The North Face, an American outdoor product company specializing in outerwear, tents, sleeping bags, and more, unveiled FUTURELIGHT™, a new breathable waterproof material set to revolutionize the future of technical fabrics. The material, which the company describes as the most advanced breathable-waterproof outerwear material, was developed using Nanospinning technology.

Read more KJUS Develops World’s First Sweatless Ski Jacket with HYDRO_BOT Technology

“Right now, the expectation from a waterproof product is something loud, crunchy, muggy and unpackable. With FUTURELIGHT we can theoretically use the technology to make anything breathable, waterproof and for the first time, comfortable,” Global General Manager of Mountain Sports at The North Face Scott Mellin said. “Imagine a waterproof t-shirt, sweater or even denim that you actually want to wear. Today we start with jackets, tents and gloves, but the possibilities could be endless.”

The Nanospinning technology allowed the designers to add unprecedented air permeability into the membrane of a fabric for the first time. The process creates Nano-level holes, allowing for incredible porosity while still maintaining total waterproofness, letting air move through the material and provide more venting than ever before. Nanospinning also gives designers the ability to adjust weight, stretch, breathability, durability, construction (knit or woven), and texture to match athletes’ and consumers’ activity or environment, said a press release.

The material has been tested extensively by the brand’s global athlete team and is expedition proven through use in the highest peaks and harshest environments, including the Himalayas’ Lhotse and Everest.

Read more CES 2019 Wearable: Atomic Unveils Smart Connected Ski Boot

While testing FUTURELIGHT fabric The North Face team alpinist, Jim Morrison climbed, and skied three 8000 Meter peaks 2018, including Everest, Cho Oyu and the world’s first descent of Lhotse Couilor with his partner Hilaree Nelson.

Nelson, who is the captain of the North Face athlete team, said:

“In all my years in the mountains, I’ve never experienced a product that moved and performed as well as FUTURELIGHT. It is creating a new paradigm for what I expect out of a waterproof material.”

One of the key factors differentiating East African runners from other runners around the world is the steady-state oxygen consumption at a given submaximal intensity, also known as running economy. The reason Kenyan runners dominate middle-and long-distance running competitions is their exceptional running economy, according to a research published in PubMed.

The study highlighted the unique capacity of wearable devices such as Physilog®, developed by Gaitup, which can be used to assess real-time running economy and foot mechanics in the field. Gait Up is exhibiting at the WT | Wearable Technologies at MEDICA 2019.

Foot-worn inertial sensors can generate large amounts of data during each stride, providing the coach/sports team with several parameters (e.g., kinematics and potentially VO2), reports Gaitup.

Related CES 2019: These Companies Are Showcasing Their Best Wearables for the Athletes

During real-life situations like during training or competition, there are no data available on running mechanics. The use of innovative wearable devices together with real-time analysis of data could potentially help explain the outstanding performances of certain athletes. For example, the integration of foot worn inertial sensors into the training and racing of athletes will enable coaches and researchers to investigate foot mechanics (e.g., an accurate set of variables such as pitch and eversion angles, cadence, symmetry, contact and flight times or swing times) during real-life activities and facilitate feedback in real-time, said the study.

The same technological approach also can be used to help the athlete, coach, sports physician, and sport scientist make better informed decisions in terms of performance and efficacy of interventions, treatments or injury prevention; a kind of “telesport” equivalent to “telemedicine.”

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

The connection of a set of sensors (e.g., core temperature pill, 3D FWIS, heart rate monitor or GPS) to a wearable capable to transmit would not only provide real-time physiological and biomechanical monitoring, but also measure and livestream the energy consumption of a given stimulus second by-second. This possibility might permit researchers and coaches to identify the biomechanical factors influencing the energetic cost of running, minimizing the risk of injury or excessive fatigue while providing the athlete with real-time feedback on performance.

AerNos Inc., a San Diego, CA-based company that specializes in smart air sensing devices, announced that its nano gas sensors will be incorporated into a new wearable alert device that will detect certain exhaled gases indicative of hypoglycemic and hyperglycemic episodes in people with diabetes.

Read more Medtronic, IBM Watson Health Launch AI-Powered Hypoglycemia Prediction Feature on Sugar.IQ Diabetes App

Called AerBetic, the device uses a non-invasive, always-on alert system, which may enhance the quality of life of the more than 460 million people worldwide diagnosed with diabetes. AerBetic will be demonstrated during CES 2019 in AerNos booth 42349, Sands Expo, January 8 – 11 in Las Vegas, says a press release.

Initially, AerBetic will come in the forms of bracelets and pendants. The sensors detect target gases, indicative of blood glucose levels, at parts-per-billion levels. The device connects to smart phones and smart home devices via Bluetooth and/or Wi-Fi. Alerts are displayed on a mobile app, along with periodic reminders to check blood glucose levels. The app can also notify caregivers of patient status and will relay sensor and diagnostic information to a cloud-based data warehouse. AerBetic uses machine learning and artificial intelligence to continuously improve the performance of the sensors and fine-tune each unit to the individual patient.

“Until now, there has not been a compact, affordable sensor technology that could sense these gases in the breath,” said Sundip Doshi, founder and CEO, AerNos. “Leveraging our research and development of air quality sensors, we’ve designed a sensor that enables AerBetic to develop this diabetic alert solution that has the potential of positively impacting the millions of people living with diabetes.”

