Future Tense: Wearable Health Monitoring Sensor

Technology: Wearable health monitoring sensor

Purpose: To keep an eye on people's health by capturing data like electrocardiographic signals and body surface temperature, and then wirelessly transmitting that data to a mobile phone or computer where a health professional or family member can access it remotely.

Developer: WIN Human Recorder Co. Ltd., a Japan-based venture firm

How it works: The HRS-I, which is a small sensor that attaches to the chest and weighs about 7 grams, measures electrocardiograph signals, body surface temperature, as well as human movements through a triple-axis sensor. It can also detect stress levels and heartbeat fluctuations. The sensor operates on a CR2032 battery that lasts about three or four days and has a 2.4 GHz wireless communication function that can transmit the information to a mobile phone or computer.

Potential improvement: Because it is small and lightweight, the sensor can be worn comfortably under one's clothes. The battery life also enables caregivers or health professionals to continuously monitor elderly people living in remote areas or patients for three to four days.

What's next: The sensor, which was created by Marubeni Information Systems Co. Ltd., is currently only available in Japan and costs 30,000 yen (approximately $330).

—Carrie Vaughan