Seagbri Technology: Pivoting from Automotive Electronics to Remote ECG Monitoring

Sep 11, 2015 08:06 CST Updated 08:06

Upon entering the premises of Beijing Ouqiao Century Technology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “Ouqiao Tech”), visitors are greeted by a calligraphic plaque bearing the company’s name, inscribed by Li Yansheng, a renowned Chinese artist. Liu Peng, founder and chairman of Ouqiao Tech, is an avid enthusiast of calligraphy. During his years of study and work in Japan, he established his own calligraphy studio, having once dreamed of becoming a professional calligrapher.

When asked why he shifted his focus from calligraphy to the in-depth research and development of ECG products, Liu Peng candidly stated, “ECG is a key indicator for monitoring heart disease. Since ECG signals are transient, capturing these fleeting data through internet-based technologies to provide early warnings for heart disease patients and remind them to seek timely medical attention is a meaningful endeavor. I hope that ECG acquisition devices can become like the ‘gadgets’ from Doraemon’s pocket—readily accessible and useful at any time—serving every household. Additionally, my mother is a cardiologist, and her influence also motivated me to enter this field.”

1438235229_970

Oubridge Technology, established in June 2004, is a developer of medical information systems and intelligent hardware. It specializes in remote real-time health information service systems centered on ECG monitoring and automated ECG analysis. Its product portfolio includes Guanhu Wang, a professional website for home-based ECG health monitoring, and Xinweishi, a portable ECG device.

At its inception, Beijing Ouqiao Century Technology Co., Ltd. served the automotive electronics industry, and it was not until 2008 that Ouqiao Technology formally entered the field of internet healthcare. Liu Peng told VCBeat, “Whether in automotive electronics or ECG device development, we have always been a company driven by technology as our core force.”

Oubridge Technology’s partner in the automotive electronics industry was a Japanese company. In 2008, as the financial crisis hit, Liu Peng and his Japanese partner began to consider what they could do given that they were neither short of capital nor technology. Liu Peng explained, “At that time, there were several areas we could explore: elderly care, beauty, and health-related fields.” Liu Peng chose to focus on the electrocardiogram (ECG) segment within the health-related domain.

During conventional inpatient treatment, physicians typically have patients wear a “Holter” monitor to collect 24-hour electrocardiogram (ECG) data, thereby providing a relatively comprehensive basis for diagnosis. However, Holter monitors are expensive, restricted to hospital use, and not portable. Moreover, they generally only record ECG data over a 24-hour period and do not support real-time monitoring. The portable ECG device “Heart Guardian,” developed by Ouqiao Technology, addresses several drawbacks associated with traditional Holter monitors. In addition to delivering the precise ECG measurements characteristic of conventional devices, Heart Guardian offers advantages such as portability, continuous monitoring, and lower cost. True to its name, Heart Guardian serves as a dedicated protector of cardiac health, providing enhanced care for the heart.

The prototype of Heart Guardian was officially launched in September 2013. This product utilizes bio-electrical sensing technology, which is already well-established in Europe, the United States, and Japan. It is designed for use similar to a bandage: simply peel off the protective film from the conductive adhesive on the back of the device and apply it to the area above the right side of the heart. Compact and lightweight, the device features a battery life exceeding seven days, allowing for continuous use for more than a week.

When patients leave the hospital, they can upload their ECG data to a cloud server in real time by wearing the Heart Guardian. Users can conveniently view their ECG data via a web page. Furthermore, through the built-in intelligent ECG analysis platform of the Heart Guardian, users can analyze their ECG data against an existing database of 900,000 ECG models to obtain recommended diagnoses. In the event of dangerous abnormalities in the user’s ECG, the Heart Guardian can directly send notifications via phone calls to pre-linked family members and physicians, thereby providing timely warnings and alerts for high-risk users. Currently, the Heart Guardian supports data transmission via Wi-Fi, 3G, 4G, and other networks.

Currently, Ouqiao Technology has become the sole partner of China Unicom in the field of mobile smart healthcare. The collaboration will primarily leverage Ouqiao’s portable remote real-time ECG monitoring system as a platform, utilizing China Unicom’s mobile network technology and sales channels to provide health monitoring services to end-user households.

In terms of product reliability and precision, Xinweishi has passed the dual validation by the CFDA and clinical physicians.

Oubridge Technology entered the internet healthcare sector in 2008. By 2013, when the prototype of its "Heart Guardian" was officially launched, the company had spent two and a half years on research and development, followed by two years obtaining certification from the China Food and Drug Administration (CFDA) and conducting various clinical trials. Currently, Oubridge Technology has established its own manufacturing facility in Tongzhou for independent R&D and production. The company holds patents for three products: a portable remote real-time ECG monitor, a portable remote real-time ECG monitoring system, and comprehensive lead ECG electrodes. The portable remote real-time ECG monitor ["Heart Guardian"] obtained a Medical Device Registration Certificate (valid from 2012 to 2016), and the company holds a Medical Device Manufacturing Enterprise License.

Currently, multiple professional medical institutions, including Peking University People’s Hospital, Beijing Anzhen Hospital, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Wuhan Union Hospital, and Beijing Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital, have recognized the practicality of “Heart Guardian.”