Read more Abbott Secures CE Mark for Freestyle Libre 2 with Optional Real-Time Alarms

Our CEO Christian Stammel will attend CES 2019 and will give the perfect sneak peek on what will be awaiting you at the WT | Wearable Technologies Conference EUROPE 2019, which will give you a deep dive into the current momentum of the wearable market and how you can turn the previous hype into mass volume. Our 33rd edition of the WT Conference will be bigger than ever with more than 1.500 m2 floor space and over 80.000 visitors from WT and ISPO integrated into the brand new innovation hall C6 of the Munich Tradeshow. More than 60 high-level speakers coming from Bayer, BMW, Casio, Gore, Microsoft, and STMicroelectronics will give you latest insights in their applications and digitalization strategies via IoT and WT solutions and drive your business development. In the afternoon of the first day, you will get also the chance to be connected to 30 future stars of our ecosystem via our annual IOT/WT INNOVATION WORLD CUP® pitch and award ceremony.

Register here https://www.wearable-technologies.eu/ with 20% discount by using the code WT20

Nuheara, an Australian manufacturer of smart hearing devices, launched a ground-breaking premium hearing product called IQbuds MAX™, which will become the flagship product of the innovative IQbuds™ range, at CES 2019 in Las Vegas.

Related Nuheara Building Ecosystem for Hearables with its IQStream TV

IQbuds MAX™ is the most technologically advanced and powerful hearing product that Nuheara has ever created. Building on all the features currently available with IQbuds BOOST™, IQbuds MAX has triple the hearing capability (utilizing three microphones on each ear), five times the processing power and a world first Hybrid Active Noise Cancelation system, which collectively delivers the most personalized, natural and enhanced sound ever, says a press release.

Last year, IQbuds BOOST was chosen by the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) to be prescribed alongside traditional hearing aids.

IQbuds BOOST and IQbuds MAX both use Nuheara’s unique EarID™ technology. With their clinically validated hearing self-assessment and self-configuration process utilizing hearing aid prescription formulas, they exemplify how new technology is driving down costs which more and more government providers will take advantage of.

“IQbuds BOOST was a game changer in providing the first audiology experience in a box. We are thrilled to take this innovation to the next level with IQbuds MAX™ by offering what we believe is the most technologically advanced assistive hearing product to ever hit the market,” said Justin Miller, CEO of Nuhear.

018 was an incredible year in demonstrating how Nuheara unlocked the hearing healthcare channel globally. Finishing 2018 with the NHS contract and the emerging Specsavers partnership, we are ready to build further on those strong foundations by continuing to lead the way in global hearing innovation.”

IQbuds Max is expected to be available in the second half of 2019.

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

Our CEO Christian Stammel will attend CES 2019 and will give the perfect sneak peek on what will be awaiting you at the WT | Wearable Technologies Conference EUROPE 2019, which will give you a deep dive into the current momentum of the wearable market and how you can turn the previous hype into mass volume. Our 33rd edition of the WT Conference will be bigger than ever with more than 1.500 m2 floor space and over 80.000 visitors from WT and ISPO integrated into the brand new innovation hall C6 of the Munich Tradeshow. More than 60 high-level speakers coming from Bayer, BMW, Casio, Gore, Microsoft, and STMicroelectronics will give you latest insights in their applications and digitalization strategies via IoT and WT solutions and drive your business development. In the afternoon of the first day, you will get also the chance to be connected to 30 future stars of our ecosystem via our annual IOT/WT INNOVATION WORLD CUP® pitch and award ceremony.

Register here https://www.wearable-technologies.eu/ with 20% discount by using the code WT20

TDK Corporation launched a complete portfolio of VR sensors enabling a new class of highly accurate and affordable all-in-one VR solutions, at the CES 2019.

For any VR system, it’s crucial to have precise alignment between the Head-Mounted-Display (HMD) and the Handheld Controllers. This means that even the slightest head or the most extreme hand movement needs to be measured fast and accurately, to allow the immediate rendering of the changed VR scenery.

Read more Oculus Partners with VRHealth to Develop Virtual Reality Pain, Anxiety Management Therapies

The key platform components are:

• InvenSense ICM-42688 6-axis motion sensor for HMDs provides the lowest noise figure in the industry and features the only high-resolution measurement mode, enabling the measurement of VR headset movement with unprecedented accuracy.
• InvenSense ICM-42686 6-axis motion sensor for VR contro
• llers provides the industry’s only extended range motion measurement mode, enabling the accurate tracking of the handheld controller movement at any speed.
• Chirp Microsystem’s ultralow power CH-101 ultrasonic transceiver coupled with Chirp’s SonicTrack™ system is the only time-of-flight based inside-out tracking solution for all-in-one VR systems that delivers true 3D positioning between the head-mounted-display and the handheld controllers.
• TDK Sensor Fusion software that processes the sensor inputs simultaneously to create a simple, fused output that describes the exact 3D position and movement of all VR HW components and runs on commercial application processors.
• TDK TMR sensing elements that enable magnetometers with significantly higher resolution than traditional Hall-effect based magnetometers, thereby enabling the exact determination of the orientation changes of the HMD and controllers.

TDK all-in-one VR platform also sets new standards with respect to small size, low weight, and reduced Bill-of-Materials (BOM), which taken together enable the most affordable and wearable all-in-one VR systems in the industry, said a press release.

“At this year’s CES show we’re announcing innovative VR solutions with some of the world’s leading VR system providers like HTC and platform enablers like Qualcomm, and together we’re shaping the all-in-one AR/VR/XR space,” said Behrooz Abdi, president and general manager of MEMS sensors business group at TDK.

