PITTSBURGH & CHICAGO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–In a new advance in
remote body monitoring, BodyMedia and Avery Dennison Medical Solutions, a business
unit of Avery Dennison Corporation, today announced the development of a body
monitor patch offering a comfortable, economical means of gathering
physiological data for health and wellness initiatives over a period of seven
days or less. Combining Avery Dennison Medical Solutions proprietary Metria™ Wearable
Sensor Technology and skin-friendly patch form factor with BodyMedias
proprietary algorithms and years of body monitoring expertise, the new wearable
patch solution will initially be used as an evaluation tool for weight management.
Future applications are expected to include corporate wellness programs, remote
elder care and safety, and monitoring of vital signs for a variety of health
conditions*.
The patch solution, expected to launch in 2012, will utilize
similar sensor technology developed for BodyMedia armband-based body monitoring
systems that have been successfully used for weight loss support since 2001.
The smaller form factor, shorter-term use and significantly lower price point
than the armband will make the patch useful to introduce prospective armband
users to the value of continuous body monitoring for weight management, while
also paving the way for new uses by consumers, wellness counselors and
healthcare professionals.
The disposable patch solution will:
- Track key lifestyle indicators such as calorie burn, steps
taken, activity levels and sleep patterns through multiple sensors that collect
more than 5,000 data points per minute. - Enable that data to be uploaded to a computer or mobile
device for use as a guideline to determine the need for behavioral modification
to promote weight loss and other wellness efforts. - Be worn on the back of the left tricep, providing an
inconspicuous solution similar to a large bandage with no wires required to
transmit data. - Remain in place for up to seven days even while showering
and exercising through use of Avery Dennison Medical Solutions splash-proof
adhesive chemistries and production technologies.
“By shrinking the size, price and wear-time of our body
monitoring platform to provide a snapshot of someones lifestyle, this patch
opens the door to wider use of wearable sensor technology to manage and improve
many different areas of health,” said BodyMedia CEO Christine Robins. “Whether
used on a trial basis before investing in our full BodyMedia FIT system for
weight management or to obtain a snapshot of user vital signs for other
applications, the patch will provide both BodyMedia and our partners with an
important new tool for health and wellness.”
“With this product, we are introducing a new form of body
monitoring that redefines the category from a design, usability and price
perspective. This is the kind of innovation that can have a significant impact
on the future of healthcare,” said Howard Kelly, vice president and general
manager, Avery Dennison Medical Solutions. “By pairing our Metria™ Wearable
Sensor Technology platforms proprietary sensor, user interfaces, adhesive
chemistries, materials and manufacturing processes with BodyMedias algorithms
and experience as a category leader in continuous on-body monitors, we have
laid the groundwork for a whole new generation of remote monitoring.”
Prototypes of the new body monitor patch will be on display
at BodyMedias North Hall 3435 booth at the International CES conference
running January 10-13 in Las Vegas.
For more information on the wearable sensor technology embedded in the patch,
visit www.bodymedia.com or www.medical.averydennison.com/Metria.
*Metria Wearable Sensor Technology products have not been
evaluated by Regulatory Agencies.
About BodyMedia, Inc.
When your body talks, BodyMedia listens. BodyMedia has been unlocking and
deciphering secrets of the body since 1999. Headquartered in Pittsburgh, PA,
BodyMedia is the pioneer in developing and marketing wearable body monitors
that equip consumers with information they can use to make sweeping changes to
their own health and wellness beginning with weight management and soon to
include management of other conditions affected by lifestyle choices. The
BodyMedia platform is the only system of its kind that is registered with the
FDA as a Class II medical device and that has been clinically proven to enhance
users weight loss by up to three times (data on file). For more information,
visit www.bodymedia.com.
About Avery Dennison
Avery Dennison helps make brands more inspiring and the world more intelligent.
For more than 75 years the company has been a global leader in
pressure-sensitive technology and materials, retail branding and information
solutions, and organization and identification products for offices and
consumers. A FORTUNE 500® company with sales of $6.5 billion in 2010, Avery
Dennison is based in Pasadena,
California and has employees in
over 60 countries. For more information, visit www.averydennison.com.
Posted by Sean Fenske, Editor-in-Chief, MDT
