Emerging Startups in Wearable Patch Technology: Innovations and IPO Filings

In recent years, a plethora of wearable devices for monitoring health status have emerged both domestically and internationally, offering people an entirely new experience in healthcare. These wearables include wristbands, compact devices, smartwatches, patches, and necklaces, with smart patches recently gaining significant traction as the most prominent trend. Due to their small size and ease of use, smart patches hold greater market potential and value compared to other wearable smart devices. They are poised to become the “dark horse” among all wearables, driving new economic growth in the wearable device market. So, what smart patches capable of monitoring physical health are currently available or expected to emerge in the near future?After a review, VCBeat found that the products mainly focus on body parts such as the chest/skin/calves/hands/abdomen/armpits, primarily monitoring chronic diseases (heart rate, blood glucose, etc.), body temperature, and vital signs.

I. Smart Patch for Monitoring Patients' Overall Vital Signs
SensiumVitals, developed by Toumaz Group, is an ultra-low-power wireless system,It can monitor patients' general vital signs, including heart rate, respiratory rate, and temperature.Monitoring data can be updated every two minutes and transmitted via wireless communication to the nurses' station or any networked device.

In current hospital settings, nurses monitor the vital signs of most general ward patients only once every 4 to 8 hours. This intermittent monitoring may delay the detection of patient deterioration, causing patients to miss the optimal window for treatment. SensiumVitals addresses this critical gap by enabling healthcare professionals to identify signs of clinical deterioration at the earliest possible stage. In March 2013, SensiumVitals launched a pilot program at a hospital in Los Angeles, demonstrating strong clinical outcomes and economic benefits.

◆HealthPatch MD
Other smart patches similar to SensiumVitals include the HealthPatch MD biosensor from Vital Connect,Compared with SensiumVitals, this smart patch can monitor more data indicators, including electrocardiogram (ECG), heart rate, heart rate variability (HRV), respiratory rate, skin temperature, step count, and even body posture.HealthPatch MD leverages onboard intelligence to execute complex, proprietary sensor fusion algorithms, processing tens of thousands of data points and transmitting the information to healthcare providers. Furthermore, a key feature of HealthPatch MD is the high level of security in the data it provides and transmits, as it encrypts the wearer’s health data in accordance with HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) medical security standards.

In September 2014, Vital Connect announced on its official website that HealthPatch MD had received FDA approval.

II. The ZIO Patch: A Smart Cardiac Monitoring Patch Likely to Replace the Holter Monitor

In the realm of cardiac monitoring, the vast majority of hospitals utilize the Holter monitor, which has long been the leading standard. However, the ZIO Patch, a device developed by iRhythm, a company based in San Francisco, USA, can monitor various arrhythmias, including supraventricular tachycardia, atrial fibrillation/flutter, pauses greater than 3 seconds, and atrioventricular block, with accuracy far surpassing that of the Holter monitor.

The ZIO Patch is a waterproof electrocardiogram (ECG) recorder, similar in form to an adhesive bandage, which patients can wear continuously on their chest for up to 14 days. Furthermore, its wire-free design ensures that daily activities such as exercise and bathing are not impeded in the slightest. After use, patients simply mail the device back to iRhythm Technologies, which analyzes and organizes the recorded data, generates a report, and submits it to the physician. The ZIO Patch received FDA approval for market launch as early as 2009. Testing has demonstrated that the ZIO Patch achieves an accuracy rate of up to 90%, compared to only 64% for the Holter monitor; therefore, the ZIO Patch is likely to replace the Holter monitor in the future.

◆AmpStrip
Similar to the ZIO Patch, this cardiac monitoring device was developed by FITLINXX. Unlike the ZIO Patch, however, it is primarily designed for athletes rather than patients. Compact, lightweight, and waterproof, it can be adhered below the heart to track the wearer’s exercise trajectory, calorie expenditure, and other metrics. Most importantly, its built-in sensors record heart rate data and automatically sync it to a corresponding smartphone app. This enables users to better understand their cardiac status and post-exercise heart rate recovery, facilitating more scientific and healthy exercise practices.