Read more Alaska Airlines Adds Virtual Reality to In-Flight Entertainment to Make Long Flights More Bearable

Wearable Technologies AG CEO Christian Stammel will also be at the CES 2019. He will moderate the session “Putting Wearables To Work” at the Wearable Tech Summit, a CES 2019 Conference track, on January 9th, 2019. Our 33rd edition of the WT Conference will be bigger than ever with more than 1.500 m2 floor space and over 80.000 visitors from WT and ISPO integrated into the brand-new innovation hall C6 of the Munich Tradeshow. More than 60 high-level speakers coming from Bayer, BMW, Casio, Gore, Microsoft, and STMicroelectronics will give you latest insights in their applications and digitalization strategies via IoT and WT solutions and drive your business development. In the afternoon of the first day, you will get also the chance to be connected to 30 future stars of our ecosystem via our annual IOT/WT INNOVATION WORLD CUP® pitch and award ceremony.

Register here https://www.wearable-technologies.eu/ with 20% discount by using the code WT20

Garmin will unveil the latest upgrades to its world-renowned navigation software, enhancements to its infotainment platforms, a demo exhibiting augmented reality technology, and their current work on integrated cameras and wearable solutions at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas.

Read more Garmin Partners Up with Fitabase to Offer New Data Management for Wearable-Based Research

“We are looking forward to the opportunity of showcasing all the hard work our team has put together for current and future projects at this year’s CES,” said Matt Munn, Garmin automotive OEM managing director. “Whether it’s the inclusion of Garmin wearables with unique OEM vehicle integration, or developments with connected vehicle navigation and augmented reality, this year’s show will help us communicate the company’s relentless commitment to infotainment enhancements and innovation on a global scale.”

Garmin is moving forward with its advancements in navigation technology with a slew of new features set to launch as a global OEM solution beginning in 2020.

Among the innovations will be a hybrid navigation system that powers connected vehicles with real-time, cloud-based destination search and routing. In situations where connectivity is not available, the navigation solution utilizes on-board maps and routing to provide an uncompromised navigation experience. The platform will also include the company’s RouteCast™ Weather system for mile-by-mile route-specific forecasts, says a press release.

Garmin is also bringing back its signature scalable infotainment platform with a digital instrument cluster to CES and adds integration with wearable products—designed by Garmin—for driver monitoring and vehicle telematics.

Garmin, in collaboration with Tapkey, will present a new Bluetooth based digital key solution using Garmin wearables to unlock car doors. Tapkey gives app developers, service providers, and lock manufacturers the ability to add digital key access to their products.

Read more Tesla Files Patent for Google Glass-Like AR System for Faster, Accurate Vehicle Production

During CES, Garmin will specifically showcase how its wearables can also monitor driver stress and display the driver’s fitness information using the Garmin vívoactive® 3 GPS smartwatch.

Our CEO Christian Stammel will attend CES 2019 and also be part of the conference track Wearable Tech Summit on January 9. The perfect sneak peek on what will be awaiting you at the WT | Wearable Technologies Conference EUROPE 2019 will give you a deep dive into the current momentum of the wearable market and how you can turn the previous hype into mass volume. Our 33rd edition of the WT Conference will be bigger than ever with more than 1.500 m2 floor space and over 80.000 visitors from WT and ISPO integrated into the brand-new innovation hall C6 of the Munich Tradeshow. More than 60 high-level speakers coming from Bayer, BMW, Casio, Gore, Microsoft, and STMicroelectronics will give you latest insights in their applications and digitalization strategies via IoT and WT solutions and drive your business development. In the afternoon of the first day, you will get also the chance to be connected to 30 future stars of our ecosystem via our annual IOT/WT INNOVATION WORLD CUP® pitch and award ceremony.

Register here https://www.wearable-technologies.eu/ with 20% discount by using the code WT20.

Matrix has unveiled a new smartwatch, called the PowerWatch 2, which is loaded with features like step count, heart rate monitor, notification and GPS, and needs only body heat and solar power to run.

Launched at the CES 2019, the PowerWatch 2 is a follow-up to last year’s PowerWatch X that was powered entirely by the body heat emitted from your wrist. However, the watch was missing features like GPS and a heart rate sensor that had become commonplace on most smartwatches. PowerWatch X was left with only step counter.

The PowerWatch 2 is less bulky than its predecessor and will offer a wider variety of color and strap combinations than the original, which had a mostly black look.

The improved power enables a full-color LCD screen on the PowerWatch 2. It also has Android and iOS companion apps, and third-party functionality with services like Google Fit and Apple HealthKit. The device features GPS and a built-in heart monitor as well. The hope is that all of this makes the PowerWatch 2 on par with any other smartwatch on the market, but with the added benefit of never needing to charge it.

To make sure that you’ll never need to charge it, Matrix added a secondary charging system: a solar strip in a ring along the outer edge of the display, reports TechRadar.

The PowerWatch 2 has been slimmed down to 42mm wide, down from 50mm of the PowerWatch X, but it still has the same rugged look and feel of PowerWatch X: metal black casing, texture-patterned buttons and red trim.

The PowerWatch 2 also has gesture control and audio/haptic feedback, features that are common on today’s smartwatches. The company included always-on GPS and a heart rate monitor this time, which were sorely missed by adopters of the first watches.

At $499, the PowerWatch 2 falls in the high-end category, but it is available for pre-order now, with a special early price of $200.

