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BEIJING, Oct. 7, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- The addition of the ability to monitor the fetal heartbeat through Airstrip, a healthcare app now available on the Apple Watch, shows that wearable device makers are expanding beyond their initial target markets of sports fans and early adopters and geeks by beginning to create products that cater to pregnant women's demand.

With a higher level of focus on fetal heart rate monitoring, Modoo Fetus Monitoring Patch, a new wearable device, will debut in the U.S. soon. The new device features an entirely different approach to heart rate monitoring as compared to that of an Apple Watch.

Modoo Fetus Monitoring Patch, a wearable device developed by a Chinese startup ExtantFuture, enables continuous monitoring of the fetal heart rate and movement 24/7 as well as the sign data such as sleep quality of mothers-to-be. Unlike watch wristbands available in the market, Modoo is a round flat metal device and weighs as light as an Apple earphone cord. The device is worn on the mother's belly for monitoring.

William Zhou, the director of Modoo's hardware development and a former top hardware and system expert at Nokia, said: "Modoo helps pregnant women with secure monitoring of the baby's heart rate and movement 24/7, without interrupting or influencing the normal life of mothers-to-be, a feature that is absent from all other mobile devices. As a result, this is an ideal solution that adds a lot of convenience to the daily routine for pregnant women."

Apple Watch monitors the heart rate via an electro-optical sensor, a technology that has limitations, according to technology experts after monitoring the sector. It still remains unknown whether AirStrip's new system is sufficiently accurate for doctors and medical personnel who need to keep track of the fetal heart rate. ExtantFuture is more confident in Modoo.

Following months of research and development, ExtantFuture has developed a passive monitoring mode, which helps ensure secure monitoring of the heart rate of babies and pregnant women via a highly sensitive sensor and an intelligent algorithm rather than transmitting signals in an active mode. And, Modoo is in closer proximity to the fetal heart, another factor contributing to the more accurate monitoring data.

ExtantFuture's Founder Jiliang Ma noted that pregnant women, a unique group, are easily and always concerned for the health conditions of themselves and their babies. "We know that what pregnant women seek is the feeling of being cared for. For this reason, except the essentials, we insisted on creating and designing a small and compact wearable device as a companion for pregnant women and their family members."

http://www.modoomed.com/

SOURCE ExtantFuture