Apple partner Rockley Photonics has revealed a new full-stack, “clinic-on-the-wrist” digital health sensor system for wearable devices. The new sensor will be able to monitor multiple biomarkers through non-invasive means like blood pressure, alcohol, glucose levels, body temperature, lactate, body hydration, and more.
Rockley Photonics is a British electronic start-up with Apple’s biggest customer. The two companies have an ongoing supply and development contract. Therefore, it is likely that the new health sensor technology is coming to Apple Watch in the coming years. In Apple Watch Series 6, Cupertino tech company expanded the smartwatch’s health features by introducing blood oxygen level monitoring which can be helpful in the detection of respiratory-related conditions like asthma.
In addition, industry sources and published patents reveal that Apple is working to introduce capabilities to monitor blood pressure, blood glucose, and alcohol levels in Apple Watch Series 8 by 2022 likely supported by Rockley Photonics’ new digital health sensor system.
Future Apple Watch might be able to monitor blood pressure, glucose, and alcohol levels with Rockley Photonics new “clinic-on-the-wrist” sensor
Rockley’s details of the new sensor match technology for which Apple has gained patents; the miniaturized chip solution for non-invasive monitoring of biomarkers was found in a patent published in February 2021. Furthermore, Apple Watch Series 6, uses Rockley’s infrared (IR) spectrophotometers to monitor a wider range of biomarkers.
Through its “clinic-on-the-wrist” technology utilizing a miniaturized chip solution that provides continuous, non-invasive monitoring of core biomarkers, Rockley expects to be able to overcome the key challenges associated with mobile wellness monitoring. While many of today’s wearable consumer electronic devices use green light-emitting diodes (LEDs) to monitor heart rate, Rockley’s infrared (IR) spectrophotometers can detect and monitor a much wider range of biomarkers, which could dramatically increase the functionality of wearable devices.
The sensor manufacturer explained that its new sensor technology is a milestone that is ready to be shipped in high volumes wearable to transform digital healthcare. Dr. Andrew Rickman, chief executive officer and founder of Rockley Photonics said;
“Our full-stack sensor solution, which brings together optical and electronic hardware, firmware, algorithms, and cloud-based analytics, is an exciting milestone on our roadmap. Our reference designs will significantly aid our customers and partners with the deployment of our technology and accelerate their own scalable, high-volume product delivery. We believe that combining machine learning algorithms with continuous monitoring of an extended set of biomarkers from accessible wearable devices will provide new actionable insights to enhance and transform digital healthcare.”
We're transforming #healthcare through our “clinic-on-the-wrist” technology. We’re working with leading wearable companies to enable consumers to detect diseases earlier, better manage nutrition, and focus on preventive healthcare so they can live better and healthier lives (2/3) pic.twitter.com/WeQWFiAVKH
— Rockley Photonics (@RockleyPhotonic) March 19, 2021
Therefore, we can expect the new Apple Watch Series 8 in 2022 to offer new health monitoring capabilities.
Rockley is initially targeting the consumer electronics market, in which significant advances in digital personal health and fitness monitoring have occurred in recent years. Rockley is also actively pursuing the application of its technologies with leading medical device companies as biomarker monitoring can advance digital health applications and improve disease prevention, detection, and management.
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