Our CEO Christian Stammel will attend CES 2019 and also be part of the conference track Wearable Tech Summit on January 9. The perfect sneak peek on what will be awaiting you at the WT | Wearable Technologies Conference EUROPE 2019 will give you a deep dive into the current momentum of the wearable market and how you can turn the previous hype into mass volume. Our 33rd edition of the WT Conference will be bigger than ever with more than 1.500 m2 floor space and over 80.000 visitors from WT and ISPO integrated into the brand-new innovation hall C6 of the Munich Tradeshow. More than 60 high-level speakers coming from Bayer, BMW, Casio, Gore, Microsoft, and STMicroelectronics will give you latest insights in their applications and digitalization strategies via IoT and WT solutions and drive your business development. In the afternoon of the first day, you will get also the chance to be connected to 30 future stars of our ecosystem via our annual IOT/WT INNOVATION WORLD CUP® pitch and award ceremony.

Register here https://www.wearable-technologies.eu/ with 20% discount by using the code WT20

EKG biometrics innovator B-Secur officially introduced its collection of powerful EKG authentication and wellness algorithms, HeartKey, at the 2019 Pepcom Digital Experience! The technology has potential applications in the automotive and wearable technology. Through partnerships with Analog Devices, Inc. (ADI), Cypress Semiconductor and NXP Semiconductors, B-Secur will make this technology available in vehicles, top fitness trackers and smart wear of the future.

Read more Abbott’s HeartMate 3 Heart Pump for Advanced Heart Failure Patients Gets FDA Approval

HeartKey is built on the premise that an individual’s cardiac rhythm is completely unique just like their fingerprints or iris. It identifies and authenticates users by measuring specific points in their heartbeat.

HeartKey secures real-time health and wellness insights, optimized to provide on-device authentication and wellness information on devices of the future, says a press release.

“HeartKey’s algorithms offer greater security that protects not only our devices and vehicles, but more importantly, our physical health and safety,” said Alan Foreman, CEO of B-Secur. “One of the most flexible and convenient authentication methods available, HeartKey technology also allows users to unlock deep, data-driven insights into their own health and wellness.”

HeartKey also enable users to monitor the muscular and electrical state of the heart in real-world settings. B-Secur’s algorithms can detect potentially dangerous changes in heart rate and rhythm, stress levels, fatigue, respiration and atrial fibrillation.

In the future, B-Secur plans to use the technology in the steering car steering wheels, where it’ll be able to provide identification, access personalized services as well as monitor driver stress, alertness and cardiac conditions to improve the in-cabin experience and potentially save lives.

Wearables with B-Secur will provide early detection of abnormal heart conditions, identify stress and fatigue factors, prevent injury and create personalized fitness goals.

Read more Apple Watch ECG App and Irregular Heart Rhythm Notification Now Available

For the workers, smartclothes integrated with HeartKey technology will enable improved health, safety, security and data insights not possible before.

Our CEO Christian Stammel will attend CES 2019 and also be part of the conference track Wearable Tech Summit on January 9. The perfect sneak peek on what will be awaiting you at the WT | Wearable Technologies Conference EUROPE 2019 will give you a deep dive into the current momentum of the wearable market and how you can turn the previous hype into mass volume. Our 33rd edition of the WT Conference will be bigger than ever with more than 1.500 m2 floor space and over 80.000 visitors from WT and ISPO integrated into the brand-new innovation hall C6 of the Munich Tradeshow. More than 60 high-level speakers coming from Bayer, BMW, Casio, Gore, Microsoft, and STMicroelectronics will give you latest insights in their applications and digitalization strategies via IoT and WT solutions and drive your business development. In the afternoon of the first day, you will get also the chance to be connected to 30 future stars of our ecosystem via our annual IOT/WT INNOVATION WORLD CUP® pitch and award ceremony.

Register here https://www.wearable-technologies.eu/ with 20% discount by using the code WT20

Neurostimulation is often used to treat conditions such as epilepsy, effects of stroke, and even depression. In this type of treatment, special devices are used to send to control the activity of the brain and central nervous system.

However, currently available neurostimulator devices cannot simultaneously stimulate brain activity and record it.

Related Abbott, Medtronic Driving Deep Brain Stimulation Innovation for Parkinson’s Disease

Now, researchers at UC – Berkeley, have developed a wireless electrode array implant that can listen to and stimulate electric current in the brain at the same time, potentially delivering fine-tuned treatments to patients with diseases like epilepsy and Parkinson’s, reports Berkeley News.

Called “WAND” (Wireless Artifact-free Neuromodulation Device), the implantable device has two tiny external controllers, each of which monitors 64 electrodes that sit in the brain.

This device can monitor electrical activity in the brain and learn to identify abnormal signals that indicate the presence of a seizure or tremors. WAND can then help modulate electrical signals in the brain to prevent such events and symptoms. And because it is closed-loop — meaning it can stimulate and record simultaneously — it can adjust these parameters in real-time.

“The process of finding the right therapy for a patient is extremely costly and can take years. Significant reduction in both cost and duration can potentially lead to greatly improved outcomes and accessibility,” said Rikky Muller, an assistant professor of electrical engineering and computer sciences at Berkeley. “We want to enable the device to figure out what is the best way to stimulate for a given patient to give the best outcomes. And you can only do that by listening and recording the neural signatures.”

Related Tencent Partners Up with Medopad to Use AI for Parkinson’s Disease Treatment

Unlike similar existing devices, which can only record electrical activity from up to eight points in the brain, WAND can track activity from 128 different channels.

