Wearable devices becoming smaller, more intelligent

Professors are usually associated with laboratories, research papers and students. Wang Guoxing has added something less conventional to that list — building a consumer electronics brand and selling smart rings around the world.

Wang, a professor at Shanghai Jiao Tong University's School of Integrated Circuits and founder of Shenzhen Ninenovo Technology Ltd, a manufacturer of wearable devices and healthcare support equipment, began exploring wearable health monitoring more than a decade ago after noticing that his blood pressure was relatively high.

That concern eventually led to RingConn, Ninenovo's smart ring brand with 1 million users in over 190 countries and regions.

Now the Shenzhen, Guangdong province-based company plans to add production lines and expand its research and development capabilities in Shenzhen's Nanshan district, with the new facilities set to gradually come on line in the first quarter next year.

The new facilities could have an annual production capacity of 1.2 million units, compared with 500,000 units currently produced each year at its manufacturing base in Dongguan, Guangdong.

In a separate development, RingConn announced last month that its smart rings received clearance from the US Food and Drug Administration for non-invasive blood oxygen saturation measurement.

The brand has also established strategic partnerships with leading medical and research institutions, including Ruijin Hospital in Shanghai, the University of Pittsburgh in the United States and the Barcelona Institute for Global Health in Spain.

With China hosting the 33rd APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in Shenzhen in November, Wang said the city's entrepreneurial culture, extensive supply chains and ability to rapidly turn ideas into products provide a strong foundation for innovation and global expansion.

The Chinese company began its commercial journey overseas rather than at home, as Wang initially saw stronger consumer acceptance of smart rings in international markets. That early overseas presence later helped build awareness of the product category among Chinese consumers.

Ninenovo currently has more than 600 offline retail outlets in China and over 500 overseas, as it continues to expand its global reach. The US, Germany, Japan and China are among its key markets, with the broader Asia-Pacific region playing a growing role in the company's international expansion.

Wang began researching continuous blood pressure monitoring in 2014. His team tested different parts of the body to determine where photoplethysmography, or PPG, signals could be captured effectively.

The finger emerged as a promising site, making a ring a natural form for the device.

By around 2017, Wang's team had built its first prototype. Far from a polished consumer product, it consisted of a circuit board wrapped around a finger and covered with the type of finger sleeve used by basketball players. The device transmitted health data via Bluetooth to a tablet.

His move into entrepreneurship came as Shanghai Jiao Tong University introduced policies encouraging professors to commercialize research and start businesses.

"For a hardware startup, Shenzhen and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area make it possible to quickly find suppliers and manufacturers, allowing companies to move rapidly from concept to prototype and engineering validation," said Wang.

At the same time, RingConn is strengthening its presence in Shanghai, where Wang sees advantages in universities, scientific research and talent in algorithms and artificial intelligence.

AI is taking on a bigger role as the company seeks to move beyond basic biometric tracking. Future competition in wearable technology will involve not only sensors, chips and power consumption, but also the ability to use AI to generate comprehensive insights and deliver personalized, preventive health solutions, he added.

Sun Fuquan, former vice-president of the Beijing-based Chinese Academy of Science and Technology for Development, said China's strength in wearable technology is increasingly moving beyond manufacturing efficiency toward the ability to combine hardware, supply chains, algorithms and rapid product iteration.

"As wearable devices become smaller and collect health data over longer periods, competition will increasingly depend on whether companies can translate their manufacturing and engineering strengths into differentiated products and data-driven services for global consumers," he said.

China has also introduced policies to support the development of smart wearables and other intelligent consumer products. The Ministry of Commerce and seven other government departments issued guidelines in June calling for efforts to cultivate the smart wearable market and expand the supply of AI-powered consumer products.

zhongnan@chinadaily.com.cn