From outer space to the inner ear.
Discovering a new way of monitoring health
MindMics Founder & CEO Dr. Anna Barnacka was a NASA Einstein Fellow at Harvard University, monitoring black holes with precision instruments, when it struck her that there were no tools on the market to help her understand her own health. Existing technology was either cumbersome and impractical, or unreliable and imprecise.
Anna set out to discover a new way of monitoring health that would be as easy as listening to music and as accurate as a medical device. By analyzing low-frequency acoustical vibrations detected in the ear canal, she was able to capture subtle sound deviations that together created a precise picture of her health. And, with that novel discovery, a revolution in health monitoring began.
In 2018, Anna launched MindMics to create a next generation health monitoring platform using this ground-breaking, sound-based technology – known as infrasonic hemodynography (IH) – embedded in everyday earbuds.
Today, MindMics combines sound data with insights and guidance to help people improve their health and partners with leaders across industries to make this sound technology accessible to more people. Our vision is to create GPS for health and well-being – a platform that delivers real-time, accurate health data and an actionable user experience that influences our behavior and drives better health outcomes.
Our ultimate goal is to provide people with actionable data to eliminate heart failure as the #1 cause of death globally just as glucose monitoring did for diabetes. We hope you’ll join us on this important mission.
More about In-ear Infrasonic Hemodynography (IH)
Bodily mechanisms and functions produce low-frequency sounds which offer a critical view into cardiovascular system health, but are outside the range of human hearing. MindMics invented and patented a technology, known as In-ear infrasonic hemodynography (IH), which can measure these low-frequency sounds created by vital organs, creating in turn a powerful, next generation health monitor.
IH can deliver biometric data like Heart Rate (HR) and Heart Rate Variability (HRV) with a 99% correlation to an ECG. In fact, IH provides a more comprehensive view of every heartbeat by providing insights into associated hemodynamics – or how blood flows through blood vessels – which is not observable by ECG.
In the future, IH has the potential to detect dangerous heart rhythms like Atrial Fibrillation (AF) early enough for even asymptomatic cases and to save many lives. Contact us to learn more about our R&D program.
Why sound is better than light.
Most wearables on the market today use photoplethysmography (PPG) light technology to measure heart rate and other key biometrics. Unfortunately, readings from PPG sensors – whether worn on the wrist or the finger – are only skin deep. Factors like skin tone, skin thickness, perspiration and body mass can severely impact the accuracy of PPG readings, making wearables grounded in light technology inadequate for many people.
MindMics’ patented infrasonic technology is different. Key organs like the heart are monitored through low-frequency acoustical vibrations detected in the ear canal. This ground-breaking technology, embedded in earbuds and hearing aids, is superior to PPG light technology in many ways.
MindMics sound-based technology is:
Highly accurate
Regardless of skin tone, skin thickness and body mass – making it the most inclusive health monitor on the market today.
Non-intrusive
Embedded into earbuds and other in-ear wearables that people use comfortably every day. No wrist or finger real estate required.
Inclusive
Affordable memberships and partnerships are available so all people can take advantage of sound-based technology to lead healthier lives.
Clinically validated. 99% accuracy.
MindMics sound-based technology™ has been clinically validated in collaboration with leading researchers and world-renowned medical institutions.
A clinical study carried out with Prisma Health showed MindMics can measure the time between heartbeats with equivalent accuracy to the gold standard ECG – even for heartbeats as complex as atrial fibrillation. In fact, MindMics is currently validated to measure heart rate and heart rate variability with 99% accuracy to ECG. All without the expense and inconvenience of an ECG. Learn more.
A study by Scripps Health using MindMics found insights into hemodynamics – or how blood flows through blood vessels – that an ECG could not find. Principal investigator, Sanjeev Bhavanani, MD, stated, “MindMics technology shows a high correlation with medical-grade standards like echocardiogram and cardiac catheter.”
These clinical studies demonstrate the potential of MindMics to detect valvular disease independent of invasive and expensive methods. Studies continue and we’re looking for new clinical partners.
Privacy rules.
Protecting your privacy is critically important to us. Highlights of our privacy policy include:
Security Organization and Enforcement: MindMics uses industry-leading technology to secure user data and has strict policies to ensure all user data is managed according to US and EU formal guidelines.
Data Privacy: User data is not sold. MindMics abides by strict patient privacy standards and protocols (HIPAA and GDPR) to support the security and privacy of user data.
Security Standards: We operate according to industry best practices to enact the highest levels of data security, including the transmission of all data in encrypted formats, housing of all databases on a private network that are not accessible via the Internet, and regular auditing (internal) of public APIs and external components.
Research and Development: User data is important for continuous product advancements that lead to leaps in understanding and application of biometric data. User data is always de-identified and is not traceable back to individual users.
Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity: We use the Google Cloud operating platform, which features daily back-up and high availability.
