall focus, on-task score, activity, and fidgeting (tapping a pencil, moving the feet, etc.).

The dashboard displays the daily metrics, which can be seen by teachers, parents and students throughout the day. Based on that data, parents and teachers can provide recommendations on how to change the child’s activity to make them focus.

For example, research shows that a five-minute walk can help some students improve their focus, according to Brancaccio.

“Teachers and administrators would use our data to say, it looks like during language arts, for instance, this child really struggles. They can then send them on a short walk to refocus them,” Brancaccio says.

Related Wearable Device Can Identify Anxiety and Depression in Children

The main unit is made from food grade plastic and contains no BPA/BPS, lead, or orphthalates. The wristband is made from ultra-strong nylon, and lined with soft, organic cotton.

The wearable has been used in over 2,000 schools, according to Revibe Tech.

Revibe is priced at $104.95, and can be bought through the company’s website.

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

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

The continuing trend of wireless earbuds has brought us yet another set of earbuds that are not only wireless but waterproof, robust and dustproof. Above all they sound great!

xFyro xS2 earbuds are in-ear headphones, ergonomically designed for comfortable and secure fit without any wires, even with hours of usage, making it ideal for workout.

Related Sennheiser Introduces Momentum, Its First Truly Wireless Earbuds With a High Price Tag

The earbuds and the case are dustproof and can withstand up to half an hour submerged in up to 1 m (3.3 ft) of water.

Bluetooth v4.1 technology provides solid connection at up to 30 feet. Minor problems such as skipping and dropouts may occur if you put your phone in your pocket or cover them with your hand, reports New Atlas.

Built-in microphone allows you to make hands-free calls. They also feature auto-redial, auto pairing, play/pause, high speed charging case, and magnetic technology to seamlessly connect earbuds to case.

The battery gives you 3-4 hours of talk time and music playback on one charge – sleek charging case enables 2 additional charges (12 hours of music playback per earbud) with Quick Charge technology that replenishes 2 hours of battery life in 30 minutes, and 100% of battery life in one hour.

Pairing is simple. Just hold the power button one earbud for 4 seconds. At this time, you’ll notice the LED blinking intermittently between red and blue. This means that the earbud is now in “pair” mode.

To pair the second earbud, simply hold down the power button (home key) on the other earbud for 2 seconds and it’ll automatically pair with the first earbud you connected with your device. Remember though, if you long-press the second earbud for 4 seconds, it won’t pair with the first earbud, and instead it’ll try to establish a whole-new connection.

Once the second earbud is paired, it may blink between red/blue for a couple seconds. But, after that both earbuds should flash blue simultaneously (once every 4 seconds). This indicates that both earbuds are properly paired and you’re ready for listening.

Related LG’s New Wireless Tone Series Earbuds Have Dedicated Google Assistant Button

As for sound, the xFyro xS2 delivers clear and consistent tone with rich, high quality sound. Tech Guru at Nerd Techy tried on the earbuds and he writes: “The equalization between bass and sound clarity seemed to be right in a sweet spot. The bass was rich and vibrant but never seemed to overshadow the lyrics or minuscule effects of each individual song.”

The xFyro xS2 are priced at US $250, but they are now available for 50% discount at $125. Get an additional 10% OFF by using the code WT10 here.

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

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

Approximately 65 million people worldwide are affected by epilepsy. This complex disease has one commonality: seizures. Medical decision to change any prescribed drug is based on the number of seizures. Inaccurate seizure reporting causes challenges in diagnosing and treating people with epilepsy.

Related Nightwatch – Wearable Night Time Seizure Detection Device Developed by Dutch Scientists

European organization EIT Health partnered with several other European companies and Universities to deliver a clinically accurate seizure detection system called SeizeIT2.

This discrete wearable device monitors several biosignals to allow a more precise quantitative analysis of seizure activity, so that people with epilepsy can receive treatment optimized for their specific condition, reports EIT Health.

The first prototype of this wearable allows comfortable and unobtrusive seizure monitoring outside of a hospital setting.

Accuracy level of SeizeIT2 is 70-90%, compared to the typical accuracy level of less than 50% in a seizure diary, and the device offers an improved patient experience.

The big advantages of SeizeIT2 is that it is discrete, unobtrusive and multimodal, which can measure several clinical biosignals, such as brain activity, circulation, respiration and other parameters. Another advantage of the device is its ability to monitor seizures around the clock.

