Beyoncé had a point—if you like something, put a ring on it. And who does not like their health? A Bengaluru-based startup is making wellness wearable with a smart ring that tracks cardiovascular health.
Devices have been smart for quite some time now, popularised by the Apples and Samsungs of the world, but what if your jewellery started getting smart too? Wearables startup Sensio has developed a screenless device that tracks multiple health parameters through a smart ring.
Founded in 2019 by Dr Venkatesh Vadde, Kenneth Joel, and Mohan Prabhakar, Sensio Enterprises has designed and developed the Orbyt Smart Ring. Vadde, an electronics engineering professor turned entrepreneur, told EFY, “I met my co-founders at PES University. Together, we decided to focus on sensors and health-related solutions and built Sensio Enterprises.”
The smart ring is equipped with medical-grade, AI-enabled sensors for real-time monitoring of essential health parameters, including ECG (electrocardiogram) and PPG (photoplethysmogram) for cardiac health monitoring, and SpO2, or oxygen saturation, for respiratory health.
The interior features skin-friendly resin and gold-plated ECG electrodes, while the exterior comprises medical-grade stainless steel with a titanium carbide coating. Designed for aesthetics and functionality, the ring is available in sizes 4-13 and comes in stellar black, gunmetal grey, rose gold, auric gold, and steel silver colours, priced at ₹20,000.
“Our smart ring is equipped with sensors capable of monitoring multiple vitals. It tracks heart, respiratory, and blood oxygen levels, and temperature. It offers ECG monitoring, which is our key differentiator. The ring also includes an inertial sensor for activity tracking and can monitor sleep patterns,” says Vadde.
In an age where screens dominate our lives, Vadde believes that a screenless smart ring collects all health-related data even while sleeping, unlike a smartwatch, which is not comfortable to wear while sleeping.
The startup has developed a proprietary feature called In-Loop, which monitors the health of family members remotely and sends alerts when intervention is required. This feature lets users present comprehensive health data to doctors for accurate diagnoses and treatments.
Sensio integrates a high-quality analogue front end and sensor to obtain ECG and other signals, embedding these into the ring. The collected data is then processed, and users can access health insights via a mobile application.
Sensio outsources PCB fabrication and component manufacturing internationally due to the lack of locally made, high-quality, flexible circuit manufacturing. “While we do not manufacture our semiconductors, we source them, and everything else is built in-house. We design the circuits, create the ring body, and encapsulate the ring ourselves. We have filed patents and trademarks for our smart ring designs,” shares Vadde, emphasising that value addition and PCB assembly occur in India.
Vadde acknowledges the technical challenges of capturing an accurate ECG signal on a curved PCB. “Unlike a regular wearable device, a smart ring’s circuit is built on a curved PCB. We use both rigid-flex and full-flex circuits, which are more complex for achieving high-density interconnects and very fine-pitched circuits compared to rigid boards, which account for 98-99% of all circuits and represent a well-established industry,” he elaborates.
The startup has received orders from 250 individual customers. To tackle the challenge of maintaining quality while scaling production, Vadde says the startup is open to collaborations with high-quality component manufacturers and PCB fabricators. It also explores partnerships with healthcare providers, gyms, and educational institutions to expand direct-to-consumer and business-to-business (B2B) sales.
With a team of 15, including 10 design engineers, the startup focuses on solving design challenges independently while engaging with institutions such as IIT Kharagpur and Bombay, IIIT Bangalore, PES University, IISc Bangalore, and ISB Hyderabad. Currently incubated at IIM Bangalore, the startup benefits from the incubation centre’s guidance on business management.
Sensio has received government funding of around ₹5.4 million from Karnataka’s Elevate initiative and Nidhi Prayas, a scheme run by the Department of Science and Technology. It is also part of an incubation programme at IIT Bombay under the National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems (TIH IoT). It has received support from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY). Since then, Sensio has secured funding from angel investors and is currently seeking institutional investment.
Vadde is confident that, despite being an early entrant, the Orbyt Smart Ring can disrupt the wearable health-tech market through its advanced technology and sustained support from ecosystem partners.
