Solbright Group, soon to be renamed Iota Communications Inc., launched cue-Rx™, a new medication adherence system that it believes will revolutionize at-home medication dispensing for patients and caregivers by delivering prescriptions in their original containers.

Launched earlier this month at the National Association for Home Care & Hospice Expo in Dallas, Texas, cue-Rx made news for being the first medication adherence system that operates with its own dedicated radio communications system.

‍

Related Non-adherence to medications can lead to negative healthcare outcomes: Interview with Shark Dreams CEO Dharma Teja Nukarapu

‍

There are more than a dozen active trials currently underway for cue-Rx. The system begins with an automated device that alerts patients and delivers their prescription at the exact time they should be taking their medication, in their actual prescription container, said a press release.

As the cue-Rx carousel turns and opens to the correct pill bottle compartment, the patient is then able to take their medication as prescribed – right from the original pill bottle. The system provides clinicians, caregivers, and families with timely phone, text, and email alerts in order to quickly identify non-adherent patients. The system is designed so that patients at any location, such as hospitals, in home-care, assisted living facilities, senior living facilities, and continued care retirement communities can take their medications. The device is also designed for home use – to improve medication adherence long-term, allowing more patients to stay home longer living comfortably and safely.

Non-adherence to medication is a costly problem for the US healthcare system. According to a 2014 NIH study, between $100 and $300 billion of avoidable health care costs have been attributed to nonadherence in the US annually, representing 3% to 10% of total US health care costs.

‍

“As health systems, providers, and families work to better manage high-risk, and high-cost chronic patient populations in order to reduce costs, cue-Rx™ is positioned to play a pivotal role by minimizing non-compliance,” said Kevin Casey, President of Solbright/Iota Healthcare. “cue-Rx is a plug and play device and connects via its own dedicated radio system directly to the cloud, thus eliminating reliance on either the patient's or the facilities' networks. This flexibility not only offers critical reliability of access to end users, but it also reduces overall costs. Clinicians are enthusiastic about the positive impact cue-Rx™ will have on compliance.”

Dr. Daniel Kullukian, M.D. of Surgical Healthcare, LLC in Phoenix, AZ, who recently reviewed cue-Rx for use in a post-acute medication reconciliation trial said “cue-Rx's simple design and powerful software will help our patients stay on track with their medications, improve their quality of life, and give families the peace of mind that their loved ones are taking their meds as prescribed.”

“When you consider the positive effects of cue-Rx™ across our entire patient population, the savings to our health system from improved compliance will be enormous; largely in our geriatric population.”

‍

Related Wearable Medication: Smart Textiles to Release Therapeutic Drugs as Needed

‍

Ms. Erleen Lane, one of the patients in that trial, said cue-Rx made her more consistent with her medication dosages and has helped improve her quality of life. “I began my cue-Rx trail one week ago, immediately following my discharge from the hospital.  It has already made improvements in my life. cue-Rx's simple and sleek design, easy-to-use software, and improved alerts will help me stay on track with my medications,” she said.

‍

Kinetic, a NY-based company focused on developing wearables to reduce workplace injury, raised $4.5 seed fund for its wearable device called REFLEX. REFLEX is a smart wearable that aims to reduce workplace injuries for industrial workers. The seed funding was mainly backed by experienced group of global technology investors including Crosslink Capital and Primary Venture Partners. Kinetic will use the money to expand its manufacturing capabilities and scale operations.

‍

Related Construction Safety: Wearables Could Monitor Stress, Risk and Physical Demands

‍

“What excites us about Kinetic is the ability to simultaneously impact both safety and operational efficiency for deskless workers. Over the past few years, I've watched the Kinetic team work tirelessly to find the right way to address these challenges. The company is showing impressive results with a wide range of leading employers, and we are thrilled to partner with them as they change the nature of work for this often-overlooked category,” said Brad Svrluga, General Partner at Primary Venture Partners.

The wearable device attaches to a worker's belt and monitor activities that put them at risk of injury, such as unsafe postures, jumping off vehicles or slips and falls, said a press release.

Blue collar workers comprise over 80% of the global workforce and in spite of being such a large part of the economy, they have generally been left behind in the larger trend of building technology for the enterprise, said the press release.