Researchers tested the device on more than 70 people with temporal lobe epilepsy, a condition that affects around 20 million people globally, and eight patients with absence epilepsy.

In the next steps, the device will undergo multi-center clinical validation of at least 500 patients, medical certification and initiation of scalable production.

Related FDA Approves Seizure-Detecting Smartband Embrace 2 for Use by Children

The objectives of the EIT Health Focus Area of “Bringing Care Home” was met by SeizeIT2 by using a wearable device for 24-hour monitoring. By improving the accuracy of seizure monitoring, SeizeIT2 also promises improved, personalized care, in keeping with the Focus Area of “Care Pathways”.

External partners in this project are: BYTEFLIES NV, Epione bvba, Pilipili, University Hospital Freiburg, German and King’s College London.

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

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

A slower walking pace or more variable stride may indicate cognitive decline, according to several studies presented at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference. Now researchers from all over Europe have partnered up with the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA) to develop sensor technology that assesses the loss in mobility.

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

Funded with €50 million from the European Innovative Medicines Initiative 2 Joint Undertaking, the project, dubbed MOBILISE-D, will be led by Newcastle University with support from Novartis, reports MobiHealthNews.

The researchers explained that gait is an indicator of several health risks including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), congestive heart failure, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, hip fracture recovery and proximal femoral fracture.

Focused on the elderly population in Europe, the goal of the wearable technology is to help with clinical trials and clinical management.

“Digital technology, including sensors worn on the body, have the potential to transform how we assess mobility and identify life-changing conditions,” said coordinator of the research Lynn Rochester, professor of Human Movement Science at Newcastle University. “This will enable medical teams to intervene earlier and offer treatment to extend healthy life.”

The researchers said that part of their goal is to get help from the technology to research ways to predict, detect and measure mobility loss.

“A key immediate impact will be on the design of clinical trials for novel treatment development, supporting better patient inclusion & stratification, more sensitive clinical outcomes, a potential correlation of real-world patient reported outcome for evidence-based healthcare,” said Ronenn Roubenoff, Global Translational Medicine Head, Musculoskeletal Disease at Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research.

Related Wearables to Help the Elderly Stay Healthy and Safe at Home or Outside

Recently Alphabet’s life science subsidiary Verily developed a wearable called the Verily Study Watch that recently received FDA clearance and Johnson and Johnson signed a deal with Apple to leverage the Apple Watch for a major study.

Founded in 2008, the European Innovative Medicines Initiative is a public-private partnership between the European Union and the pharmaceutical industry, with an overall budget of €5.3 billion from 2008 until 2024.

FC Barcelona and global insurance company Allianz SE will jointly develop innovative projects which will impact on the health and wellbeing of athletes and in turn the wider society. The study is the first project in a series of efforts between the club and longtime partner Allianz SE. It will analyze the association between sleep quality and athletic performance.

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

The project is a partnership between FC Barcelona, Allianz SE, Hexoskin, a Canadian startup that develops smart clothes and Adsalutem Institute, a Catalan entity specialized in sleep medicine. The research will document sleep habits and experience of FC Barcelona athletes through personalized studies and records – with the objective to measure the possible impact sleep has on their performance and health. The six-month long study will collect qualitative sleep data of 600 young athletes from different sections of the Club. Also, an individualized intense study will be conducted on 50 of these athletes, reports FC Barcelona.

The Importance of Sleep

The basis of the project is the fact that sleep is essential for health and wellbeing, and has an important impact on healthy physical development, emotional regulation, cognitive performance and quality of life. Additionally, studies have shown that sleep is key to athletic performance. Existing scientific evidence indicates that sleep is an important factor that must be considered in the sports industry. Adsalutem Institute’s work thesis, is based on the conviction that improving sleep will improve the overall wellbeing of athletes and their performance on the pitch.

Hexoskin

Hexoskin manufactures smart clothes that collect data while the wearer is asleep. The garment can continuously monitor breathing, heart rate and movement through built-in sensors, with a small device incorporated into the shirt. Hexoskin is the only smart shirt in the market that is clinically validated for collecting this type of data. The participating athletes will wear the smart shirt for two to three nights. The study will also help Hexoskin to enhance its smart clothes.

Read more Huami Fitness Tracker Provides Clinical-Grade Accuracy, Says Stanford Sleep Study

“For Barça Innovation Hub it is a great step forward to launch this project with Allianz Group, a world-renowned strategic partner which is a perfect fit for us. Sleep and good rest are essential to guarantee the well-being and good performance of our athletes,” said FC Barcelona President Josep Maria Bartomeu.