To demonstrate the device, the team used WAND to recognize and delay specific arm movements in rhesus macaques.

The device is described in a study that appeared in Nature Biomedical Engineering.

Samsung has been pretty busy trying to build an ecosystem of connected devices for some time. The company, more recently, has dipped its toes into smart clothing.

Related Puma is Bringing Back its 80s Smart Shoe with Updated Technology

Now, Samsung’s new patent hints that the South Korean tech giant might be working on a new line of smart running shoes, either on their own or more likely in collaboration with a shoe maker.

Based on similar or close-to-similar products as well as the details of the patent, we can expect smart shoes with sensors plus a smartphone app to support the wearable device.

The smart shoes can be activated in one of two ways, according to the patent. One technique involves pulling the tab located on the back of the shoe while the other one describes a procedure with buttons hidden behind a cover, which could also be on the back of the shoe. What’s not known is how smart the shoes will be and what type of activities will they be capable of tracking, reports BGR.

Counting steps could easily be done by pedometers and trackers. Also, measuring pressure could help indicate whether you’re running the right way or are prone to injuring yourself.

The materials of the shoes suggest they’re made out of a mix of leather and synthetic material.

Last year, Samsung showcased SmartSuit, which was meant for the athletes at the Olympic winter games 2018. The SmartSuit was supposed to help them train. Two years ago, Samsung launched lofit shoes for golf players on Kickstarter.

Related Nike’s Self-Lacing Sneakers Are Coming Back In 2019 With a Much Cheaper Price Tag

The new patents for running shoes suggest they’re meant for casual runners and not only for professional athletes. The patent does not provide too much information about the smart side of the shoes.

When it comes to wearables, a wrist-worn device is always convenient. However, it is difficult to get ECG reading from the wrist. Additionally, getting accurate body temperature typically requires using a thermometer at another location. Integrated circuit maker Maxim Integrated has overcome these challenges through its proprietary sensor and health monitoring technology. It has built a wrist worn platform for designers to develop unique and highly accurate wearable devices that continuously monitor various health parameters.

Read more Maxim Enables a Healthier World with Health Band and ECG Monitor

The Health Sensor Platform 2.0 (HSP 2.0), also called the MAXREFDES101#, can monitor electrocardiogram (ECG), heart rate and body temperature to a wrist-worn wearable, saving up to six months in development time, said a press release.

“Patients and medical professionals are increasingly wanting more real-time exchange of accurate health data collected over an extended time frame, along with the ability to access this data from anywhere,” said Andrew Baker, managing director, Industrial and Healthcare Business Unit, Maxim Integrated. “Wearable and medical device manufacturers can turn to Maxim’s HSP 2.0 to create accurate, wrist-worn health monitoring solutions, shaving off up to six months of the typical development time.”

MAXREFDES101# is a unique evaluation and development platform in a wrist-worn wearable that demonstrates the functions of a wide range of Maxim’s products for health-sensing applications. This second-generation health sensor platform (a follow-on to the MAXREFDES100#) integrates a PPG analog-front-end (AFE) sensor (MAX86141), a biopotential AFE (MAX30001), a human body temperature sensor (MAX30205), a microcontroller (MAX32630), a power-management IC (MAX20303), and a 6-axis accelerometer/gyroscope. The complete platform includes a watch enclosure and a biometric sensor hub with an embedded heart-rate algorithm (MAX32664). Algorithm output and raw data can be streamed through Bluetooth® to an Android® app or PC GUI for demonstration, evaluation, and customized development.

Read more TAGecg 7-Day Wearable ECG Sensor: A Smarter, Simpler Path to Cardiac Diagnostics

Because HSP 2.0 is an open platform, designers can evaluate their own algorithms on the board. In addition, the modular format is future proof to quickly accommodate new sensors over time.

Key Advantages for Designers Include:

• Fast Time to Market: Fully working hardware and firmware with companion watch casing cuts design and validation time by up to six months
• High Accuracy: Only available solution to integrate clinical-grade ECG along with heart-rate and body-temperature measurements into a wrist-worn format
• Arm® Mbed™ Support: For efficient evaluation and rapid application prototyping, the Mbed environment provides a high level of abstraction to eliminate maintenance of software tools and provide an extensive library of open-source software

We acknowledge some of our most private data to the online platforms that we use on a regular basis and we are often oblivious to which of our personal information is collected. We see our username and password as a shield that’ll protect all of these data. However, it may not always be so.

Some people think blockchain is inherently more secure than other technologies. But how secure is blockchain?

Related New Startup Medical Ledger Offers Health Data Privacy with Blockchain-Powered EHR

“Blockchains store data using sophisticated math and innovative software rules that are extremely difficult for attackers to manipulate. But the security of even the best-designed blockchain systems can fail in places where the fancy math and software rules come into contact with humans, who are skilled cheaters, in the real world, where things can get messy,” says MIT Technology Review.

In reality, innovative technology like blockchain can only solve certain security problems. But to be precisely useful in healthcare, it will need to be approached smartly and combined with other security technologies, reports MobiHealthNews.

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center CIO Dr. John Halamka, who also serves as editor in chief of the online journal “Blockchain in Healthcare Today”, sees two major security-related use cases for blockchain – data integrity and patient consent.

“How can you prove that a medical record was not changed, deleted, or amended?” Halamka wrote to MobiHealthNews in an email. “When an encounter is complete, create a ‘hash’, or a one-way mathematical digest of the record, and write that hash into the blockchain. If anyone has questions about the completeness or integrity of a record, it can be provided by comparing the ‘hash’ today with the historical hash recorded the blockchain.”

