Dehradun based, Sunfox Technologies, startups’ pocket ECG device uses AI to predict heart attack risk.
“Every human being is the author of his own health or disease” - Swami Sivananda
Modern-day Health Issues
Our current lifestyle is significantly different from that of previous generations. Improvement in standard of living, technological advancements, better healthcare has led to transformative benefits and reduction of human efforts. But there have been downsides as well.
Lack of physical exercise, high consumption of processed and junk foods, high-stress levels have led to the exponential growth of lifestyle-related diseases. Some of them are high blood pressure, diabetes, cancers and heart attacks.
Startling facts about the top silent killer among them i.e. Cardiovascular Diseases (CVDs), documented by WHO in 2017:
- CVDs are the number 1 cause of death globally: more people die annually from CVDs than from any other cause.
- An estimated 17.9 million people died from CVDs in 2016, representing 31% of all global deaths. Of these deaths, 85% are due to heart attack and stroke.
- Over 75% of CVD deaths take place in low- and middle-income countries.
Close to 40% of patients do not exhibit conventional risk factors. Hence regular check-ups and cardiac screening become important for people of all age groups, which can help to predict heart attacks. Thus as a preventive measure, routine heart monitoring can be a lifesaver.
But diagnosis and monitoring can be a challenge in developing nations like India. This is primarily due to lack of health infrastructure especially in rural areas, shortage of trained health care workers, high cost of testing and equipment, etc.
Sunfox Technologies has been working to overcome these challenges with their smart and pocket-friendly ECG device- Spandan.
Team Sunfox
Dehradun based Sunfox Technologies is an R&D focused startup established in 2016 by Arpit Jain, Rajat Jain. With the profound mentorship of Prof.V. K. Tewari, the team of 15 members is propelling to overcome the challenges of the Indian health ecosystem. Their initial focus was to disrupt the domestic rural market but they soon realized that their efforts can cater to global needs as well.
Introducing SPANDAN
Sunfox’s flagship product “SPANDAN” (Hindi for palpitation or vibration) is the world’s smallest and cheapest pocket ECG machine that is a gamechanger in the medical industry. It is an ultra-lightweight, reliable and advanced device. This is an anytime, anywhere hassle-free device designed for households, clinics and hospitals. Spandan provides patients and health-conscious individuals easy access to check and maintain their heart health.
The team has integrated Artificial Intelligence for monitoring and predicting heart health. It thus offers the following features:
- Instant Self Monitoring
- Intelli-ECG Technology
- ECG On Smartphone
- 12 Heart Dysfunctions Detection & Bi-lingual description
- Shareable report to get an expert review
All this data can be tracked using the Spandan ECG mobile application.
Due to its simple user interface, people don’t require any specialized training. Thus customers can monitor their heart health at the comfort of their homes.
Spandan reduces the risk of cardiac diseases by up to 50%, at up to 80% reduced cost.
Spandan is thus revolutionizing the traditional way of preliminary cardiac monitoring.
What else do they do?
Sunfox helps clients with sustainable and business-driven innovation. The team offers consultation for research-based projects. It also helps industrial and commercial research organizations in converting their ideas into reality. It is focused on providing streamlined and creative solutions to complex issues in technology.
The Med-Tech startup develops seamless products with their sound knowledge and skills across medicine, IoT, and the industrial market. Medical appliances providing precise results is the target of the team. Intensive and updated research activities of the team steer the advancement and production of the latest and versatile products.
Sunfox is developing Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) kits and non-invasive blood pressure monitors.
Awards & Recognition:
Sunfox Technologies has received 12+ national and international awards. The startup has been appreciated by PM Modi and has represented India among 100 global startups at the World Economic Forum.
Challenges
Mass production in India has been the major challenge in their journey. Being an emergent player, it takes immense time, effort and capital to achieve production at scale. Manufacturing the highest grade medical device while keeping the production cost low can be difficult at times. Another challenge is finding the most suitable CRM software, due to their high prices.
In order to increase its visibility, the team has taken to digital ad campaigns on social media. The startup is also expanding its offline distributor network across the north Indian states. Currently, it’s targeting the B2B and B2C segments. It has also taken to e-commerce platforms like Amazon to further its outreach. The benefits of Spandan have spanned across 8 countries, the majority of them being developing nations.
Improving the Health Ecosystem
Healthcare remains a critical component for ensuring the holistic growth of a nation. Like in many other segments, inequality is quite evident in the Indian healthcare sector. Reliable, user-friendly and economical devices plug many gaps to ensure a healthy population.
Indigenous innovation that is tailored for local conditions and meets global standards is a torchbearer for Indian entrepreneurs. Sunfox’s efforts to improve the Indian health sector and make it self reliant are truly praiseworthy.
Article by Dharshan V, Team ulaunch.
Truly useful and pragmatic. Hope more such innovations help improve the Indian health sector.