Insight into new markets
New technologies open up new markets. By taking part in Holst Centre programs, partners also gain insight into both the challenges and the opportunities in these markets. To validate the results of our technology research programs, we build demonstrators that show how the technology can be applied in the real-world. As well as providing feedback into the program on the next steps to take to make these technologies even better, the demonstrators provide real insights into how these technologies can be applied in new and emerging markets.
Smart Packaging
A good example is one of our recently launched programs on Smart Packaging. As a first focus, Holst Centre and its partners have developed a smart blister-package demonstrator allowing better monitoring of therapy compliance by patients. In parallel with the technology development, the various players in the ‘smart health’ ecosystem are shaping the business models that match this kind of new applications with the opportunities and demands in the market. Thereby, Holst Centre’s position on the crossroads between technology push and market pull allows cross-fertilization of insights from both ends of the development chain.
Sleep Monitoring
As another example, our sleep monitoring demonstrator brings together several separately developed technologies for EMG, ECG, EEG monitoring. It gives an idea of how future technologies can greatly facilitate the life of the patient or person being monitored. Once these miniaturized, wireless autonomous solutions become readily available, it will be much easier to make combined measurements needed for applications such as monitoring of sleep staging.
But they also open up the possibility for more exotic applications such as monitoring a person’s emotions or arousal state. By actively developing and testing technology demonstrators like this in real-life medical environments, Holst Centre gains insight into the markets and potential applications which it shares with partners in the related programs.