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

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

ProGlove, a Munich-based industrial wearable company and former speaker and exhibitor of the WT | Wearable Technologies Conference and past winner of the IOT/WT Innovation World Cup, unveiled its MARK 2 wearable glove to a U.S. audience at this year’s 2019 ProMat in Chicago this April.

Mark 2 is a state-of-the-art handsfree barcode scanner. Unlike its predecessor, MARK 2 can be connected to other devices such as tablets, smartwatches or wearable terminals via Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE). Additionally, the module offers an extended scan range of up to 5 feet and includes a battery that holds up to a 15-hour charge. This makes it an ideal choice for picking, palletizing or working at packing stations. Because of the adjustable feedback options including acoustic signals, vibration and LEDs on the back of the hand – users no longer have to constantly check process steps on a control monitor.

Related How Wearable Technology Could Revolutionize Manufacturing Industry

Barcode scanning plays an important role in many industries. Workers use scanning technology to confirm work orders or process documents. However, traditional mobile scanners are heavy, clunky and are often lost or quickly damaged. The smart wearables from ProGlove address these problems and ensure greater efficiency, ergonomics, quality and process reliability, says a press release.

“Our product connects the worker to the IIoT and is enabling industrial workers and management teams around the world to close the digital chain,” said ProGlove CEO Andreas König. “We have just started to scratch the surface on the capabilities of this technology and the companies it can positively impact. Above all, we’re putting humans at the center of our technology and strengthening their role in an era of increased automation.”

Related Wearable SOS Button to Reduce Lone Worker Hazards

Charlie Grieco, Vice President of Sales at ProGlove and the person in charge of overseeing the company’s North American sales activities, said:

“ProGlove is an American story made in Germany. It began with the Intel Make It Wearable Challenge, and I think we can add many American chapters to that plot because ProGlove’s technology is all about hyper-efficiency, unparalleled quality, and the connected human worker. These will be the precise ingredients North American businesses need to gain and maintain a competitive edge in the Industry 4.0 era.”

Silicon Valley-based Gore Innovation Center signed a joint development agreement with New York City-based graphene sensor startup Bonbouton in 2018 to explore material solutions in advanced sensor technology and enable practical smart fabrics for assistive apparel and digital health applications. Gore and Bonbouton are both good partners of WT and contributors of the international WT | Wearable Technologies Conference Series. Congrats to this valuable partnership!

Bonbouton designs inkjet-printed, low-cost graphene wearable sensors for constant and wireless health monitoring. With technology licensed from the Stevens Institute of Technology, Bonbouton has emerged as an industry leader in microsensor technology, developing mechanically flexible and molecularly thin sensors for monitoring skin temperature with graphene oxide (GO), reports Gore.

The initial phase of the Gore-Bonbouton agreement will focus on collaborative research in the area of temperature sensing materials. This explorative process will lay a foundation for future applications of sensor technology and conductive inks in digital health, chronic care management and smart fabrics.

“Bonbouton is an ideal partner. Its technology shows enormous potential for expanding Gore materials into digital health applications and other markets,” said Paul Campbell, co-leader, Gore Innovation Center. “Bonbouton is widely and well regarded for its potential in graphene as a sensing modality. We look forward to collaborating with them both from a research and business standpoint.”

Gore is in a continued mission to help digital health startups by providing them withdeep expertise, co-working space and access to versatile materials. The Gore Innovation Center offers a prototyping facility where startups, researchers, customers and corporations can collaborate and innovate.

Read more W. L. Gore & Associates: A Company that Can Contribute Greatly to the Wearable Industry

“Our work with Gore, and specifically the Innovation Center, is an exciting development. Its materials and expertise are what will allow us to improve on existing technology and take development to the next level,” added Linh Le, CEO and founder, Bonbouton. “Gore is known for a science-backed approach to comfort and wearability. Coupled with its collaborative resources and exploratory mindset, this makes Gore a model partner.”

A team of researchers at Dartmouth College have developed a low-cost motion-sensing fabric that athletes and physical therapy patients can wear on their arm to optimize performance, reduce injury and accelerate recovery.

Related New Technology Used by NFL Athletes Gives Teams and Trainers Edge in Injury Assessment

The flexible fabric, which monitors joint rotation, is lightweight, washable and comfortable, making it ideal for participants of all levels of sport or patients recuperating from injuries, reports Dartmouth.

