April 26, 2024

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SkyLabs, a South Korean medical device startup, unveiled its first wearable device on August 5 to tap into a growing remote healthcare market.

SkyLabs’ CART-I is a ring-type cardio detector that monitors irregular pulses of atrial fibrillation patients.

The company’s device will compete with other wearable devices already available on the market such as the Apple Watch but SkyLabs says that the device’s ability to scan heart beats 24/7 with a detection accuracy rate of 99 percent can make a difference because it can detect symptoms that disappear shortly. 

SkyLabs CEO Jack Lee introduces CART-I, a heart monitor developed by the company, on August 5. (SkyLabs)

“There have been various types of wearable ECG devices released, but CART-I is the first in the world to be able to make continuous measurements for a long time. We’ve increased the convenience of collecting data by minimizing the inconvenience of wearing it.” Jack Lee, CEO of SkyLabs, said. “We hope that CART-I will help with ‘untact’ medical service, which has become more important due to COVID-19, as a tele-monitoring medical device,” Lee added.

Lee, who also suffered atrial fibrillation when he was working at Samsung Electronics developing 5G technology, said that the prevalence rate of heart disease is 2 percent in South Korea, meaning about 1 million people in the country could suffer from cardiac conditions.

In the long run, the company, which aims to become a data-driven healthcare company, plans to expand its functions to other disease-related devices not only arrhythmia but also heart diseases such as heart failure, high blood pressure, and also respiratory diseases including COVID-19.

SkyLabs obtained medical device authorization for CART- I from the Korean Food and Drug Administration in May, and is scheduled to obtain European CE certification in August.

The SkyLabs CEO said that the company has been experiencing a surge in demand as the country has allowed doctors to use data collected from wearable devices and due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He also added that the company will work hard to cooperate with doctors and insurance companies to develop business models.

By Park Ga-young (gypark@heraldcorp.com)