BodyMedia Inc has been awarded United States Patent No. 6,595,929, entitled "System For Monitoring Health, Wellness and Fitness Having a Method and Apparatus For Improved Measure of Heat Flow." The patent covers mechanisms for applying a heat flow sensor to the human body so that the rate in which it produces and releases heat can be accurately determined.
"This patent is extensive and provides BodyMedia with significant protection for our current and future products," said Dr. Astro Teller, chairman and chief executive officer of BodyMedia. "Our business includes inventing new sensors as well as novel applications for existing biomedical sensors in order to improve the accuracy, size, ruggedness, and manufacturing costs of our body monitoring products."
"Being able to accurately monitor the amount and rate at which heat dissipates from the human body is part of our multi-sensor approach to body monitoring," said Dr. David Andre, Director of Informatics at BodyMedia. "Our proprietary method for measuring heat flow is an important factor in determining outcomes such as calories burned, activity level and sleep. These outcomes represent just some of the features being integrated into the products we are developing and launching with our strategic partners."
One such strategic partner, Roche Diagnostics, is launching a product called HealthWear, which automatically tracks calories burned and lets users easily track daily caloric intake. HealthWear is being made available through clinical weight programs in hospitals throughout the United States.