ARTICLE SUMMARY:
Movano is developing wearable devices for remote monitoring based on its proprietary RF sensor technology, with a core focus on noninvasive glucose and cuffless blood pressure. Its initial product, a ring wearable for women, fits its larger goal of offering affordable, FDA-cleared, multi-metric wearables and AI-driven data insights that can help people make healthier life choices. We speak with CEO John Mastrototaro about Movano’s plans and the future of the medical wearables market.
Advances in sensor technology and AI-driven data interpretation, along with widespread adoption of wearables such as smartwatches, have ignited a revolution in remote health monitoring, and a long list of both medtech and high-tech companies are angling for a share of this multibillion-dollar opportunity. (See “Remote Patient Monitoring Enters a New Era,” MedTech Strategist, June 10, 2020.)
One young company making progress in this space is Movano Inc. Founded in 2018, Movano is positioning itself as a medtech company and plans to pursue FDA clearance for its wearable sensors and associated software. The company’s core technology is a proprietary, miniaturized radiofrequency (RF) sensor that Movano is currently developing for both noninvasive glucose and cuffless blood pressure monitoring. The company has completed some preliminary studies on that technology with promising results and plans to conduct more clinical trials this year.
Meanwhile, Movano is working toward commercial release of its first product, a ring form factor that will incorporate other sensor technologies capable of monitoring more standard fitness health metrics such as heart rate, heart rate variability, temperature, respiration, oxygen saturation, sleep stages, and activity levels (steps). An accompanying app provides insights gleaned from the data that correlate certain activities, such as exercise, with other patterns, such as sleep, with the goal of helping users make healthier life choices.
