Taking on the Challenge of Preventive Medicine through Co-creation with Acoustic Sensors

Xenoma Inc., also known as "Xenoma," won the top award at "KUMIHIMO Tech Camp with Murata" in FY2023. KUMIHIMO is a co-creation project that seeks ideas using Murata's hardware and aims to turn them into reality together with Murata Manufacturing. The theme for Xenoma's entry was a smart apparel item called a wearable phono-electrocardiograph. Murata spoke with Mr. Amimori, Xenoma's Co-Founder and CEO, about how his company came up with the idea, its encounter with Murata, the background to entering KUMIHIMO, its collaboration with Murata, and other matters.

What Is Xenoma?

Murata: Please tell us the background to Xenoma's establishment, your internal structure, and the products you have so far developed and sold.

Mr. Amimori: Xenoma was established as a spin-off from the University of Tokyo and JST ERATO Someya Bio-Harmonized Electronics Project in November 2015.
We have developed and commercialized a number of products based on that project's stretchable electronics technology. Those products include the "e-skin ECG" smart apparel item that is comfortable to wear and that allows patients to obtain electrocardiograms by attaching and detaching it themselves; "e-skin MEVA" that simply realizes high-precision motion capture; and the "e-skin EMStyle" EMS training wear item that optimizes fitness by electrically stimulating the muscles. Of these products, e-skin ECG realizes electrocardiogram testing for 24 hours at home by Xenoma mailing it to the patient's home and the patient then returning it to Xenoma after the test.

Our employees include hardware electronic circuit engineers; software engineers who create smartphone apps and who build servers; product designers who make the cases; and mechanical designers who are in charge of the mechanism design. Furthermore, clinical laboratory technicians and other specialists in the medical field participate as staff.

Thoughts on Winning the Top Award at KUMIHIMO

Murata: Congratulations on winning the top award at KUMIHIMO. Can you please give your comments as Xenoma on your motivation for entering KUMIHIMO, your thoughts on winning the top award, and the reason for that?

Mr. Amimori: We did not come up with the wearable phono-electrocardiograph to enter KUMIHIMO; rather, it was a project we had in mind to undertake originally. We felt that the sensor presented at KUMIHIMO was essential to our project, so we entered the contest.
We were extremely honored to win the top award despite those circumstances. We plan to use the award money to purchase the equipment to promote the development of the wearable phono-electrocardiograph. We also feel that this opportunity will lead to the further development of our connections.

This was a project we had long envisioned. Therefore, we had completed the specifications of the product we would develop and the image of the process for commercializing it. In other words, it was not a project for entering KUMIHIMO; rather, it was a project that we had thoroughly considered developing and commercializing ourselves. I think that is why we won the award.

Development of the Wearable Phono-electrocardiograph

Murata: Please tell us what led you to work on developing the wearable phono-electrocardiograph, the background and reasons to choosing Murata's acoustic sensors, and the current status of your collaboration with Murata.

Mr. Amimori: The wearable phono-electrocardiograph is a garment that incorporates an electrocardiograph and a phonocardiograph. You can obtain both electrocardiogram and phonocardiogram data just by wearing this garment. It is possible to take an electrocardiogram and phonocardiogram at home after a medical examination. As the garment allows you to take the test at home, it is possible to increase the test frequency. Accordingly, we believe it is the perfect testing tool for preventing cardiovascular diseases.

There are two main categories of cardiovascular disease: arrhythmia and ischemia. In general, these diseases are diagnosed separately using a Holter electrocardiogram test for arrhythmia and an echocardiographic test for ischemia. However, in fact, the rate of detection is higher when testing for both these diseases at the same time. Accordingly, we wondered whether it would be possible to test for both arrhythmia and ischemia at once by equipping a sensor capable of detecting heart sounds to the e-skin ECG for electrocardiogram tests that we have already commercialized.

Encounter with Murata's Acoustic Sensors

Murata: Please tell us about what led you to come up with the idea to use an acoustic sensor in the wearable phono-electrocardiograph and its prospects for the future.

We have a long history of exchanging information in the field of electronic components with Murata. We considered adopting a highly sensitive and thin sensor capable of detecting pressing force at first for the wearable phono-electrocardiograph.
However, we had the opportunity to speak with those from Murata at CEATEC^* held in October 2023, and were told that acoustic sensors may be more suitable, and that this was the theme sought for KUMIHIMO. That led us to enter KUMIHIMO.

*CEATEC is an exhibition where electronics- and IT-related organizations and companies participate to present cutting-edge products and technologies.

We have already received the acoustic sensors since winning the award. We have realized the technology up to the point where we can incorporate phonocardiograms into a PC wirelessly or via a cable. The acoustic sensor collects data on sounds (heart sound data) transmitted through the skin. Therefore, it is necessary to ensure it is possible for anyone to collect heart sound data accurately in the future. We have set a target of first making it so that healthy individuals can collect accurate heart sound data within the year.

Collaboration with Murata

Murata: You have experience collaborating with many companies of different fields, cultures, and scales, and giving presentations in collaborative projects. Please tell us about the differences with those companies and Murata and KUMIHIMO.

Mr. Amimori: We have had a relationship with Murata for four to five years already. We have continued to exchange information with Murata during that time. In particular, Murata's advice on the usage methods and functions of sensors that we are not involved with has been extremely helpful. In fact, there are few companies like this. I feel that this is because Murata respects Xenoma. Furthermore, points such as the fact the person in charge from when our relationship started is still involved with us give us a great sense of security in communication.

Something I learned about for the first time is that I feel Murata has a culture that enables a wide range of technical assets to be openly used. That was extremely interesting.
For example, sensor circuit information is necessary when connecting the provided sensors to Xenoma's system to retrieve signals. There are many cases in which other companies do not provide detailed sensor circuit specifications. In such cases, Xenoma will also make the interface parts. However, this means it is difficult to achieve optimal functionality. In that respect, Murata proactively provides us with prototypes and technical information. As a result, we can develop products with higher functionality and greater convenience because we know the details of the sensor circuits. I think this is a very attractive point in our collaboration with Murata.

We have no concerns about Murata Manufacturing's technical capabilities. In addition, Murata has been closely communicating with us so far. Therefore, we also have no anxiety of being left to do everything ourselves, as is common with large companies. This project involves development. Accordingly, we may ask for improvements to be made in terms of performance. Nevertheless, I feel we can move forward together as long as that is within the scope of what is realistically possible.

Final thoughts

Xenoma's business ranges from areas of expertise in medicine including electrocardiograms and phonocardiograms to involvement in skeletal and muscular functions such as motion capture and EMS training. Xenoma encountered Murata's acoustic sensors and won the top award at KUMIHIMO.
This symbolizes the medicine-engineering collaboration in which Xenoma works on smart apparel and Murata provides the technology such as the hardware. It is not just a medicine-engineering collaboration though; we are joining forces in terms of the knowledge and technologies in our respective fields. This is the appeal of KUMIHIMO. I feel this is also the reason why Xenoma won the top award at KUMIHIMO.

Learn more at Xenoma Inc. | Smart Apparel Company