CHIPS FOR ELECTROPHYSIOLOGICAL SIGNALS IN WEARABLE DEVICES

To know how a patient is doing, it is important to monitor them. This is done, for example, by measuring heart rate, brain signals, or muscle activity. Unfortunately, these measuring devices are often still large and energy-guzzling. At Sencure, they work on smart, energy-efficient chips for electrophysiological signals so that measuring equipment becomes smaller without compromising on quality. Tom van Boven and Benjamin de Jonge explain how they are making a difference.

To arrive at an accurate diagnosis for conditions such as epilepsy, brain scans are performed on the patient. Currently, this is done in a controlled setting in the lab, whereas a seizure occurs more frequently outside the lab. “You can’t send someone into the supermarket wearing a swimming cap with sensors and a large device,” Benjamin outlines the problem. “Our chips make it possible to make measuring equipment much smaller so that you can even wear it while you sleep. But the most remarkable thing about our chips is not the size, but the fact that they consume very little energy. As a result, they require only a small battery, which increases portability while still delivering high quality.”

High-quality signals

Sencure therefore develops chips of small size, but with a big impact. Tom: “If you want to make devices portable, you have to make them quite small. To do this, the chips must consume little energy, so you need a small battery. Our chips are 6x6 mm and have eight channels that allow electrophysiological signals to be measured. This is useful when you want to measure muscle tension, for example. Our customers can integrate our chips into their measuring equipment, and also loop them if they need 24 channels, for instance. They then do not have to build everything themselves using separate components. We supply the high-quality signals; our customers translate them into usable data. This way, they maintain control over the measurements themselves.”

Less cumbersome

Simpler for the customer, and therefore for the patient. Tom: “You are probably familiar with the image of someone who needs to have an ECG done. They walk around for a week with wires across their chest that connect to a kind of Walkman, which the patient has to carry with them all the time. With our technology, you can replace that with a small patch that you can wear on your chest. This makes it less bothersome for patients to undergo these types of measurements. Moreover, you get better results because patients start behaving more naturally, as they are less aware that they are being measured. We have a lot of experience with these types of applications, and can therefore think along with the customer effectively.”

Extra hands from smart people

A year and a half ago, the team noticed they were short-handed. After all, several thousand chips had to be tested at a test station. “We needed not only extra hands for that, but also smart people who can recognize patterns and think critically when a test goes wrong,” says Benjamin. “We were looking for people who could identify the problem: is it the test setup, the tester, the software, or is there a problem in the chip?” This is how the team got in touch with Egbert van Hattem from Novel-T, who eventually managed to find suitable student employees. Tom: “We have had three students complete their assignments so far, and two more are currently working with us. The nice thing for the students is that they get to work within a startup and therefore often receive more responsibility than at a larger company.”

Potential in the consumer market

Together with these student employees, they are working on big ambitions. Benjamin: “In ten years, we will be the go-to partner for measuring these types of electrophysiological signals. Not only for the medical market, but also for the consumer market. You see that there is also a growing need for all kinds of measurements there, for example, in your smartwatch, but possibly also in your earbuds. Our technology can do that, so that is what we want to work towards – together with interested partners and investors.”