While blockchain must be combined with other security technologies, companies must also play their part in keeping data secured. They should keep their eyes on potential security problems that blockchain won’t touch. Karolina Starczak’s startup Nutrimedy decided not to use blockchain for now. She notes that human error is still responsible for a high number of healthcare data breaches.

Related Loomia Uses Blockchain to Make Smart Clothes that Make You Earn Money by Selling Personal Data

Not only does blockchain need to be augmented with other security technologies, but companies also need to keep their eyes on potential security problems that blockchain won’t touch. Karolina Starczak, whose startup Nutrimedy decided to pass on blockchain for now, noted that human error is still responsible for a high number of healthcare data breaches.

“Blockchain is just a part of the story,” Grishin said. “It’s an important part, but it’s not the only part,” says Dennis Grishin, Chief Strategy Officer of Nebula Genomics.

Google has filed a patent application for a smartwatch-like wearable device which will act upon a user’s gestures.

Read more Kai – A Revolutionary Gesture-Based Workflow Automation Device Launches on Crowdfunding Site

The device would be secured to the user’s wrist, and would pick up on their hand motions and other gestures through an assemblage of sensors. These gestures would be used for both predefined and customizable actions.

The patent tiled “Gesture-Based Small Device Input,” which was recently found in the internet, shows how a smartwatch can be controlled using what Google calls “virtual mouse pad”.

What’s explained in the patent is how users can use their fingers as stylus to interact with the smartwatch. This new way of communicating with a smartwatch will finally make smartwatches worth and will allow users to perform actions such as, reply to texts and compose emails. The patent shows sensors in pairs to approximate the position of the finger relative to each sensor location, thereby providing better depth perception.

Read more Google Fit Adds New Breathing Exercise and a Widget Among Other New Features

The technology could be used for things like group webinars, video meetings, collaboration and more.

The potential use cases for such a technology are limited to users’ needs and imaginations, and this could be a very exciting news for those who use video conference software regularly, reports Android Headlines.

For those who use video conference software regularly, this is likely to be very exciting news. For patents like these, there are usual caveats. It means that Google is essentially putting a claim on the idea and the requisite technology. And this usually means that Google may or may not put out this product in the future.

In China, children are becoming a new pillar of growth in the country’s smart wearable industry. These children, who are going online at an increasingly younger age, are China’s new consumer group in wearable devices.

China’s smart wearables shipments reached 14.5 million in the third quarter, up 13% year-on-year, according to the market intelligence firm the International Data Corporation (IDC), reports technode.

Xiaomi took the top spot on the list taking 30% share of the market with more than 4 million shipments. Xiaomi was followed by Huawei, BBK Electronics, Qihoo 360, and Continental Wireless.

BKK Electronics did very good as well, with the highest growth rates in smartwatch shipments, jumping 64% year-on-year. BBK Electronics is commonly known as the company behind rising domestic smartphone brands like Vivo and Oppo.

“It is a growing market segment, but not a growing worldwide segment,” said Ramon Llamas, a wearable technology analyst at industry research firm International Data Corp in June. “The majority of the kid-watch volume is taking place in China.”

Shipments for children’s smartwatches continued to have a high growth rate from the third quarter of 2017 to the second quarter of 2018, according to a report by Sino Market Research.

It’s not only the smartwatch makers who set their sights on the children’s market, chipmakers like Qualcomm also had their eyes on it. In June, the company a new chip, Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Wear 2500, especially designed for children’s smartwatches. The chip comes with an optimized version of Google’s Android operating system.

Read more The 5 Best Fitness Trackers for Children

A number of factors may be behind this phenomenon: Many parents may think that smartwatches can introduce children to technology for less money than buying them a smartphone. Surfing the internet or playing mobile games is limited on a smartwatch. Children are less likely to lose them since they’re wearable. And location tracking allows parents to know where their children are.

Over the next 5 years, smartwatches are expected to make the biggest gains in the wearable technology industry, with shipments doubling to 90 million devices by 2022, according to IDC. And, children’s smartwatches aim to be part of this market growth.

When you think of smartwatches, French fashion house Louis Vuitton wouldn’t be the first one that comes to your mind. But in 2017 the luxury designer launched its Wear OS-powered Tambour Horizon smartwatches. And, now the watch is being upgraded to Qualcomm’s newest wearable chipset, the Snapdragon Wear 3100.

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If you’re rich and you’re looking for something really special in a smartwatch, then the Louis Vuitton LV Tambour Horizon is for you. You can get all your activities tracked for a premium price $2,400.

The new LV Tambour Horizon, the follow up to the 2017 wearable of the same name, is again a Wear OS device aimed at the premium end of the market.

The smartwatch, which was designed in collaboration between Qualcomm and Google, will not only provide a full day’s worth of power with the screen on, but also 5 days of power while displaying just the time and step count.

Around the rim, the watch has a day and night indicator, which remains visible even when the device is in ambient mode. A new feature with the Wear 3100 displays the user’s heart rate and step count alongside the time on screen while saving power, reports EndGadget.

Tambour Horizon lets you design your own watch faces like: My Stipes, My Classic, My Favorites, My Digital, My 24 Hours, My Flight, City Game, Men Spring 19, Men Fall 18, CNY 18, Women SS18, Women Cruise 2018, Regatta, Spin Time, Essential Brown and Moon Star.

