Shimmer Solicits Input on Expanded Open Wearables Initiative
October 27, 2020 | Business WireEstimated reading time: 1 minute
Shimmer Research, a global leader in wearable technology for research applications, announced that the Open Wearables Initiative (OWEAR) is evaluating a significant expansion of its vision and seeking industry input to build consensus.
OWEAR was founded in Sept. 2019 as an industry collaboration to promote the effective use of high-quality, sensor-generated measures of health in clinical research. OWEAR has already achieved much of its original vision, building a community which makes open source algorithms and wearable datasets more accessible, and instituting a benchmarking program to evaluate algorithms.
“We are excited and energized by what OWEAR has been able to achieve in its first year. We also recognize that there are other meaningful ways in which OWEAR could employ open source software and collaborate to develop accepted digital endpoints,” said Geoffrey Gill, OWEAR co-founder and president of Shimmer Americas. “As OWEAR is most effective when we all work together, we decided to solicit input from the entire clinical research community to shape our expanded vision.”
OWEAR’s progress to date has been guided by its 22-member Working Group, which includes participants from Shimmer Research, Nextbridge Health, Accelting, Sage Bionetworks, DiMe, Pfizer, Merck, Eli Lilly, Novartis, Johnson & Johnson, PRA Health Sciences, Clinical Trials Transformation Initiative (CTTI) and the IEEE Standards Association.
As the OWEAR Working Group realized the extent of the industry need and desire for this level of collaboration, it began to consider additional programs. For example, it is now developing OWEAR’s first Gait Challenge, which is designed to benchmark the accuracy and reliability of gait assessment algorithms. Precise gait measurements are vitally important because they are used as a diagnostic and prognostic tool for neurological conditions, a general assessment of aging, and as a proxy for evaluating cognition. The OWEAR Gait Challenge is envisioned to act as a template for future Challenges around other wearable sensor based digital outcomes.
OWEAR’s Working Group has defined several new areas where the organization could play a pivotal role. They include providing support for developers, creating open databases, initiating broader validation efforts, and setting industry standards.
Suggested Items
The New Chapter: Attracting ‘Generation Green’
03/28/2024 | Hannah Grace & Paige Fiet -- Column: The New ChapterIn the electronics industry, we talk a lot about sustainability in terms of recruitment and retention of the next generation of engineers. But what if the key to sustaining the industry long into the future is through the more common definition of the word? What if, for just a moment, we think about sustainability in terms of the environment and what we as an industry are doing to care for it? Because, if you weren’t aware, Gen Z cares tremendously about the environment and the actions companies are taking to preserve it. Without Gen Z joining the electronics industry’s workforce, we won’t be able to sustain the industry for much longer.
Accenture Invests in Sanctuary AI to Bring AI-Powered, Humanoid Robotics to Work Alongside Humans
03/27/2024 | BUSINESS WIREAccenture has made a strategic investment, through Accenture Ventures, in Sanctuary AI, a developer of humanoid general-purpose robots that are powered by AI and can perform a wide variety of work tasks quickly, safely and effectively.
Don Dennison Appointed to Roll Out KIC’s Latest Thermal Analysis System Software in the Northeast
03/26/2024 | KICKIC, a renowned pioneer in thermal process and temperature measurement solutions for electronics manufacturing, is pleased to announce the appointment of PIT Equipment Services, LLC, led by Don Dennison, as its representative for New York, New Jersey, and Eastern Pennsylvania.
iNEMI/IPC White Paper on Complex Integrated Systems Highlights Future Technology and Manufacturing Ecosystem Needs
03/25/2024 | IPCToday’s system solutions combine more varied functionality, such as digital, analog, optical, micro-mechanical, etc., packed into smaller form factors. As a result, electronics manufacturing has to deliver increasingly complex integration of diverse technologies with system designs that blur the distinction between chip, package, board, and assembly.
Seeking Employment: Meet Gary Turner
03/25/2024 | Barry Matties, I-Connect007Meet Gary Turner, a recent graduate from the University of Texas at Dallas with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and a master’s in material science and engineering. He is currently seeking employment in the industry. The following interview will allow you to learn about Gary and see if he might be a good candidate for a position you are looking to fill.