AmpStrip is highly automated, capable of automatically switching between different activity states, such as swimming or running. It begins operating automatically once applied to the body, eliminating the need for manual activation. AmpStrip uses a specialized medical-grade adhesive for attachment; each unit comes with 30 adhesive patches, each designed to last approximately seven days, which aligns with the battery life of around seven days. The device currently retails for $149.

III. Smart Patches for Monitoring Skin Health
Currently, most wearable patches are solid-state devices, while flexible, sticker-like electronic devices developed by researchers at Northwestern University and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have emerged as a new highlight.

Flexible devices offer greater extensibility and adaptability compared to rigid ones. The most distinctive feature of the device developed by this team is its integrated array of 3,600 liquid crystal sensors, each measuring approximately 0.5 square millimeters. These sensors monitor the user’s skin condition; the patch automatically changes color in response to variations in skin temperature. Its ultra-thin profile ensures that wearers experience no discomfort. Furthermore, the patch is capable of monitoring the user’s cardiovascular health.

The team has partnered with L'Oréal to jointly develop an electronic device for monitoring skin health. This device detects minute temperature variations in the skin caused by changes in blood flow. Increased blood flow within the skin may indicate inflammation, allowing users to conduct measurements over a period of time to safeguard long-term skin health.

In addition, the device can measure skin hydration, enabling L'Oréal to leverage specialized data for skincare product development and assisting researchers in validating product efficacy. It can be applied to various parts of the user's body, with monitoring data transmitted via Bluetooth to smartphones to guide users toward healthier skincare practices. L'Oréal expects to officially launch the device next year.

IV. Sweat-Monitoring Patches
The Echo H2 Hydration Smart Patch, a sweat-monitoring patch developed by Kenzen, is specifically designed for individuals engaged in physical exercise. By analyzing sweat produced during workouts, it measures key biomarkers such as lactate levels, glucose concentration, hydration status, and electrolyte balance, transmitting this data to a dedicated smartphone app. This enables users to determine the optimal timing for fluid intake to maintain electrolyte equilibrium, when to rest to prevent lactate accumulation, and when to intensify their exercise to maximize training efficacy.

Echo H2 Hydration Smart Patch is the world’s first smart patch capable of monitoring human metabolism before, during, and after exercise. Compact and energy-efficient, it can be worn continuously for two weeks and is even waterproof up to a depth of five meters. Currently priced at $89, the device is expected to hit the market within the next one to two months.

V. Smart Patches for Specific Diseases

1. Diabetes
In addition to suffering from the disease itself, patients with diabetes must endure the long-term pain of repeated insulin injections. Fortunately, a newly developed painless insulin patch promises to significantly alleviate this burden. This smart patch was developed by researchers at the University of North Carolina and North Carolina State University. It monitors blood glucose levels and releases insulin in amounts tailored to the patient’s condition. Although the patch is small in size, it contains over 100 microneedles arranged in a matrix. These microneedles are finer than human hair and house micro-reservoirs filled with insulin and glucose-sensing enzymes. When blood sugar levels rise, insulin is rapidly released. This approach spares patients the pain of insulin injections and avoids the adverse effects associated with traditional injection methods.

Furthermore, by adjusting the enzyme dosage contained in each microneedle, the entire patch can maintain the patient’s blood glucose levels within a specific range. Currently, this device has only been tested in mice, with significant therapeutic efficacy observed. Although human trials have not yet been conducted, this insulin patch holds enormous market potential in the field of diabetes management.

2. Epilepsy
Epilepsy is a chronic and recurrent neurological disorder, and patients typically require long-term or even lifelong medication; preventing epileptic seizures is crucial for patients.