The cost of serious workplace injuries is on the rise, and in 2015 they cost US companies $58 billion. Lifting related injuries were the leading cause, mostly driven by the growth of e-commerce and the last mile delivery of goods, industries which are poised to grow aggressively.

‍

‍

“Every time you order an item through e-commerce, that product is manipulated at least 25 times before it reaches your home, and that's true whether you order a ballpoint pen or a 75-pound piece of furniture,” says Kinetic cofounder and CEO Haytham Elhawary. “With increasing volume of goods shipped and faster delivery times, it's no surprise that workplace injuries are on the rise.”

Kinetic's wearable technology reduces unsafe postures in the workplace by up to 84%. To reduce injury during lifting, the device detects unsafe postures and alerts the worker with a real-time vibration. Workers can gamify the process by competing with their colleagues to stay under a certain goal of unsafe motions per day. Managers can then view insights and analytics on the company's dashboard.

‍

Related Wearables with IoT Connected Sensors Helping to Improve Worker Safety

‍

“Industrial safety hasn't seen much innovation in years. I go to trade shows, and people are still talking about safety vests, steel cap shoes and protective eye glasses. If we're going to eliminate injuries, we need a new approach, different technology that can prevent injuries and predict when workers are most likely to get hurt. A similar shift happened in healthcare, when we transitioned from treating disease to a focus on preventive medicine. We want to do the same for worker safety,” said co-founder and CTO Aditya Bansal.

Kinetic’s Reflex has already shown to reduce injuries at several sites. Customers include Iron Mountain and Crane Worldwide Logistics as well as large manufacturers and logistics/transportation providers.

“Workers are responding positively to REFLEX, and it is proven to reduce workplace injuries across multiple industries,” said Omar El-Ayat, partner at Crosslink Capital and lead investor. “We believe Kinetic can lead to healthier, happier, and more productive workers and reduce healthcare costs for employers.”

‍

‍

Finding the right fitness tracker might be tricky. It all boils down to how much you expect from your fitness tracker. If you’re a less is more type of guy, then Motiv is for you.

Motiv Ring is a basic tracker that tells you how many calories you’ve burned, how many steps you’ve taken and how your overall sleep quality is. For a basic tracker, Motiv is a great option. On top of that this stylish tracker comes in the form of a ring and its so light and comfortable that you’d forget you’re wearing it. The band fits like a wedding ring, but despite its tiny size, it packs an optical heart-rate monitor, Bluetooth, three-axis accelerometer, and LED.

‍

Related Oura Ring Ships First Pre-Orders to US, Canada

‍

The ring features WalkID – a new biometric authentication system based on gait analysis. WalkID can run as long as the user is wearing it and walking, which allows for continuous, passive authentication. The company said fingerprint and facial recognition through a paired smartphone will further extend the biometric authentication security of the ring.

Last week, Motiv said it has added new security features to the Motiv Ring wearable fitness tracker.

‍

‍

The Motiv Ring now does two-factor authentication (2FA), which acts as an extra layer of security when logging in to your online accounts.

While wearing the device on your finger, a simple gesture would make sure that you're really you when logging in.

Motiv is also working on bringing password-free logins to the Motiv Ring, so you can use the ring to bypass passwords altogether.

‍

Related ORII Smart Ring Turns Your Finger into Earbuds

‍

The LED on the device is off most of the time. This LED shows you when the device is charging and when it is syncing.

Here are more specs

• Water resistant up to 50m
• Bluetooth
• Three-day battery life
• Supports a host of Android devices like Samsung Galaxy S7, S7 Edge, S8, S8 Plus, S9, S9 Plus, Note 5, and Note 8, and Google Pixel, Pixel XL, Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL
• Syncing can be prompted manually on the device by rotating it three times

‍

All these features and the unobtrusiveness of a ring makes Motiv Ring one of the first wearable authentication devices that’s really becoming popular among fitness buffs.

‍

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) has developed a robotic arm to facilitate self-help and upper-limb mobile rehabilitation for stroke patients. Using the lightweight device, stroke patients can engage in intensive and effective self-help rehabilitation exercise even after they’re discharged from the hospital.

