The Phoenix-based WearTech Applied Research Center received $1.8 million from the Arizona Commerce Authority to support commercialization of eight new health care-related projects.
The funding will advance wearable technology products intended to reduce stress, detect brain injuries in athletes, improve early diagnosis of cognitive decline, support pain management and more, according to the Partnership for Economic Innovation.
The WearTech Center is collaborating with Arizona State University, University of Arizona, Northern Arizona University and Grand Canyon University to implement the new cohort of projects.
“At the WearTech Applied Research Center, we’ve witnessed several of our project teams validate their devices and bring them into the market because we’re able to partner them with businesses and universities,” Kathleen Lee, director of applied research centers for the Partnership for Economic Innovation, said in a statement. “We are grateful to the Arizona Legislature for setting aside these public funds for applied research and appreciate the Arizona Commerce Authority for awarding these funds to help us advance critical research projects.”
In 2021, the state Legislature earmarked $5 million to applied research centers in Arizona, including $2.5 million for wearable technology projects. That funding is matched by the private sector, the Business Journal previously reported.
The Arizona Commerce Authority awarded $1.6 million to the WearTech Applied Research Center last year to support a previous cohort of eight projects.
The WearTech Applied Research Center, at Park Central in midtown Phoenix, is a public-private partnership between the Partnership for Economic Innovation, Arizona State University and the state government. It launched in 2019 with a mission to expand the wearable technology ecosystem in the state.
The eight new projects are:
- Medtronic’s wearable monitor that detects acute kidney injury and chronic heart failure.
- CenSyn’s “PenEEG Platform,” a portable concussion and recovery management device that allows sports trainers, athletes, and neurologists to track brain injuries.
- Hypersound Medical’s wearable device that uses microwave energy to provide immediate pain relief.
- ReSuture’s wearable capacitive sensor bed that collects pressure data so surgeons can improve safety and efficiency of surgeries.
- Paxauris’ “Worker Safety Hearable,” a device that measures critical health data to protect a worker’s hearing.
- TF Health’s “Smart Driving Pad,” a sensing system that assesses driver performance and other factors of age-related cognitive decline to help health care practitioners diagnose and treat Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.
- TouchPoint’s “Thodian,” an AI-powered device that releases gentle vibrations for stress relief.
“The WearTech Applied Research Center’s new projects are helping establish Arizona as a leader in the wearable technology sector while de-risking public and private investments in future technologies,” John Graham, president and CEO of Sunbelt Holdings and board chair of the Partnership for Economic Innovation, said in a statement. “Investment in these life-changing technologies will accelerate innovation and allow us to redefine what health looks like for millions of Arizonans.”