Artefact, a company based in San Francisco, USA, has designed the Dialog smart patch, aiming to bring relief to patients with epilepsy. The patch is equipped with sensors on its underside that monitor vital physiological data such as hydration levels, body temperature, and pulse, thereby predicting potential seizure onset. The device connects via Bluetooth to a smartphone app, providing timely medication reminders. In the event of a sudden seizure, the patient can simply grip the device to activate a pressure sensor, which triggers an emergency call. Furthermore, since seizures are often preceded by warning signs, or when a seizure is imminent, the patient can double-tap the device to log the episode. This enables patients to prepare in advance and records the time interval from prodromal symptoms to seizure onset. Additionally, during a sudden seizure, the device can guide nearby family members and friends on how to respond appropriately. Although currently a conceptual product, the device is expected to soon become a commercially available solution, benefiting patients with epilepsy.

3. Parkinson's Disease
A smart patch for Parkinson’s disease patients, similar to insulin patches, will soon be available. Developed by researchers at Seoul National University in South Korea, the 2-inch patch is made of stretchable nanomaterials containing heat-activatable nanoparticles. When patients experience intermittent tremors during episodes, the patch monitors muscle activity and uses its sensors to release medication in response to the patient’s body temperature, thereby alleviating their symptoms.

The device is currently overcoming the technical challenge of wireless connectivity. Once successful, the patch will transmit patients’ episode data to their attending physicians, enabling remote diagnosis and precise dosage determination, thereby facilitating faster and more accurate clinical assessment and prescription. Although the patch will require some time before entering the consumer market, its market value and potential are considerable.

VI. Body Temperature Monitoring Patch

The first temperature-monitoring patch to appear on the market was iThermonitor, launched by Beijing RuiRen Medical. It is a smart adhesive patch designed for monitoring fever in children, capable of continuously tracking their body temperature 24 hours a day.

When a child has a fever, parents are forced to repeatedly measure the child’s temperature at regular intervals, making it impossible for them to get proper sleep while caring for their child at night. This temperature-monitoring patch plots the child’s temperature curve every four seconds and transmits the data to an app on the parents’ smartphones, allowing them to track changes in their child’s body temperature. Most importantly, the patch automatically triggers an alert when the child’s temperature rises above or falls below a threshold set by the parents, notifying them of any significant increase in body temperature.

Furthermore, the patch features medication and cold compress reminders, as well as cloud-based data storage. Parents can remotely monitor their children by accessing caregiver-uploaded data via the cloud, even when away from home. This data also provides valuable support for physicians in diagnosing conditions. The patch offers high precision, with an error margin of only ±0.05°C within the 35°C–38.5°C range, making it a thoughtful and reliable aid for parents. Currently, several pediatric temperature patches are available on the market, such as Lece Temperature Patch, Fever Smart, and Mi Kaiwendou Smart Temperature Patch, which exhibit performance characteristics very similar to those of iThermonitor.

In addition to its pediatric temperature patches, Ruiren Medical’s other flagship product is also a smart temperature-monitoring patch—the Yunlü Patch. As the name suggests, this smart temperature patch is specifically designed for women during pregnancy. The patch is ergonomically shaped to conform to the curvature of the female axilla, ensuring comfortable wear. By simply applying the patch to the underarm each night, it automatically collects 2,000 sets of temperature data and continuously records temperature readings over a 240-hour period. These data can be synchronized to cloud servers for access at any time. Based on this information, the companion mobile app automatically generates temperature charts, analyzes conception probability and sleep quality, and accurately predicts and reminds users of ovulation days and menstrual periods, thereby enhancing the likelihood of conception. By analyzing these extensive datasets, the system can establish intelligent analytical models to provide predictive insights and expert recommendations. The current retail price is RMB 599.

Based on the above information, a preliminary analysis suggests that wearable patches are currently primarily used to improve patient health outcomes and reduce healthcare costs. The market is still in its early stages of development and commercialization, characterized by limited volume and a narrow scope of monitoring. Furthermore, these devices face a series of challenges, such as insufficient software and services, and the need to facilitate the establishment of a comprehensive ecosystem.

Text | Mao Wanyi Editor | Mo Renying