Taiwan RedEye Biomedical will present at the upcoming CES 2020 its home-based health-monitoring optical hemoglobin sensor that can provide insights into people's health in just 10 seconds, according to the company.The Taiwan-based startup is introducing what it calls the world's first hemoglobin sensor that performs an optical scan of toilet water after bowel movement to detect invisible blood. This is a significant improvement from the traditional fecal occult blood test (FOBT), with which people have to collect stool samples, making sure the sample does not mix with water, and send the samples to the hospital or lab for testing. RedEye said its home-based health monitoring solution allows regular checks to be conducted and can encourage people to more willingly go to the hospital for early detection - a great step forward in preventive healthcare.RedEye has been chosen by the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) to present its award-winning solution at the Taiwan Tech Arena (TTA) at CES 2020, allowing it to expand beyond Asia and connect with more international investors, medical institutions, distributors and bathroom accessory brands to jointly build a global healthcare ecosystem.Pre-warning can start at homeRedEye said its optical hemoglobin sensor is not intended to replace the conventional examining procedures at hospitals. Quite the contrary, it is aimed to serve as a self-monitoring solution, with which pre-warning can start at home and people can take precautions and go for more detailed checks.Bleeding is an early sign of many serious diseases, according to RedEye's founder Nelson Yan, citing colon cancer as an example. It is the most commonly occurring cancer in Taiwan for 11 consecutive years with more than 15,000 cases being diagnosed every year. That is, 41 people are diagnosed with colon cancer a day on average. More than one third are stage 3 or 4 cases and they only go to the hospital after finding blood in the stool or experiencing other obvious symptoms. Making use of photoelectric technology, RedEye's hemoglobin sensor enables health screening at home so that people can detect early warning signs such as invisible blood and take precautions.People can also use RedEye's solution at home to regularly monitor intermittent bleeding resulting from tumors or polyps with scientific data which can be saved. In the future, they can also keep track of the measurement results with trend charts through an app purpose-built to work in correspondence with RedEye's hemoglobin sensor.RedEye looks to expand into US, Europe and JapanAside from detecting early signs like bleeding resulting from colon or stomach cancer, RedEye's hemoglobin sensor can also check blood in the urine, which can be a warning sign of diseases such as kidney cancer, bladder cancer, urinary tract infection, kidney stones and urethritis. In the future, the sensor, after being wrapped in filter paper, can be inserted 4cm into toilet water after urination. It will take only 10 to 15 seconds for the sensor to show a positive or negative result, Yan said.Yan pointed out that there could be other substances in the water including anthocyanidin, chlorophyll and uric acid. RedEye is working with National Taiwan University Hospital Hsin-Chu Branch on clinical studies to develop algorithms that can collect optical readings and intelligently identify different substances.RedEye's sensor currently come in the form of either a handheld device that can be mounted on a wall or placed on a bathroom counter, or a module that can be embedded in a smart toilet. For the former, the company is looking into ODM partnerships with international brands as well as potential China-based OEM opportunities. It is projected that 80% of the product sales will be B2B and the remaining 20% will be B2C through e-commerce channels.Smart toilets designed and made by a Japanese bathroom equipment brand are being marketed in Taiwan with plans to expand into American and European markets to follow. RedEye was chosen to participate in the From IP to IPO (FITI) program. As part of the startup incubation program, RedEye employees were sent to the Netherlands for training for a month in September, 2019. Dutch health examination centers have expressed interest to lease RedEye's solution, which gave a boost to the RedEye team's confidence in their product's application in smart toilets, Yan said.In addition to steadily expanding its market footprint, RedEye, with an NT$20 million capital, plans to undertake another round of funding. The target is to add NT$30 million to its capital by 2020, raising the total to NT$50 million.RedEye founder Nelson Yan (center) and his teamPhoto: Digitimes stafff, December 2019

Hipposcreen Neurotech (HNC) has introduced a stress electroencephalogram (EEG) assessment system, a diagnostic tool that combines AI algorithms and brainwave signal amplifying circuits. It only takes the system 90 seconds to measure brainwave signals and generate scientific data that help doctors diagnose and treat depression, according to the company.HNC, founded by a National Taipei University of Technology (Taipei Tech) research team with investment from Compal, noted that more than 300 hundred million people in the world suffer from depression and fewer than half of them are receiving treatment. In some countries, no more than one tenth of the people with depression are getting medical care.HNC has been chosen by the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) to be among the teams that will present their achievements at the Taiwan Tech Arena (TTA) at CES 2020. It is hoped that HNC's participation at the event will help it expand internationally and make it a pioneer leading Taiwan's foray into the AI-based smart diagnostics systems sector.HNC's system features high usability, fast measurement and high accuracyThe research team led by Yi Hung Liu, a professor from Taipei Tech, that founded HNC in April 2019, have engaged in the study of brainwave signal processing, AI algorithms and neuroscience analysis for more than a decade.Daniel Weng, HNC's CTO, said the diagnosis of mental disorders, mostly depression, has always relied on the doctor's expert knowledge and clinical experience, along with the use of the patient's self-assessment reports. HNC's stress EEG assessment system is aimed to enable doctors to make diagnosis based on scientific measurements of brainwave signals and data readings so as to allow early detection and treatment.HNC's stress EEG assessment system amplifies brainwave signals measured through EEG, processes the signals and sends the results to the cloud for analysis. The system is easy to operate, fast and accurate so it can proceed to commercialization ahead of the competition, Weng said.Weng explained that HNC's system requires simple preparation procedures. The patient only needs to put on a black electrode cap and sit in front of the computer. Signals are collected through the electrodes. After the patient looks at the black cross on the screen for 90 seconds, an assessment report is generated to indicate the stress level with a colored distribution chart. Darker colors represent higher stress levels and the distance to the dark color zone indicates the subject's likelihood of having depression."The system's smart analysis achieves 80% accuracy, making it a valuable clinical reference," said Weng. The achievement is possible because when they were doing research at Taipei Tech, the team had collaborated with National Taiwan University Hospital and Harvard Medical School to collect EEG data from depressed patients and non-depressed individuals for machine learning. With the establishment and growth of HNC, they now partner with three major medical institutions in Taiwan for access to EEG data, which will help further enhance the accuracy and optimize the system, Weng said.Expand preventive medicine to mental health careWith Compal's support in hardware, HNC said it was able to complete the device side of its system in a short time. Furthermore, with Compal's well established presence in the biomedical sector, HNC's device is expected to pass safety certifications by the end of December 2019, making it the first brainwave instrument supplier in Taiwan to obtain medical-grade certifications.HNC plans to begin pilot operation of its first-generation stress EEG assessment system in the second half of 2020 and officially launch the system in 2021. It looks to market the system to hospitals and clinics in Taiwan in the first phase and tap the physical examination sector in the second phase.As part of its efforts to bring its product to market, HNC is also in the process of obtaining US FDA approval for medical devices in an attempt to foray into international markets. Aside from depression, HNC is also working on developing AI algorithms to help doctors diagnose other brain-related disorders including dementia and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) using scientific measurement tools. The aim is to make AI an important aid to medical professionals in mental health screening and treatment.Compal is HNC's largest shareholder, having invested NT$42 million (US$1.4 million) to hold a 70% stake.Weng expects HNC's participation at the TTA at CES 2020 to broaden HNC's horizon, and bring opportunities for HNC to team up with with international partners.HNC CTO Daniel Weng demonstrates how to operate the company's stress EEG assessment systemPhoto: Digitimes staff, December 2019