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The upgraded watch will be available in the existing design and color options, and the designer is also rolling out a new white ceramic model.

There’s no word on the release date, but the price tag will be around $2,490.

Loomia, a Brooklyn-based startup wants to change the way smart clothes are made. The 3-year-old startup wants your ankle boots to detect when it's cold out and heat up to keep your feet warm. Or your jacket to light up at night to let passing motorists see you while you’re riding your bike.

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Read more Yarn Battery Could Power Smart Clothes and Wearables

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Loomia makes a fabric layer that has electrical components built in. The LOOMIA Electronic Layer (LEL) is a soft, flexible circuit that can be embedded into textiles. This makes it possible to create clothing with heating, lighting, sensing or data tracking applications, reports D/SRUPTION.

“The LEL is a proprietary blend of materials that is washable and dryable,” Lynne Guey, Head of Communications at LOOMIA told D/SRUPTION. “What’s interesting, and what sets LOOMIA apart from other companies, is that the material is really soft, flexible and wire free. When this is integrated into your clothing you barely sense it because it is so thin.”

“This goes in line with our general philosophy that the materials we use and integrate into our garments can be responsive and intelligent in a very sophisticated, seamless and simple way,” she added. “Just like our devices learn from our habits to create better experiences online, we think our clothes can provide even more, in a way that the user has much more control over what is done.”

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Loomia doesn’t want to be a fashion company. According to CEO Janett Liriano, Loomia is a tech company, which doesn’t sell directly to consumers.

The company creates very thin and almost weightless textile layer with built-in electronic circuits. To power the whole thing, this layer connects to a slim battery, called Loomia Tile. With agreement with companies, Loomia will allow them to add the technology to their clothes. The process is very simple; all they need to do is sew it in their fabrics.

Loomia’s sensor-laden fabrics collect data about the person wearing Loomia-powered apparel. The sensors collect data about motion, temperature, or frequency of wear, and then store it in the Loomia Tile.

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Loomia wants to allow customers to make money off that data by selling it back to the companies whose clothes they're wearing.

The company eventually wants to allow customers to create a blockchain-based user profile. The customers will then put their Loomia Tile on a connected dock and decide who to sell their data to. In return, Loomia will give them tokens as rewards.

“We may serve the fashion industry, but we're a tech company. We're just focused on making enchanted technology,” said Liriano.

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ResMed, maker of medical equipment and home health management software, announced it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire privately held MatrixCare, for $750 million. MatrixCare is a Minnesota-based EHR company targeted towards long-term post-acute care services, such as skilled nursing facilities, life plan communities and senior living homes.

MatrixCare will broaden RedMed's software-as-a-service portfolio. ResMed, who will be exhibiting at the WT | Wearable Technologies Show MEDICA 2018 on November 12-15 in Düsseldorf, appears to be developing an integrated stack of hardware and software for out-of-hospital care.

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This acquisition will also diversify ResMed’s revenue base. In the first quarter, the company announced 8% of its revenue was attributed to software as a service with 55% of sales from devices to 37% to masks and accessories.

“By establishing a technology footprint across these major care settings, ResMed will drive an integrated ecosystem of solutions, such as maintaining single-patient records across multiple care settings, generating analytics and insights that can be applied to individuals and whole populations, and streamlining processes for healthcare providers across the care continuum,” said ResMed SaaS President Raj Sodhi in a statement.

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Under the terms of the acquisition, ResMed will fund the $750 million primarily with its credit facility. Matrix’s pro forma net revenue is estimated to be approximately $122 million, with a pro forma EBITDA of approximately $30 million.

ResMed deals primarily in equipment related to the treatment of sleep-related breathing disorders, including sleep apnea, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and other respiratory conditions. Some of ResMed’s best-known products are the AirMini and S+. The company was also part of SleepScore Labs, a joint venture with Dr. Oz Media and Pegasus Capital Advisors. Last fall it launched a non-contact sleep improvement device, reports MobiHealthNews.

Wearable Technologies reported this summer that ResMed partnered with Alphabet subsidiary Verily to develop sleep apnea treatments and connected health products.

“The acquisition of MatrixCare is an excellent addition to the out-of-hospital software portfolio that we can offer our healthcare provider customers,” said ResMed CEO Mick Farrell. “ResMed is the world’s leading tech-driven medical device company and is well positioned to be the leading out-of-hospital software provider in the market. With our portfolio including Brightree, HEALTHCAREfirst, and MatrixCare, we will streamline transitions of care, creating better outcomes for patients, caregivers, and out-of-hospital healthcare providers.”

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Researchers at Kempenhaeghe and Eindhoven University of Technology in collaboration with multiple partners have developed nighttime seizure alert device for people with epilepsy. Nightwatch, the wearable device is designed to wear at night. It alerts the caregiver of imminent seizure by triggering an alarm.

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Related Scientists Develop AI System That Can Predict Epileptic Seizure

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A large number of people with treatment resistant epilepsy experience seizures at night. Because the seizures can have serious consequences, both professional and voluntary carers want to be able to observe them as early as possible.

“Nightwatch was developed because we are unable to observe many night time seizures… and the current systems cannot do that effectively yet. That is why we’ve developed this small device, to make it simple and reliable,” said Neurologist Johan Arends.

“From extensive research that we’ve done it now appears that Nightwatch recognizes 85% of severe seizures. Scientific research has proven that Nightwatch is an important step forward. We measure the heartbeat, and we do that with a (sensor) light. This requires good contact with the skin and we also measure movement. The heartbeat is unusually high during these seizures.”

