Media OutReach
SMART Launches New Research Centre to Develop World’s First Wearable Ultrasound Imaging System For Real-Time Monitoring of Chronic Conditions
- The Wearable Imaging for Transforming Elderly Care (WITEC) collaborative research project aims to develop the world’s first wearable ultrasound imaging system for continuous, real-time monitoring and personalised diagnosis of chronic conditions such as hypertension and heart failure.
- WITEC is a multi-million dollar, multi-year initiative that brings together top researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Nanyang Technological University and the National University of Singapore, with Tan Tock Seng Hospital as its clinical collaborator.
- To support the research, WITEC is equipped with advanced tools such as Southeast Asia’s first Nanoscribe Quantum X sub-micrometre 3D printer and the most advanced Verasonics ultrasonic imaging system available in Singapore.
SINGAPORE – Media OutReach Newswire – 11 December 2025 – Imagine a world where ultrasound imaging is no longer confined to hospitals; patients with chronic conditions, such as hypertension and heart failure, could be monitored continuously in real time at home or on the move, giving healthcare practitioners ongoing clinical insights instead of the occasional snapshots – a scan here and a check-up there. This shift from reactive, hospital-based care to preventative, community and home-based care could enable earlier detection and timely intervention, and truly personalised care.
Bringing this vision to reality, the Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology (SMART), Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s (MIT) research enterprise in Singapore, has launched a new collaborative research project – Wearable Imaging for Transforming Elderly Care (WITEC).
WITEC marks a pioneering effort in wearable technology, medical imaging, research and materials science. It is Singapore’s first centre dedicated to foundational research and development of the world’s first wearable ultrasound imaging system capable of 48-hour intermittent cardiovascular imaging for continuous and real-time monitoring and diagnosis of chronic conditions such as hypertension and heart failure.
This multi-million dollar, multi-year initiative, supported by the National Research Foundation (NRF) Singapore under its Campus for Research Excellence and Technological Enterprise (CREATE) programme, brings together top researchers and expertise from MIT, Nanyang Technological University (NTU Singapore) and the National University of Singapore (NUS). Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) is WITEC’s clinical collaborator and will conduct patient trials to validate long-term heart imaging for chronic cardiovascular disease management.
“Addressing society’s most pressing challenges requires innovative, interdisciplinary thinking. Building on SMART’s long legacy in Singapore as a hub for research and innovation, WITEC will harness interdisciplinary expertise – from MIT and leading institutions in Singapore – to advance transformative research that creates real-world impact and benefits Singapore, the US and societies all over. This is the kind of collaborative research that not only pushes the boundaries of knowledge, but also redefines what is possible for the future of healthcare,” said Bruce Tidor, Chief Executive Officer and Director (Interim), SMART.
Industry-leading precision equipment and capabilities
To support this work, WITEC’s laboratory is equipped with advanced tools, including Southeast Asia’s first Nanoscribe Quantum X sub-micrometre 3D printer and the latest Verasonics Vantage NXT 256 ultrasonic imaging system, which is the first unit of its kind in Singapore.
Unlike conventional 3D printers that operate at millimetre or micrometre scales, WITEC’s 3D printer can achieve sub‑micrometre resolution, allowing components to be fabricated at the level of single cells or tissue structures. With this capability, WITEC researchers can prototype bioadhesive materials and device interfaces with unprecedented accuracy — essential to ensuring skin‑safe adhesion and stable, long‑term imaging quality.
Complementing this is the latest Verasonics ultrasonic imaging system. Equipped with a new transducer adaptor and supporting a significantly larger number of probe control channels than existing systems, it gives researchers the freedom to test highly customised imaging methods. This allows more complex beamforming, higher‑resolution image capture, and integration with AI‑based diagnostic models — opening the door to long‑duration, real‑time cardiovascular imaging not possible with standard hospital equipment.
Together, these technologies allow WITEC to accelerate the design, prototyping and testing of its wearable ultrasound imaging system, and to demonstrate imaging quality on phantoms and healthy subjects.
Transforming chronic disease care through wearable innovation
Chronic diseases are rising rapidly in Singapore and globally, especially among the ageing population and individuals with multiple long-term conditions. This trend highlights the urgent need for effective home-based care and easy-to-use monitoring tools that go beyond basic wellness tracking.
Current consumer wearables, such as smartwatches and fitness bands, offer limited physiological data like heart rate or step count. While useful for general health, they lack the depth needed to support chronic disease management. Traditional ultrasound systems, though clinically powerful, are bulky, operator-dependent, can only be deployed episodically within the hospitals, and are limited to snapshots in time — making them unsuitable for long-term, everyday use.
