Wireless wearables monitor pet health in real time
The pet and veterinary markets demonstrated significant growth over the past five years. However, technological limitations remain in terms of pet health monitoring with the majority of veterinarians using traditional equipment in their clinics. An innovative approach for monitoring pet health The EU-funded DINBEATPRO project developed a wearable device to monitor pets’ health at hospital facilities. The device allows veterinarians to track pet vital constants in real time, continuously and remotely. “Our goal was to provide accurate medical data with the same quality level as medical devices,″ explains Marina Gómez de Tejada, project manager at the company Dindog Tech SL, which developed the device. The DinbeatUNO wearable – commercialised under the trademark name https://www.dinbeat.com/en/ (DinbeatUNO) - records heart rate, temperature and breath per minute as well as activity, position and barking. A total of seven metrics are being measured, providing a good picture of the condition of the monitored pet. The wearable sends by bluetooth the data in real time, making available information, reports and notifications via internet connection. This data is saved on the webpage and application for further reference. To validate device performance, researchers ran numerous tests in a clinical environment, working together with referral veterinarian hospitals and clinics. The wearable has produced great results on the monitoring of several patients with encouraging feedback from veterinarians. The merits of the DinbeatUNO device “We have brought together our love for animals and our passion for technology through a unique product that aims to improve the lives of pets,″ continues Gómez de Tajeda. The DinbeatUNO solution takes the best of the wearable technology, very common for humans, and gives pets and their families the benefit of using it. The wearable offers the possibility to automate health parameter monitoring in real time with no sedation and with great comfort for the patients. The device offers a single digital platform that overcomes the need for manually gathering different health metrics and facilitates the maintenance of record history. Following three years of research and development, the company is ready to proceed with commercialisation and sales. Partners hope the company will grow and expand to new vet markets in Europe by 2020 and to USA and Japan by 2021. A recent investment agreement with a science-focused American company has been ‘a significant accomplishment’ according to Gómez de Tejada. This collaboration provided an important experience for the company and a reassurance of their efforts. Implementation of the device is expected to save money on monitoring costs. It will also optimise employees’ time, obviating the need for manually monitoring pet vital signs during hospitalisation. Combined with data from other sources including information from their clinical history, DinbeatUNO can significantly contribute to improving related services and understanding pet health.
Keywords
DINBEATPRO, wearable, pet health, real time, DinbeatUNO, ECG, wireless, sensor