The device is an upper arm strap-on that measures the heart rate and movement of the sleeping person, directly from the body. There is no discomfort. You almost don’t notice that you’re wearing the armband.

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“I don’t really have that much trouble from the Nightwatch at night, said Gerard, a patient of Kempenhaeghe,” said Gerard, a patient at Kempenhaeghe. “Now it’s yellow. It becomes yellow when it detects the heartbeat, and red when I’m having a seizure. I feel safer with the Nightwatch on.”

When the device detects a seizure, it sounds an alarm to the caregiver. The system has been designed mainly for home use.

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The researchers compared their technology to a bed sensor that is normally used for epilepsy. The study showed that the existing sensor detects jerky movements while the patient is in bed, and it failed to warn of severe seizures once every four nights, while the Nighthawk missed only once every 25 nights on average, reports MedGadget.

“We already know that the caregivers feel safer and have a lot more freedom. We hope that in the longer term we can also demonstrate that there are fewer complications,” said Arends.

“The goal of the Nightwatch is to bring safety to as many people as possible, and to actually detect 100% of all serious seizures.”

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As wearable technology is becoming more and more advanced, researchers are finding ways to create cheap and easy-to-use wearable devices that can perform effectively.

A team of researchers at Purdue university have created a simpler version of wearable devices that can be used for health monitoring and alert a user of any health risks in real time. The “smart stickers,” as the researchers call them, can continuously monitor the wearer’s health without a doctor, especially when the patient is back at home.

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“For the first time, we have created wearable electronic devices that someone can easily attach to their skin and are made out of paper to lower the cost of personalized medicine,” said lead researcher Ramses Martinez, a Purdue assistant professor of industrial engineering and biomedical engineering.

According to their study, traditional fabricated epidermal electronics for physiological monitoring and therapy are typically complex and expensive. To solve this issue, the research team developed a fabrication of an epidermal, paper-based electronic device (EPED), which is inexpensive, stretchable and easy to apply.

“The omniphobic character and fibrous structure of EPEDs make them breathable, mechanically stable upon stretching, and facilitate their use as electrophysiological sensors to record electrocardiograms, electromyograms, and electrooculograms, even under water,” the study said. “EPEDs can also be used to provide thermotherapeutic treatments to joints, map temperature spatially, and as wirelessly powered implantable devices for stimulation and therapeutics.”

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Their technology aligns with Purdue's Giant Leaps celebration, acknowledging the university’s global advancements made in health as part of Purdue’s 150th anniversary. This is one of the four themes of the yearlong celebration’s Ideas Festival, designed to showcase Purdue as an intellectual center solving real-world issues.

The stickers are made of cellulose and covered in molecules that repel oil, dust, water and bacteria to prevent the paper from falling off the skin due to water or sweat exposure.

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Related Scientists Create New Stretchable, Wearable Sensor from Chewing Gum

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The smart stickers can help athletes to monitor their health while exercising, or healthcare providers to monitor a patient's sleep. They are unobtrusive to the wearer due to their serpentine-shaped material, allowing them to easily move with human skin.

“The low cost of these wearable devices and their compatibility with large-scale manufacturing techniques will enable the quick adoption of these new fully disposable, wearable sensors in a variety of healthcare applications requiring single-use diagnostic systems,” Martinez said.

The study was published in the journal ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces.

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The construction industry ranks in first place when it comes to the number of fatal workplace injuries. In 2016, there were 991 deaths reported in the United States, almost 6% increase from the previous year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

However, according to McKinsey & Company, the construction industry is lagging behind others in adopting new digital technologies, including those related to worker safety.

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Related Wearables with IoT Connected Sensors Helping to Improve Worker Safety

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Not too long ago, the idea of people wearing personal trackers was viewed as something foreign, but thanks to companies like Fitbit and Apple, donning a wearable that tracks your every move is pretty much common place.

How do these wearable devices work? Wearable devices have sensors that can read information about the wearer and the wearer’s surroundings. This data is then relayed to a system that tracks GPS, biometric data, environmental markers and more.

So, how these wearables can be integrated into the construction industry to make the lives of workers safe?

Insurance company The Travelers Companies announced a collaboration with Gilbane, a large contractor company, and Triax Technologies, a provider of IoT construction technology, to explore the potential safety benefits of wearable devices, reports ZDNet.

This collaboration is the latest effort by Travelers to search for novel ways to help contractors handle safety risks of their employees, promote a culture of safety, and support business growth.

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In the face of severe injuries involved in construction jobs, builders are continuously acknowledging the need to address safety issues more effectively.

The three companies have launched a safety project on a six-story, 60,000-square-foot New York City job site. More than 130 workers will be outfitted with wearable devices for the next 20 months, according to ZDNet.

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Related Singapore’s Changi Airport Construction Site Using Smartglasses and other technology for Safety and Security Measures

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Data collected from a variety of Triax's Spot-r IoT devices will be reviewed by Travelers. The employees will use a waist belt-worn device called Spot-r Clip.

These devices can automatically detect worker falls, thereby provide supervisors with real-time notification of a worker's location and other safety incident details, in order to deliver faster response. The device also has a feature that allows workers to easily report hazards or incidents.

Spot-r EquipTag, a device that monitors the location and use of construction equipment, will be attached to on-site machineries. Additionally, the site will have Spot-r EvacTags, which allow managers to trigger high-decibel, highly visible emergency alarms to workers via a dashboard, reported ZDNet.

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