Accurate monitoring of joint movement is critical for performance coaching and physical therapy. For athletes where arm angle is important–anyone from baseball pitchers to tennis players – long-term sensing can help instructors analyze motion and provide coaching corrections. For injured athletes, or other physical therapy patients, such monitoring can help doctors assess the effectiveness of medical and physical treatments. At the same time, the monitors need to be portable, comfortable, and capable of sensing subtle motion to achieve a high-level of precision.

Currently available joint monitoring technologies require heavy instrumentation of the environment, rigid sensors, or embedded electronics.

The Dartmouth researchers focused on raising sensing capability and reliability, while using low-cost, off-the-shelf fabrics without extra electrical sensors. The minimalist approach focused on fabrics in the $50 range.

“For less than the price of some sweatshirts, doctors and coaches can have access to a smart-fabric sensing system that could help them improve athletic performance or quality of life,” Qijia Shao, a PhD student at Dartmouth who worked on the study.

The fabric has a thin silver layer for electrical conductivity, and there’s a micro-controller in the monitor that receives and processes the data generated. As the fabric stretches during joint movement, it generates data on skin deformation and pressure. Based on this information, it determines the joint rotational angle through changes in resistance. When a joint is wrapped with the conductive fabric it can sense joint motion.

The device has been tested on the elbow joint in ten participants. They said it was comfortable, easy to use, and flexible.

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

“Testers even saw this for use in activities with high ranges of movement, like yoga or gymnastics,” said Zhou. “All participants said they’d be willing to purchase such a system for the relatively inexpensive price tag.”

The study was published in Proceedings of the ACM on Interactive, Mobile, Wearable and Ubiquitous Technologies.

Omron Healthcare has received FDA clearance for its Complete™, blood pressure monitor with EKG capability, and the company said it will start taking pre-orders on April 15th in the U.S. via its website. Complete is the first blood pressure monitor with EKG capability in a single device.

Related Omron and physIQ Collaborate to Improve Cardiovascular Patient Care

The device is an upper arm blood pressure monitor that allows users to simultaneously monitor EKG and blood pressure readings at home. EKG readings can be measured by touching electrodes conveniently located on the top face and both sides of the monitor for easy access and comfort. EKG is an essential measurement for those with atrial fibrillation, also known as arrythmia or Afib, a condition causing irregular heartbeat that can lead to heart health-related complications, including increased risk of stroke and heart failure.

“Millions of Americans are living with Afib and a stroke risk that is five times higher than average, and many others may not know they have this condition since it is difficult to diagnose. Recent studies predict that the number of individuals with Afib could reach epidemic levels as a result of the growing aging Baby Boomer population. Monitoring this condition and the risk it carries is part of our Going for Zero mission. That’s why Omron developed Complete as an accessible, easy-to-use, at-home solution to provide a more complete heart health picture and greater peace of mind,” said Ranndy Kellogg, president & CEO of Omron Healthcare, Inc.

Omron developed Complete in partnership with AliveCor, the market leader in FDA-cleared personal EKG technology. The device utilizes AliveCor’s new algorithm designed for improved detection of the possibility of Afib along with trusted medical-grade blood pressure measurement from Omron, said a press release.

“Irregular heartbeat is unpredictable and can be difficult to detect without regular monitoring. The Omron Complete empowers anyone who suspects they might have arrythmia or has family history of the condition to monitor their status easily at home,” said Kellogg.

Related Large U.S. Study Suggests Apple Watch Can Detect Irregular Heartbeat

Complete recently won the iF Design Award 2019, presented by iF International Forum Design GmbH, one of the world’s most prestigious design awards.

Complete will be available for USD$199.99 pre-order only in the U.S., with retail availability expanding to Amazon beginning May 1, 2019.

Although it is possible to 3D print your own prosthetic from models found in open-source database, those models lack the advanced electronic capabilities of more expensive, state-of-the-art prosthetics. Now, researchers at Virginia Tech solved that problem with their newly created prosthetic device with integrated electronic sensors to assess pressure distribution between a limb and the device itself. This new development could one day lead to more affordable electric-powered prosthetics.

Related Swedish Woman Receives First Dexterous and Sentient Prosthetic Hand

To develop their new prosthetic device, the researchers used 3D scanning data of a limb to integrate the sensors at the interface between the tissue and the device. They printed the device using conformal 3D printing, which allows material to be deposited onto curved surfaces.

By integrating electronic sensors at the intersection between a prosthetic and the wearer’s tissue, the researchers can gather information related to prosthetic function and comfort, such as the pressure across wearer’s tissue, that can help improve further iterations of the these types of prosthetics, reports Virginia Tech.

