Spun out of Northwestern University - specifically the Querrey Simpson Institute for Bioelectronics - Sonica LLC develops wearable sensors that are soft, flexible, and wireless and can be mounted in unusual "information-rich" locations on the body: an example being the suprasternal notch or at bottom of the neck. In 2020 the company partnered with BARDA and utilized its bio-integrated wearable patch (ADAM) to help identify COVID-19 symptoms and other respiratory infections in high-risk clinical populations. The technology used is a flexible wireless patch - about the size of a band-aid - that sits at the base of the throat. The device monitors cough intensity and patterns; chest wall movements that can indicate labored or irregular breathing; other respiratory sounds; heart rate; physical activity; and temperature. An aim of the firm had been to develop an FDA-cleared platform encompassing the sensors, algorithm, and software package as an early warning system for SARS-CoV-2 contraction, and prognosis, helping reduce the transmission of the infection through early detection.
