HMicro, a developer of wireless silicon platforms and reference devices for healthcare biosensors and mission-critical ‘Internet of Things’ products, and Dreamtech, a provider of modules, applications, and solutions for mobile phones, healthcare, and automobiles, have partnered to develop and manufacture reference subsystem products such as biosensor patches and associated wireless receivers.
 
HMicro’s vision is to ‘untether’ the patient from the cables of traditional vital sign monitors by creating equivalent wireless solutions. Uniquest, a distributor of silicon chips and solutions, is an investor in HMicro, and the parent company of Korea-based Dreamtech.
 
The first reference product created by Dreamtech’s and HMicro’s close collaboration is the WiPoint multi-parameter disposable, wireless patch (HP1110) that continuously monitors and transmits multi-lead electrocardiogram, heart rate and respiration signals. The patch is based on a single WiPoint chip (HC1100) jointly developed in collaboration with ST Microelectronics. The HC1100 integrates all needed functions for a clinical grade patch—multiple radios, multiple sensor interfaces, application processor subsystem, and power management unit—and functions with a low-cost, disposable coin battery. The WiPoint patch can be used up to five days and disposed thereafter. It’s the first fully disposable patch created in such a small form, providing wire-grade, robust, wireless links.
 
HMicro and Dreamtech are also creating receiver devices for capturing data from wireless patches that use the WiPoint chip technology, and sending it to appropriate monitoring platforms such as patient monitors, Holter monitors and access points for cloud infrastructure. The suite of reference products jointly developed between HMicro and Dreamtech are being adapted by Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) of healthcare devices.
 
Said Surendar Magar, Ph.D., president and CEO of HMicro, “Our two enterprises will work with OEMs to produce customized products. Reference products such as HP1110 accelerate the development time and market introduction of OEMs’ healthcare products based on HMicro’s WiPoint technology.”
 
Magar continued, “We are excited by Dreamtech’s commitment to the field of healthcare wearables, mobile device manufacturing enables it to produce wireless disposable healthcare devices at high quality and at competitive cost. It will greatly help HMicro realize our vision of converting the billions of wired biosensors currently consumed per year to the wireless domain by working with mainstream OEMs of healthcare devices.”
 
“Dreamtech sees a big business opportunity in the emerging area of healthcare wearables and associated devices. In addition to significant volumes in hospitals and clinics, we see clinical quality disposable wearables and patches becoming an important accessory to mobile devices in remote monitoring settings,” said Young Kim, Dreamtech CEO. He continued, “We are impressed by HMicro’s WiPoint silicon platform and HMicro’s cross functional expertise in semiconductors, electronics systems and healthcare. We are excited to share HMicro’s vision of wireless domain healthcare biosensors and associated receivers. We are producing optimized healthcare products at rapid speed by closely working with HMicro and will keep evolving WiPoint family products by integrating various sensors for consumer wellness and healthcare markets.”
 
Dreamtech’s parent company, Uniquest, has invested in HMicro’s Series B and Series C funding rounds. Andrew Kim, CEO of Uniquest, added, “We saw a great fit between HMicro and Dreamtech from the outset. In addition to breakthrough products in the healthcare arena, we see HMicro’s silicon devices being useful to create certain industrial IoT products. Uniquest and Dreamtech are targeting both the healthcare and IoT markets for its respective businesses.”
 
In September, HMicro announced it had closed a $10.2 million in Series C financing. In October, HMicro and ST Microelectronics launched its partnership to jointly develop a platform and technology to create a wireless biosensor chip and receiver.