This method of integrating materials within form-fitting regions of 3D-printed prosthetics through a conformal 3D printing technique, instead of manual integration after printing, could also open doors for unique opportunities in matching the hardness of the wearer’s tissue and integrating sensors at different locations across the form-fitting interface. Unlike traditional 3D printing that involves depositing material in a layer-by-layer fashion on a flat surface, conformal 3D printing allows for deposition of materials on curved surfaces and objects.

The process developed by the researchers will lend itself to further applications in personalized medicine and design of wearable systems.

Blake Johnson, a Virginia Tech assistant professor in industrial and systems engineering, took a step forward in improving the functionalities of 3D-printed personalized wearable systems. This new research came out of his lab.

Related Scientists Use Virtual Reality and Neural Stimulation to Help Amputees Use Their Prostheses

“Personalizing and modifying the properties and functionalities of wearable system interfaces using 3D scanning and 3D printing opens the door to the design and manufacture of new technologies for human assistance and health care as well as examining fundamental questions associated with the function and comfort of wearable systems,” Johnson said.

Cognoa, a consumer healthcare company that makes machine learning-based app for tracking children’s health and development, has exclusively licensed an AI system designed to improve socialization skills in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

Dubbed the Superpower Glass, the technology was developed at Stanford University School of Medicine. It uses Google Glass and is designed to encourage children’s facial engagement while providing feedback on social situations, reports MobiHealthNews.

Children with ASD can struggle to recognize and respond to emotions, but the app reinforced these skills by providing them feedback in real time.

A small study found when children used the Superpower Glass at home, it helped them decipher what’s happening with people around them, bringing significant improvements in their socialization skills, compared to their counterparts that received only the standard care.

The children used the glasses in 20-minute sessions four times a week. After six weeks of using the glasses, the children scored better on tests of socialization, communication and behavior than the kids in the control group who received only standard care for autism.

“The intervention teaches children emotion recognition, facial engagement, and the salience of emotion, suggesting the potential for multiple mechanism(s) of action driving the observed improvement in social behavior,” the researchers wrote in the study.

Cognoa said it will be leveraging the Stanford technology “to accelerate development and worldwide commercialization of a novel digital therapeutic for children with [ASD].”

Cognoa is productizing the Super Glass technology on more commonly used, broadly available digital platforms to increase its accessibility. It is designed to be used in the home by families as a supplement to behavioral care from a specialist for improved outcomes.

Related Brain Power Ships Empowered Brain, World’s First Smartglasses to Help People with Autism

“Digital therapeutics can extend a therapist’s reach into the home, complementing in-person therapies for improved life-long outcomes,” Brent Vaughan, CEO and cofounder of Cognoa, said in a statement. “We know that many families are facing obstacles to get their children the help they need. This technology accelerates our goal to empower parents with access to evidence-based solutions so they can more directly impact the progress of their children.”

Nowi – With a break-through solution to extend battery lifetime and empower connective devices, Nowi has officially become the Top IoT Industrial Innovator of the 10th IoT/WT Innovation World Cup®. The continuous search for alternative, effective ways to harvest energy has been truly rewarding for this innovative start-up from the Netherlands. Check out their story of success and find out what does it take to become an IoT superstar!

1. HOW DID IT ALL START?

Omar Link and Simon van der Jagt founded the company in 2015. Our reason to do so was based on a very simple observation: everyone was talking about the Internet of Things and all of the billions of connected devices, but no one was explaining how we were supposed to power all of this. Clearly, changing batteries or wiring power cables would be impossible at this scale. But what was the alternative?

We both explored this topic during our master thesis at Delft University of Technology. Afterward, we started the company. We decided that Nowi would take a different approach. Instead of bringing energy to devices (in the form of batteries or cables), we would use the energy already available to the device at its location. It is possible to get energy from light, heat, radio waves and movement. There is energy all around us that we can use to power these small connected devices. What was missing was a small, efficient chip that would make it easy for other companies to start implementing.

2. WHAT ARE THE KEY MILESTONES YOU HAVE REACHED SO FAR?

After a year and a half of prototyping, we have reached a “proof of principle” demo that was good enough to land us €350.000 of government funding. We used this to get to a proof-of-concept, which was a fully functional energy harvesting demo. We then secured a €1.5 Mio VC round to develop this into a first product version. A small chip that makes it extremely easy for any company to power their devices with energy harvesting. Last year, that vision has come to life more and more as it has been used in a pilot project for road monitoring. A Swiss watch manufacturer is also currently implementing it in their next-gen smartwatch.

