Oura partners with UCSF to detect COVID-19 early
Oura has partnered with the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) to study whether the Oura ring can help detect early physiological indicators of COVID-19. Approximately 2000 healthcare professionals on the frontline will receive…
Cambridge Sound Sells IP
Cambridge Sound, makers of the upcoming Sleep Infuser, has signed a deal with Barkby Life Sciences to sell their intellectual property. The Sleep Infuser uses audio technology to reset a user's sleep cycle. Barkby will own 75.1% of the…
Coronavirus boosts Peloton stock price
Peloton stock is rising despite the fall of global stock markets. This is allegedly due to concern over a coronavirus outbreak as more people are electing to stay at home rather than risk going to the gym to exercise. Peloton currently…
Nokia is making an eye movement sensor
Nokia was awarded a patent this week for a wearable device to track eye movements. Nokia's wearable device attaches to a user's eyelid and can be used to provide data about sleep cycles. Electrooculography (EOG) testing, which measures…
Is Casper a technology company?
Casper recently cut the target share price range for its initial public offering (IPO) to between $12 and $13. This reduces the valuation of the company to about $500 million, which is markedly less than the $1.1 billion valuation from its…
Arenar inducing sleep with audio and visual cues
Arenar recently received a patent for an EEG headband that induces sleep using audio and visual cues. The iBand Plus includes pillow speakers and an app that allows users to monitor sleep, view sleep quality, and receive feedback.…
Casper developing a temperature-regulating mattress
Casper recently had a patent publication for a temperature-regulating mattress. Patent investment always leads market activity, and it is important to note that Casper currently does not have a temperature-regulating mattress on the…
Zeez obtains first patent for Sleep Pebble
Zeez, a UK-based company, obtained their first patent for a low power, low frequency portable electromagnetic device. The Zeez Sleep Pebble emits electromagnetic signals at frequencies that mimic a sleeping brain. The device is placed…
Whoop, there it (the money) is!
Whoop, a wearables company, has closed a $55 million Series D round. This brings the company's total funding to more than $100 million. Whoop's raise follows Google's recent $2.1 billion acquisition of Fitbit. The company released…
Eight Sleep raises $40 million in funding
Forbes has reported that Eight Sleep raised $40 million in a growth funding round, bringing their total funding to $65 million. The round was led by Founders Fund and included funding by Khosla Ventures, Y Combinator, Craft Ventures, 8VC,…
Patent Forecast predicts Fitbit acquisition using patent data
Patent investment predicts market activity, and Google’s recent acquisition of Fitbit is no exception. Google announced on November 1, 2019, that the company entered into an agreement to acquire Fitbit for a reported $2.1 billion.…
Google’s parent company Alphabet in talks to buy Fitbit
Alphabet, the parent company of Google, has made an offer to acquire Fitbit according to Reuters. Google has developed a version of its Android operating system, Wear OS, for wearables, but still has not developed wearable hardware, unlike…
Sleep Number refreshing smart bed lineup in 2020
Sleep Number is refreshing their smart-bed lineup in the second half of 2020. On the company's earnings call, CEO Shelly Ibach told analysts that the mattress industry is increasing its focus on technological innovations. The company's new…
Adiva launches crowdfunding campaign to rock you to sleep
Adiva, a Belgian company, recently launched an Indigogo campaign for the Adiva One bed that rocks occupants to sleep. Adiva demonstrated the technology at CES 2019 in Las Vegas. The company cites research that concludes that rocking…
Bose discontinues noise-masking sleepbuds
Bose has discontinued their noise-masking sleepbuds, which launched after a successful Indiegogo campaign that raised over $450,000. The wireless sleepbuds were designed to help users sleep by masking undesired noise with soothing sounds.…
Kokoon receives investment from Blackfinch Ventures
Kokoon, a London-based company, recently received £540,000 (approximately $661,000) in funding from Blackfinch Ventures. Kokoon has developed the world's first sleep-aiding headphones. The noise-cancelling headphones include EEG sensors to…
Philips announces expanded SmartSleep solutions
Philips recently announced the launch of its expanded SmartSleep suite of solutions in the United States. Philips unveiled their SmartSleep solutions at the Consumer Electronics Show in January 2019. The solutions address issues including…
Apple Watch Sleep Tracking
Apple has long been rumored to be working on sleep tracking following its acquisition of Beddit in 2017. Sources inside Apple have leaked that the company is working on sleep tracking for the Apple Watch. The Apple Watch will track sleep…
Fitbit announces the Versa 2 and continues pivot to health care
This week Fitbit announced the Versa 2, which will be available on September 15th. The Versa 2 includes connectivity with Amazon’s Alexa, increased battery life and processing power, and a better display. The Versa 2 is timed to arrive at…
InteraXon pivots to focus on sleep
InteraXon, maker of the Muse™ headband, was awarded a patent this week for an eyeglass frame with an EEG sensor and an EOG sensor. This is similar technology to what is currently implemented in its headband product line, and directly…
Multi-Primary Color Technology Overview
Purpose This sector provides context around the concept of multi-primary color technology. Big Picture Consumers use a number of technologies to capture, display, and print color. However, colors may be perceived differently by…
Orbityl’s earbuds monitor brain activity
Orbityl is a Vancouver, B.C.-based startup that is partnering with a headphone manufacturer to make earbuds which sense and monitor brain activity from inside the ear, including detecting whether the user is asleep. The sensors also use…
Under Armour developing a smart shoe that reads blood pressure
Under Armour is developing a smart shoe that tracks a wearer's blood pressure. The smart shoe transmits blood pressure readings to a wearable device, which then adjusts the fit of the show to optimize blood flow. The smart shoe helps the…
Salted Venture’s smart golf shoes
Salted Venture, a Korean company, has created smart shoes that shows how a user's weight shifts during a golf swing. Reminiscent of the orthotic sensing plate which displays a visual representation of pressure distribution, this weight…
Smart Footwear Overview
Purpose This sector provides context around the concept of smart footwear. Big Picture Consumer demand has increased for wearable technology. Smart footwear generally includes at least one sensor and/or at least one haptic device.…
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