Introducing EmbracePlus, the world’s most mobile, flexible, and accurate clinical platform in Neurology research

Empatica

Nov 18, 2019• 9 min read

50 years ago, on November 19th, 1969, the Apollo 12 mission made a precision landing on the surface of the moon, in the Ocean of Storms. It was the first successful mission after Apollo 11, only three short months later. When Apollo 12 left for the moon, its main goal was to land close to the Surveyor III spacecraft, which had previously been sent to explore the planet’s surface. The crew eventually landed as planned, at just a walking distance from the spacecraft. The highly accurate targeting of the mission, in terms of the location of the landing, meant that NASA now could focus on specific objects and areas for research in future expeditions, paving the path for advanced and unprecedented types of space research.

45 years later, on the same date, we started a revolution in medical wearables by launching our crowdfunding campaign that culminated in what was to become the world’s first FDA-cleared smart band in Neurology. It was the first time in the history of wearables that a device was cleared in the consumer market to detect and respond to specific events and transfer data in real-time. Empatica did this in record time, validating research conducted at MIT, entering the market via crowdfunding, and then producing FDA-cleared hardware over a period of 3 years, something that would normally take twice that amount of time.

Now, the two journeys meet, in the world's first medical smart watch dedicated to research discoveries. Meet EmbracePlus.

An Embrace made for space, for use in the real world

We are proud to announce the arrival of a new device, that will enable never-before-seen research breakthroughs in neurology and beyond. NASA’s Human Research Program (HRP) “partners with external entities in researching and developing innovative approaches to reduce risks to humans on long-duration exploration missions, including NASA’s Journey to Mars”. One of those entities is TRISH, the Translational Research Institute for Space Health.

Our latest medical-grade wearable, EmbracePlus, has been chosen by TRISH to be the first wearable to monitor the health of the astronaut crew that will be on board the first manned mission to Mars. Only an advanced and reliable research device would be chosen to predict and protect astronauts’ physical and mental health in deep-space exploration missions. The device has been designed and developed to suit even the most advanced type of research needs, combining the best of Empatica’s existing research solutions and our consumer-focused, FDA-cleared monitor, the Embrace2. EmbracePlus will be available in 2020 but early access is available to select clients.

Designed to empower new discoveries and medical solutions in Neurology

Neurological disorders are the leading cause of disability worldwide [1] and currently affect one in six of the world’s population. [2]

Research, however, no matter the scale, can often hit walls, with the biggest being real-world accessibility and compliance. Study subjects relying on paper diaries may often forget to fill them in or, unavoidably, they will complete them with a certain amount of subjectivity. Other devices that aim at collecting physiological data automatically can suffer from design issues, meaning the wearer finds them uncomfortable or undesirable to wear. Continuous compliance is key, as this will subsequently lead to continuous data collection.

So, we worked for close to two years on a very hard goal: how could we evolve the quality of the sensors and the flexibility and the power of our device, while making it smaller and more beautiful?

With an eye-catching design and a combination of powerful sensors, EmbracePlus enables the continuous, passive, and unobtrusive monitoring of patients or research subjects, all packaged up in the first smart watch to be specifically designed for such a purpose.

Advanced research solutions should be adaptable to each study’s needs. With this in mind, we wanted EmbracePlus to be the world’s only medical device that combines the use of validated biomarkers with the flexibility of raw data in a beautifully designed smart watch.

From enabling real-world clinical research to providing a fully flexible platform, EmbracePlus is a complete solution that guarantees:

A broad range of validated biomarkers with real-time, objective data points
The highest patient compliance and engagement through a wearable that’s a joy to use and wear
Fast, secure, and quality data transfer and analysis, tailored to the needs of your study
Robust scalability: EmbracePlus runs on the same Embrace’s FDA-cleared, robust mobile and cloud data pipeline infrastructure, enabling the management of thousands of patients in a clinical trial and large deployment digital health apps.

The dream research device

What you get:

The device: a beautiful watch face, with a low power, e-ink display. Features a powerful MCU to modulate sensor sampling depending on the researcher’s clinical needs. It also includes Bluetooth 5, which features faster data streaming to a nearby smartphone. The watch face will let researchers set reminders and prompt questions during their research trial, ensuring the constant engagement of the participants.
Brand new sensors:
a custom array of photodiodes and LEDs boosts a powerful PPG sensor to detect high-quality HR and HRV
a custom Electrodermal Activity sensor

One of the flagship features will be the possibility for researchers to customize the sampling frequency through the proprietary SDK, giving a lot of flexibility for different data collection purposes.

A comfortable strap, that can be swapped and customized, available both in fabric and vegan leather, that runs circuitry inside to power electrodes.
On-wrist charging: one of the most neglected features for wearable devices takes center stage with EmbracePlus. The engineering team developed a revolutionary solution to handle data loss in research and patient monitoring, namely when they have to take it off to charge it. This is the biggest pain-point for the field, as it means lower compliance and fragmented data collection. Our solution is a patent-pending sleek pod: a power bank that magnetically plugs on the watch face and automatically charges it. Instead of taking the device off and charging it in a base station that transfers data, the base station goes on the device instead.

EmbracePlus will go to space, but it’s designed to empower the next medical discoveries in neurology, here on Earth. A dream come true for clinical trials and the remote monitoring of neurology patients.

How to get EmbracePlus

Take advantage of our limited-time offer for early adopters: buy E4 before the end of 2019 and receive EmbracePlus when the device is released, with a waived upgrade fee. Find out more about how E4 can empower your research via real-time physiological data acquisition and visualization, or purchase it now and take advantage of the bundle offer.

For large scale deals, the Empatica Team can provide you with all the information you need. You can reach out to them by completing this short form.

For more information on the upgrade program, you can contact embraceplus@empatica.com.

When will EmbracePlus be available?

EmbracePlus will launch in the second half of 2020. Sign up to stay in the loop, or reserve yours now.

Take advantage of our EmbracePlus upgrade bundle by purchasing an E4 wristband today. Talk to our team for more details.

Words worth reading

Sources:

We do not guarantee that EpiMonitor will detect every single seizure and deliver alerts accordingly. It is not meant to substitute your current seizure monitoring practices, but rather to serve as a supplement in expediting first-response time.