Healthcare
Japan's first smart ring with life-sensing abilities
Born form the Japanese idiom “mubyo sokusai” –meaning ‘good health’– SOXAI emerged with an ambitious goal: to seamlessly blend healthcare into daily life. The SOXAI RING 1 was Japan’s first smart ring with life-sensing abilities. Because conventional smart watches don’t cut it, Tatsuhiko Watanabe, CEO & Founder of SOXAI, brought his global expertise in optoelectronics with a vision to track wellness unobtrusively.
Challenge
- Non-invasive smart ring – Create a highly miniaturized ring that monitors vital data for eight days on a single charge
- Extended wear – Ensure seamless operation during everyday activities like bathin
Solution
- A low-power sensor with high shock resistance and AI capabilities to perform tasks at the edge
Impact
- Comfort – More people willing to use ring-type vital data monitoring device
- Accuracy – Precise monitoring with continuous data
- Convenience – A longer battery life that reduces number of charging cycle
Why wearability and accuracy are linked
During its inception in 2021, SOXAI’s success hinged on a simple truth: wearability and accuracy are inextricably linked. A ring, worn continually –even when sleeping or bathing– acquires vital data over the long term that increases its value.
Wearable devices proliferate the global healthcare market. As part of the wearable device trend, smart rings are making gains in the space that smart watches had once cornered. The benefits of a smaller device include their lightweight nature, all-day wearability, and ease of measuring photoplethysmography (PPG).
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Smart watches are unsuitable for constantly monitoring daily activities. The SOXAI RING 1 utilizes ST’s sensor to its maximum capability.
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Tatsuhiko Watanabe, CEO & Founder of SOXAI
How edge AI can enhance comfort, precision, and convenience
SOXAI designed, developed, and manufactured the SOXAI RING 1 entirely in Japan, collaborating with domestic and international universities and utilizing ST technology. The ring monitors various vital data including sleep cycles, heart rates, stress levels, physical activity, and calories burned. Weighing in at 3 grams, data can be acquired for eight days continuously on a single charge.
What is the secret behind this level of performance? The SOXAI RING 1 holds an arsenal of health intelligence, including ST’s LSM6DSOX. This sensor is packed with an accelerometer and a gyroscope, but what sets it apart is its machine learning core.
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The ring can be worn 24/7, even while bathing, and can last up to eight days on a single charge. The ring collects more data which allows for more accurate monitoring.
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Tatsuhiko Watanabe, CEO & Founder of SOXAI
Eight-day vital data monitoring on a single charge
The sensor’s machine learning core offers a significant advantage by reducing the workload on the microcontroller; this situation consumes less power and eliminates the need to process raw data output from the accelerometer and gyroscope. As a result, the microcontroller handles only a small fraction of the data volume when compared to the previous model. In its application to the SOXAI RING 1, this translated into an extended battery life of at least 10 hours and gave the company a competitive advantage upon its release. Finally, in line with its vision of extended wear, the SOXAI RING 1 is designed to be both dust and waterproof, ensuring its durability and longevity.
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When developing SOXAI RING 1, ST introduced the world’s first sensor with edge AI, and we quickly adopted it to boost our product’s performance. Compared to the first generation, SOXAI RING 1 boasts an extended battery life of at least 10 hours, a game-changer in the world of wearable technology.
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Tatsuhiko Watanabe, CEO & Founder of SOXAI
