Holst Centre, Maastricht Instruments Working on ExG Prodution

Holst Centre, an open-innovation initiative by imec and TNO, and Maastricht Instruments, high-tech solution provider for academia and SME, announce a technology transfer deal to bring wearable biopotential monitoring systems to low-volume production. Maastricht Instruments will manufacture and market Holst Centre’s wireless single-channel ExG sensor node for biopotential and 3D inertial measurements. The deal makes this mature platform accessible to academic groups for research purposes, and small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs) for product development and commercialization.

Holst Centre’s wireless ExG sensor node is a small, lightweight wearable biomedical sensor platform. Based on a low-power single-channel analog front-end developed by imec, it combines accelerometers for measuring body movements with the ability to monitor a wide range of biopotentials, such as electrocardiogram (ECG), electroencephalogram (EEG), electromyogram (EMG) and electrooculogram (EOG). All this is integrated into a small, lightweight wearable device that is capable of operating and wirelessly transmitting data continuously for up to five days on a single battery charge.

Maastricht Instruments will bring the technology to researchers and SMEs in two ways. Firstly, it will make off-the-shelf, open products that customers can integrate into new or existing monitoring infrastructures. Secondly, drawing on its location on the Maastricht Health Campus and links within the UMC ecosystem, the company is uniquely able to re-engineer the technology and create made-to-order solutions tuned to individual customers’ specific needs.

The agreement gives academic groups a new tool for biomedical research. The wireless ExG sensor node is very comfortable to wear, enabling researchers to gather data reliably in real-life situations with high patient compliance. In addition, its long battery lifetime allows data to be gathered over longer periods. Furthermore, the devices’ unique combination of functionality opens up new monitoring possibilities that are more convenient for patients.

“Taking the wireless ExG sensor node into low-volume production marks a new stage in our ongoing relationship with Maastricht Instruments,” said Julien Penders, program manager Body Area Networks at Holst Centre. “Their experience in small-scale production and transferring technologies to research groups perfectly complements our own R&D expertise. Partnering with them is an efficient way to make some of our technology available to research groups and SMEs in the biomedical and wearable device sectors.”

“Holst Centre is developing many exciting new technologies. Their wireless ExG sensor node allows us to create body area network devices with all kinds of sensors, and really push the boundaries of what is possible in ambulatory monitoring. Our goal at Maastricht Instruments is to make these technologies available to the research and care communities. Researchers, medical professionals and SMEs around the world are generating many innovative ideas to improve patient care, and we are working with them to make their ideas a reality,” added Freek Boesten, business developer at Maastricht Instruments.

The first open products based on the wireless ExG sensor node will be available in the second half of 2013. In addition, Maastricht Instruments is already in discussions with companies and research groups about developing new applications.