EmbraceX

Industry Project

This project proposes to develop a wrist-worn wearable device that monitors, among other things, electrodermal activity (EDA), accelerometry, heart rate, SpO2 (oxygen saturation), and peripheral temperature sensing. The development process will follow a traditional wearable consumer electronics development process where they will prove out the functionality of subsystems (Proof-Of-Concept), integrate into a Form-factor system (Alpha), and bring to mass production via Engineering Validation (EV) Design Validation (DV) and Process Validation (PV) builds.

We can distinguish between internal spillover effects that have been generated during the engineering development process and benefits for the broad research community enabled by the final product once it reaches commercialization. From an internal Empatica perspective, EmbracePlus is an example of combinatorial innovation, where innovation happens at the crossroads of market needs and the capability of a company to integrate and combine different modules/system subparts, in an adequate form factor that meets the requirements of the end user.

The Translational Research Institute for Space Health (TRISH)/NASA contribution has allowed Empatica to deepen the level of systemic and technological integration, allowing the development teams to explore more combinations and test different options in order to achieve the best balance between usability, performance, and technical/design constraints. Moreover, the EmbracePlus engineering development process has been enhanced by the challenge of considering usability in the context of space missions. This constraint influenced the design of the product, the choice of materials, and the overall architecture. The continuous dialogue between science, engineering, and design -- a core of Empatica's approach -- resulted in a product that will constitute the gold standard for on-wrist physiological signal measurement, and a great platform for researchers in the space industry and in clinical uses. EmbracePlus is a device that is built to enable discovery, both in space and on Earth. Empatica wants to continue to explore space applications after the launch of EmbracePlus. The company is already planning to complement the product offering with the development of specific biomarkers suitable for the detection of different conditions in space, specifically tiered around mental health applications.

This is early/mid-stage (TRL 3) — the most realistic path in is NASA SBIR/STTR, which funds small businesses and research institutions to develop technology aligned with NASA's needs (equity-free, phased funding). Check whether a current SBIR/STTR solicitation topic overlaps with this project's technology area, or contact the project directly (above) to ask.

None of these are guaranteed paths for this specific project — TechPort itself doesn't have an "apply" button. Reaching out to the contact(s) above with a specific question is usually the fastest way to find out what's actually open.