Devices & Diagnostics, Startups

Electrozyme’s metabolism-monitoring temp tattoos backed by Mark Cuban

Health gadgets are stretching well beyond wrist-worn devices like the FitBit – electronic tattoos are rapidly […]

Health gadgets are stretching well beyond wrist-worn devices like the FitBit – electronic tattoos are rapidly becoming the wearable du jour.

San Diego’s Electrozyme has developed a temporary tattoo that can gauge metabolic substances secreted in sweat – giving athletes a clue on their electrolyte balance, hydration level, muscle exertion and physical performance.

“Every single wearable device on the market really only measures a very specific set of metrics: Pace, heart rate, steps taken,” said Electrozyme CEO Joshua Windmiller. “They’re limited to basic physical metrics – and we feel they’re stuck in the stone age.”

By contrast, Electrozyme posits that its skin-applied biosensors, by analyzing the chemical constituents of sweat, can give athletes a more insightful clue into how they’re performing during any given workout. The noninvasive wearable uses an electrochemical sensor platform to give the user “actionable, real-time information – and true metabolic insight,” Windmiller said. The thing’s disposable, too.

Electrozyme is currently raising a Series A, though it has received about $1.25 million in investments since its founding, including $250,000 in seed funding from Mark Cuban. It expects to find applications for such a sensor in the military, as well as in healthcare (of course) and environmental and pollution monitoring.

Windmiller says the Electrozyme is conducting field trials at present with an undisclosed Fortune 100 strategic partner, who has also contributed funding to the company.

Windmiller formed the company in 2012. He has a doctorate in electrical engineering from the University of California, San Diego as it applies to photonics and optics; his co-founder, Jared Tangney, is a UCSD doctoral candidate in bioengineering.

Here’s a somewhat creepy animated video that illustrates how the sweat-sensing technology works:

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