AT&S Technology Eases Burden on Healthcare System Through Individualized Medicine

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SteadySense, a start-up based in Styria, has developed a patch using AT&S sensor electronics for continuously monitoring body temperature. The “SteadyTemp” system consists of a high-tech adhesive patch, which is applied to the upper body and permanently and very accurately records body temperature for up to seven days, and a smartphone app to read out the data. SteadyTemp is already available in pharmacies and online shops, and is in the final phase of approval in the USA.

Body temperature can be a valuable indication for doctors when diagnosing diseases. However, selective measurements may sometimes result in misleading information. The start-up SteadySense addresses this problem with SteadyTemp, a smart patch that allows medical professionals to track the development accurately over several days. As a result, infectious diseases such as influenza or corona can be identified early and the effect of antipyretic medication can be monitored in real time.

In a clinical setting, SteadyTemp allows easy and automated temperature readings so that repeated thermometer measurements are no longer necessary and the workload of the nursing staff is reduced. This brings valuable relief for hospitals and retirement homes, in particular during the cold season. Moreover, people prone to disease can use the patch at home in order to identify potential problems early. The temperature curves can be easily transmitted to the family doctor as a PDF file via the app.

Individual care

SteadyTemp is available for purchase in pharmacies and the SteadySense online shop. In Europe, the product has already been approved for clinical use; the approval process of the US regulatory authority FDA is currently ongoing. This marks a great success for medical technology made in Austria: The flexible sensor electronics at the heart of the smart patch is made by AT&S. “Now that the femSense ovulation tracker is already available in the US market, we are currently taking the final steps to also receive the FDA approval for our STEADYTEMP product. This will open up a huge market for which we need a flexible and reliable partner like AT&S to be able to respond quickly to fluctuations in demand,” says Peter Gasteiner, co-founder and COO of SteadySense.

Researchers of the Medical University of Graz, who supported the clinical approval process for SteadyTemp, consider the new development a big step toward individualised medicine for private and clinical settings. “Healthcare systems have increasingly come under pressure over the past years, not just due to the pandemic. AT&S is proud to offer a solution in cooperation with SteadyTemp which can ease the burden on hospitals and nursing staff through targeted monitoring of vulnerable patients,” says Gerald Reischl, VP Corporate Communications at AT&S. 

AT&S@CES

AT&S presented advanced V2X modules and other innovations at the CES trade show in Las Vegas from 5 to 8 January, where the company had been represented with its own booth and a team of experts. “CES offers a great networking opportunity in a condensed form as well as an opportunity to identify current application trends,” says Wolfram Zotter, Director Application Engineering of the Business Unit Electronics Solutions, who represented AT&S on site.