Dubbed “mobile exo-neuro-musculo-skeleton,” it’s the first-of-its-kind integration of exo-skeleton, soft robot and exo-nerve stimulation technologies. The novel device, developed by Dr. Hu Xiaoling and her research team in the Department of Biomedical Engineering (BME) of PolyU, was inspired by the feedback of many stroke patients who were discharged from hospital.

This compact, lightweight device is fast in response and requires minimal power supply, making it suitable for use in both indoor and outdoor environment, says a press release.

Approximately 15 million people worldwide suffer a stroke each year. Stroke is also the third leading cause of disability worldwide. In Hong Kong alone, there are about 25,000 new incidences of stroke annually in recent years. Research studies have proven that intensive, repeated and long-term rehabilitation training are crucial for enhancing the physical mobility of stroke patients, thus help alleviating post-stroke symptoms such as disability.

Related These Amazing Exoskeletons Are Changing the Lives of Many

‍

‍

The "mobile exo-neuro-musculo-skeleton" features lightweight design (up to 300g for wearable upper limb components, which are fit for different functional training needs), low power demand (12V rechargeable battery supply for 4-hour continuous use), and sportswear features. The robotic arm thus provides a flexible, self-help, easy-to-use, mobile tool for patients to supplement their rehabilitation sessions at the clinic. The innovative training option can effectively enhance the rehabilitation progress.

“We are confident that with our mobile exo-neuro-musculo-skeleton, stroke patients can conduct rehabilitation training anytime and anywhere, turning the training into part of their daily activities. We hope such flexible self-help training can well supplement traditional outpatient rehabilitation services, helping stroke patients achieve a much better rehabilitation progress,” says Dr. Xiaoling. Her team anticipates that the robotic arm can be commercialized in two years.

Mobile Exo-Neuro-Musculo-Skeleton Vs. Exo-Skeleton and Soft Robots

Conventional exo-skeleton structure is primarily made from orthotic materials such as metal and plastic, simulating external bones of the wearer. Although it is compact in size, it is heavy and uncomfortable to wear. Soft robots, on the other hand are made of air-filled or liquid-filled pipes to simulate one's external muscles; while it is light in weight, it’s very bulky in size. Both types of structures demand high electrical power for driving motors or pumps, thus it is not convenient for patients to use them outside hospitals or rehabilitation centers. Combining the advantages of both structural designs, the BME innovative robotic arm is light in weight, compact in size, fast in response and demands minimal power supply, therefore it is suitable for use in both indoor and outdoor environment.

‍Related Designing Exoskeletons to Interact with Humans

‍

Study

An initial trial of the robotic arm on 10 stroke patients showed better muscle coordination, wrist and finger functions, and lower muscle spasticity in all patients after they completed 20 two-hour training sessions. Further clinical trials will be carried out in collaboration with hospitals and clinics.

‍

‍

With increasing pressure faced by the mining companies, the mining industry is turning to digital solutions, especially wearable technology to improve the productivity and safety for mine employees.

For mine operators, mining safety is a huge concern. More and more mining companies are adopting tools that can help to improve the safety of their staff.

‍

Read more Construction Safety: Wearables Could Monitor Stress, Risk and Physical Demands

‍

Modern, smart helmets represent a hands-free way for miners to improve the way in which they work.

The mining team can be benefited by utilizing sensors that alert managers to the early warning signs of heat exhaustion, rising gas levels or even seismic activity, which may altogether prevent a catastrophe, reports African Petrochemicals.

There are other exciting innovations that goes beyond safety helmets. A mine workers body suit may employ haptic technology, connected locally through beacons to other equipment in the mine. This can give miners a very tangible warning of potential collisions or accidents as early as possible.

The global mineral exploration company Boart Longyear uses wearable technology to improve miners’ safety and productivity.

With a remote control feature that provides 100 per cent hands-free rod handling, an innovative system from Boart Longyear offers a hands-on approach to driller safety.

‍

‍

To meet the increased safety requirements, Boart Longyear has engineered a fully hands-free drilling solution with its most popular surface coring rig the LF90D. The rig is currently being used in the mining markets in North America, Africa and Asia.

