An image from Oxecam--Courtesy of Oxehealth |
U.K. startup Oxehealth was in prototype development phase less than a year ago after completing a successful pilot trial. Now, the Oxford University spinout has nabbed a major partner to help push its novel camera-based, vital sign monitoring technology onto the market.
Vital sign monitoring in the clinical setting can fall as a routine task for nursing staff. Or it can involve an inconvenient array of devices and wires--or the application of bodily patches when continuous monitoring is necessary. Oxehealth has validated a neat solution around those inconveniences that could make continuous vital sign monitoring much simpler--and more easily extend it into the home.
It has a camera-based technology that monitors 5 vital signs: heart rate, breathing rate, blood oxygenation, blood pressure and temperature. It then applies algorithms to detect changes and offers alerts to healthcare providers or other staff. The technology incorporates computer vision, signal processing and signal extraction, but it's based on images from a standard video camera.
The technology is expected to be useful not only in hospitals, but also potentially in secure detention locations, such as mental institutions and prisons, where individual well-being must be monitored, and in at-home settings for elderly, at-risk patients--or even routine infant monitoring.
The new deal with Samsung camera manufacturer Hanwha Techwin could put Oxehealth in a better position to mass-produce and market its contact-free, vital sign monitoring technology.
Hanwha Techwin CEO Cheol Kyo Kim (left) and Oxehealth CEO Jonathan Chevallier--Courtesy of Oxehealth |
Hanwha Techwin has "an impressive track record of manufacturing robust, high-performance video surveillance solutions for demanding mission critical and high-security applications. We see them as fantastic founding partners," said Oxehealth CEO Jonathan Chevallier in a statement."We are looking forward to working with the Hanwha Techwin team to promote this market leading camera based health monitoring solution to secure room environments, as well as, in the future, exploring the opportunities for the technology in other market sectors."
The Oxehealth technology has already been piloted by U.K. police and mental health organizations. The partners will be jointly promoting the vital sign monitoring technology, which will include Samsung-branded cameras.
"The technology partnership we have formed with Oxehealth is a perfect example of how Hanwha Techwin is delivering against its commitment to provide innovative video surveillance solutions that fulfill real market needs," summed up the company's president and CEO, Cheol Kyo Kim.
- here is the partnership release