3. WHAT WERE THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES YOU HAVE FACED IN YOUR JOURNEY?

Any start-up faces at least some of the same challenges. Product-fit, team, and funding. Product-fit can only be achieved by leaving the office and interacting with as many companies as possible. Each conversation provides a bit of feedback which slowly shapes the product solution. We went from a technology-push of energy harvesting technology to a clear market-pull of use-cases where companies absolutely need what we have made. At the same time, we need the brightest minds to help bring this all to live. We have been non-stop recruiting the best talent and we now have a 15-people team with 3 Ph.D.’s and 7 MSc’s, and a combined 30 years of energy harvesting research experience. Finally, all of this needs to be paid for. Fundraising is a continuous effort as a result.

4. WHAT’S COMING IN THE NEAR FUTURE?

For Nowi, 2019 is a very exciting year as our energy harvesting technology is being embraced by the first global companies. The industry is starting to see that energy harvesting is one of the key building blocks in many IoT solutions as it improves the user-experience or reduces the need for maintenance and thereby the cost of ownership. As first, companies deploy this technology, others cannot stay behind. This year, several collaborations between Nowi and other large companies will be announced, and we believe this will act as a catalyst for the rest of the industry.

5. WHAT IS COOL ABOUT IOT?

Most of the societal promises that the Internet seemed to present in the early 2000s have come up short. Peer to peer connectivity has undoubtedly changed the world and proven to provide very lucrative business models, but our physical world has remained relatively untouched. Compare walking around a city in 1999 and 2019, you will see more people with mobile phones today; but besides this, the city functions almost exactly the same. IoT can indeed change this. By connecting the physical world to the digital, we have the real opportunity to drastically improve sustainability, productivity and personal health in the world.

6. WHAT IS YOUR EXPERIENCE IN THE WT/IOT INNOVATION WORLD CUP® JOURNEY?

The Innovation World Cup® has given us a global platform on which to showcase our vision and our product. The feedback as a result of this has been extremely valuable!

Explore further:

Visit Nowi for more information about their products, activities and team members. Watch and learn, follow their lead, one day you will also make it on the IoT/WT Innovation World Cup®’s prestigious Hall of Fame.

#TheRaceIsBack. The 11^th IOT/WT Innovation World Cup® is calling all IoT/WT start-ups, scale-ups and SMEs around the world. Submit your solution now, start developing your IoT solution with Free Development Kits powered by our partners STMicroelectronics, EBV Elektronik, Würth Elektronik, Microtronics and Gemalto, and join our world’s leading innovation ecosystem. Participation is free of charge.

Check out the Innovation World Cup® blog and success stories for more insights into our innovative activities. Together we accelerate innovation!

The U.S. Army recently showed off a new augmentation system, called the Integrated Visual System (IVAS), which is actually a modified version of the Microsoft HoloLens 2 augmented reality (AR) headset.

Read more British Army Exploring Utilization of Wearable Technology for Injury Prevention

When Microsoft received a $480 million contract last November to equip soldiers with its HoloLens 2, its employees balked at the company, asking what would the system look like. Now, the Army provided CNBC an early demo of its Integrated Visual Augmentation System, which uses a modified HoloLens 2 to provide both combat assistance and training. It reportedly feels like a “real-life game of Call of Duty” — you can see your squad’s positions on a map, a compass, and even your weapon’s reticle. Thermal imaging would help you see in the dark without as much of a telltale glow as existing night vision headsets, reports CNBC. The Army said the system would “increase lethality by enhancing the ability to detect, decide, and engage before the enemy.”

AR headsets augment digital elements on top of what’s around you in the real world, compared to virtual reality (VR) headsets that immerse wearers into an alternate universe. CNBC’s Todd Haselton tried on the IVAS, and he saw a map on the floor that displayed his location, as well as those of other squad members who were also wearing the headsets, and a compass when looking up. He also various saw various waypoints that marked the location of squadmates or known enemy positions, when he moved.

Read more Doctors Use HoloLens to Investigate Heart Scars in High Resolution Before Surgery

“The headset is impressive — better than any augmented reality experience I’ve ever seen, including Magic Leap, which also tried to win the Army contract,” writes Haselton.

The military, however, wouldn’t say how much the headset costs, but the consumer version of the headset costs $3,500.