With help from other teams, the company has retrofitted a number of rigs with this hands-free solution.

‍

Read more Wearables with IoT Connected Sensors Helping to Improve Worker Safety

‍

The LF90D utilizes a hollow-spindle drill head, making it challenging for rod handling. The rig was retrofitted with a tilting head mechanism and a customized FL262 Freedom Loader. The company stated that it now offers a completely hands-free rod-handling solution for the fleet of LF90D rigs.

“This is a significant safety enhancement for our clients and our drillers, as it removes the driller from multiple hazards associated with suspended loads and manually handling drilling rods,” said James Chalmers, vice-president of environment, health, safety and training at Bort Longyear.

‍

“The new hands-free solution prevents back injuries, strains, pulls and hand injuries. This is another example of our commitment to provide healthier and safer work sites for both our clients and our employees.”

‍

The WT | Wearable Technologies Conference ASIA in Bangalore was a great success. With many senior decision makers from big industry players like TATA, software giants like Wipro and multinational cloud analytics providers like IBM, the whole WT value chain was present. We prepared a short recap of our first-ever event in India to keep you posted on what took place at the WT | Wearable Technologies Conference, Bangalore.

Christian Stammel, CEO of WT | Wearable Technologies, kicked off the proceedings with great insights into the WT Ecosystem and the application of wearables in different domains and verticals. This was well-received by the audience who also got a flavor of the ‘Smart Patch’ roadmap that is about to grow well in the near future.

Sridhar Sudarshan (CTO, IBM Watson Partnership) had a great presentation on the applicability of deep learning techniques on the data that is received from wearables. The talk featured IBM Watson and Watson IoT Platform offerings that extend the power of cognitive computing to connected devices — such as wearables, hearables, implantables and injectables. Several industries like healthcare, transportation, safety, factories etc are likely to benefit from this IoT transformation.

‍

This Keynote was followed by healthcare themed presentations : the experiences of WIPRO in developing the AssureHealth and Assurecare platforms was well complemented by two start-ups, RetiSense and Terrablue. Not only could the start-ups look at plugging into platforms of IBM & WIPRO but they could also share the critical skills of ‘Design Thinking’ and ‘Stakeholder buy-ins’ that they had to overcome.

Soon after lunch (the spicy Indian variety ;-)), it was the turn of Ganesh S – Innovation Manager at TATA, one of India’s biggest companies – to talk about their innovative approach in introducing a factory safety wearable. This talk expounded the design thinking principles of ‘Empathy-Define-Ideate-Prototype-Test’ with a discussion on the deployment using LORA in the TATA steel factory. This was probably the first time that TATA presented the new wearable product in touchable form to the world through the WT platform after presenting the concept at the WT | Wearable Technologies Conference in San Francisco in July.

Following these product presentations, the key ecosystem players came together to talk about their offerings. Uday Dodla from Qualcomm presented the new Snapdragon Wear 2100 Platform and the NB-IoT designs that can help designers to quickly go from idea to product. Anandan (TÜV SÜD India) gave insights into how good design principles (GDP) need to be followed to enable easy certification of wearable products.

Jeff Katz (GEENY) illustrated the importance of having an open IoT platform for the WT ecosystem. Start-ups and corporates were quite curious about the applicability of GEENY’s platform especially since it was an offshoot of one of the popular mobile networks from Spain, Telefónica.

‍

The evening was rounded up well with one of the most important topics: Cybersecurity. Shashank (Sumeru Solutions), an “ethical hacker”, walked the informed audience as to what can go wrong with even a simple Bluetooth connectivity. Various techniques to guard against any attack through a wearable was discussed along with a lingering warning that no gadget can be 100% “fool-proof” – there can only be several barriers to overcome vulnerabilities that can creep into wearables.

The WT Conference was preceded by an IEEE Tutorial on IoT/WT using IBM WATSON, the previous day (7th September). WT | Wearable Technologies supported and curated the content and provided support for excellent speakers. This event saw some bubbling college grads and start-ups learning about the basics of the WT/IoT Technology from experts in these domains.

A big thank you goes to all contributors of #WTINDIA17!

‍