Aktiia, a startup based in Switzerland has raised around 6.1 million US dollars in hopes of commercializing its optical sensor based on wrist to measure blood pressure.
This is followed by a campaign that managed to raise 4.1 million US dollars initially back in 2018. Tarslink Capital, Libra, Christian Wenger, Investiere, Barbaric Holdings and Spark Sheet Capital are the companies which took part in this recent effort for fund raising.
Hypertension is a big problem in many adults in this era and around one out three patients are unaware of this condition. Most people ignore it as just another condition due to fatigue or weather. For this reason, many refer to high blood pressure as the silent killer because it taken too lightly or goes under the radar.
Wrist based blood pressure measurement is not as accurate as arm based blood pressure measurement which uses cuff technology. Smartwatches and fitness trackers have yet to showcase any significant technology advancement in wrist based blood pressure measurement. System developed by Aktiia uses general light based censors and with the help of algorithms, it measures the blood pressure of its wearer and senses any shifts in it throughout the day.
“We are going to create a precise, affordable tool that is certified by the health authorities,” said Mattia Bertschi, “The potential of this type of product has enabled us to quickly attract a solid base of investors. The sphygmomanometer 2.0 also aims to improve the prevention of hypertension, to better understand its causes, and to develop new approaches to treating it.” Mattia is the Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder at Aktiia.
Smartwatches and fitness trackers have been known to count steps, measure distances, take down calories and monitor hear beat but it has been some time since we last saw a huge advancement in this market and this technology can prove to be that revolutionary change everyone is anticipating.
