Biometric sensor startup raises $5M
Sensifree a developer of an RF-based low power biomedical sensor, has completed a $5 million round of Series A financing.
Sensifree was founded in 2012 and claims to have developed a contact free, electromagnetic sensor that accurately collect a range of continuous biometric data without the need to touch the human body.
The Sensifree technology uses RF signal to sense movement in the radial artery wall to track heart rate, and in the future blood pressure. After the pulse is taken, digital signal processing is used to extract more information.
The key advantage of the technique is that it consumes 10 percent of the power of an optical LED sensor, Sensifree said, which in turn makes it more suitable for battery-operated fitness, wellbeing and medical applications. In addition the technology operates through fabrics and underwater and is not affected by ambient light, skin pigmentation, tattoos, hair, sweat or dirt.
Sensifree is developing its technology as an open, extensible platform for capturing biometric data to allows itself and others to building software applications and services.
The funding round was led by TransLink Capital led the investment round with participation from existing and new investors, including UMC Capital, a subsidiary of United Microelectronics Corp. (NYSE: UMC) and an undisclosed strategic investor. The investment adds to seed investment made by Samsung’s Catalyst fund and brings Sensifree’s total funding since launching its revolutionary RF-based biometric sensor technology to $7 million.
“We developed this technology specifically with wearables and smart clothing applications in mind, concentrating on enhancing overall user experience,” said Eran Agmon, co-founder and CEO of Sensifree, in a statement. “In parallel, we are leveraging our core technology to develop the “holy grail” of sensors—a cuff-free blood pressure sensor and we expect to demonstrate preliminary results this year.”
The company is headquartered in Cupertino, CA with a R&D center in Petach-Tikva, Israel.
Source: http://www.sensifree.com