TWIWT XXXV: Week of June 23, 2025
The 35th TWIWT post, with the new title format, featuring a packed week: Avelo, Neuranics, Nike, Empatica, and much more research, other links, and jobs & opportunities.
Avelo is live on Kickstarter
Avelo, a smart running shoe designed by former Nike and Garmin professionals, is now live on Kickstarter, having already surpassed its funding goal with over CA$192,000 pledged. The shoe features integrated sensors that track impact, form, and efficiency, providing runners with real-time coaching and personalized insights via a companion app. Pledge options start at $199, with global shipping expected to begin in April 2026.
Via LinkedIn. Credit: Sam Blades.
Neuranics secures backing for UK's first dedicated magnetic sensor manufacturing facility
Glasgow-based Neuranics has been shortlisted for support through the £160 million Glasgow City Region Investment Zone to establish the UK's first end-to-end magnetic sensor fabrication facility. The project, developed in partnership with Kelvin Nanotechnology and the University of Glasgow, will manufacture tunneling magnetoresistance (TMR) sensors capable of detecting minute magnetic fields from human bio-signals for next-generation wearables, gesture recognition interfaces, and health monitoring applications. The facility will feature advanced nanofabrication equipment, including one of only two Ion Beam Etch systems in the UK, and is projected to create over 100 specialized positions while positioning Glasgow as a significant player in the global magnetic sensor ecosystem serving major consumer electronics manufacturers.
Read the full announcement here.
Nike is at it again with Faith Kipyegon's Breaking4 Speed Kit
In Faith Kipyegon’s historic attempt to become the first woman to run a sub-4-minute mile, the Nike Sport Research Lab team equipped her with cutting-edge gear: the aerodynamic Nike Fly Suit, a 3D-printed FlyWeb Bra, and the ultra-light Victory Elite FK spike. Every detail was engineered to help her shave off the crucial 7.65 seconds from her world-record time of 4:07.64.
Nike’s star innovation feature in mitigating air forces are the Nike Aeronodes. These half spheres vary in size; some are smaller than a pencil tip. The Aeronodes are strategically placed on the suit to accomplish two goals: split the air in front of Kipyegon and create smaller eddies behind her to reduce drag.
Empatica launches ultra-compact clinical trial wearable with extended monitoring capabilities
Empatica has introduced EmbraceMini, an ultra-compact wearable specifically engineered for clinical trials that measures just 12mm thick and 14mm wide while tracking over 200 digital health measures. The device operates continuously for at least seven days on a single charge, passively monitoring physical activity, sleep patterns, gait analysis, and light exposure across multiple body placements including wrist, ankle, waist, and leg positions. EmbraceMini transmits data wirelessly to Empatica's FDA-cleared Health Monitoring Platform, supporting study endpoints in sleep disorders, depression, pain management, and obesity research. The device can function alongside other Empatica hardware for multi-site data collection, addressing the clinical research sector's need for highly wearable devices that maximize patient compliance while maintaining medical-grade data quality. Currently pending FDA clearance with approval expected by late 2025, EmbraceMini represents the growing integration of sensor-dense wearables in decentralized clinical trials, where real-world data collection increasingly supplements traditional laboratory-based measurements in pharmaceutical research and chronic disease monitoring.
Read the full announcement here.
Research
Wearable Devices Identify Altered Sleep Characteristics and Sleep Trajectories in Active Inflammatory Bowel Disease. Credit: Robert Hirten (via LinkedIn).
Wearable sensing in eating episode monitoring: an updated systematic review protocol.
eFlesh: Highly customizable Magnetic Touch Sensing using Cut-Cell Microstructures.
Other interesting links and stuff missed from previous weeks
US Health Secretary Kennedy says HHS to launch campaign to encourage wearable devices. Via Reuters.
Oura, Maven Clinic team up to bring biometric data into clinical care. Via CNBC.
A new tactile sensor, called e-Flesh, with a simple working principle: measure deformations in 3D printable microstructures. Via LinkedIn. Related to Research #4
S.Korean Army Major Builds Wearable Tech for Smarter Combat Training. Via NextGenDefense.