WITEC aims to bridge this gap with its wearable ultrasound imaging system that uses bioadhesive technology to enable up to 48 hours of uninterrupted imaging. Combined with AI-enhanced diagnostics, the innovation is aimed at supporting early detection, home-based pre-diagnosis and continuous monitoring of chronic diseases.
Beyond improving patient outcomes, this innovation could help ease labour shortages by freeing up ultrasound operators, nurses and doctors to focus on more complex care, while reducing demand for hospital beds and resources. By shifting monitoring to homes and communities, WITEC’s technology will enable patient self-management and timely intervention, potentially lowering healthcare costs and alleviating the increasing financial and manpower pressures of an ageing population.
Driving innovation through interdisciplinary collaboration
WITEC is led by the following Co-Lead Principal Investigators:
- Prof Xuanhe Zhao, Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, MIT
- Prof Joseph Sung, Senior Vice President (Health & Life Sciences), NTU Singapore, and Dean, Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine (LKCMedicine)
- Prof Cher Heng Tan, Assistant Dean, Clinical Research, LKCMedicine
- Prof Chwee Teck Lim, NUS Society Professor of Biomedical Engineering, NUS, and Director, Institute for Health Innovation and Technology, NUS
- Prof Xiaodong Chen, Distinguished University Professor, School of Materials Science & Engineering, NTU
“We’re extremely proud to bring together an exceptional team of researchers from Singapore and the US to pioneer core technologies that will make wearable ultrasound imaging a reality. This endeavour combines deep expertise in materials science, data science, AI diagnostics, biomedical engineering and clinical medicine. Our phased approach will accelerate translation into a fully wearable platform that reshapes how chronic diseases are monitored, diagnosed and managed,” said Prof Xuanhe Zhao, Co-Lead Principal Investigator, WITEC.
Research roadmap with broad impact across healthcare, science, industry and economy
Bringing together leading experts across interdisciplinary fields, WITEC will advance foundational work in soft materials, transducers, microelectronics, data science and AI diagnostics, clinical medicine and biomedical engineering. As a deep tech R&D, its breakthroughs will have the potential to drive innovation in healthcare technology and manufacturing, diagnostics, wearable ultrasonic imaging, metamaterials, and AI-powered health analytics. WITEC’s work is also expected to accelerate growth in high-value jobs across research, engineering, clinical validation and healthcare services, and attract strategic investments that foster biomedical innovation and industry partnerships in Singapore, the US and beyond.
“Chronic diseases present significant challenges for patients, families, and healthcare systems, and with aging populations such as Singapore, those challenges will only grow without new solutions. Our research into a wearable ultrasound imaging system aims to transform daily care for those living with cardiovascular and other chronic conditions – providing clinicians with richer, continuous insights to guide treatment, while giving patients greater confidence and control over their own health. WITEC’s pioneering work marks an important step towards shifting care from episodic, hospital-based interventions to more proactive, everyday management in the community,” said Prof Joseph Sung, Co‑Lead Principal Investigator, WITEC.
Led by Dr Violet Hoon, Senior Consultant at TTSH, the clinical trials are expected to commence in early 2026 to validate long-term heart monitoring in the management of chronic cardiovascular disease. Through innovations in bioadhesive couplants, nanostructured metamaterials and ultrasonic transducers, over the next three years, WITEC aims to develop a cart-based bioadhesive ultrasound (BAUS) system capable of continuous, real-time monitoring and personalised diagnosis of medical conditions. In future stages, WITEC aims to develop a fully integrated portable BAUS platform capable of 48-hour intermittent imaging.
As MIT’s research enterprise in Singapore, SMART is committed to advancing breakthrough technologies that address pressing global challenges. WITEC adds to SMART’s existing research endeavours that foster a rich exchange of ideas through collaboration with leading researchers and academics from the US, Singapore, and around the world in key areas such as antimicrobial resistance, cell therapy development, precision agriculture, AI and 3D-sensing technologies.
Hashtag: #SMART
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
About Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology (SMART)
Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology (
SMART) is MIT’s Research Enterprise in Singapore, established by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in partnership with the National Research Foundation of Singapore (NRF) since 2007. SMART is the first entity in the Campus for Research Excellence and Technological Enterprise (CREATE) developed by NRF. SMART serves as an intellectual and innovation hub for research interactions between MIT and Singapore. Cutting-edge research projects in areas of interest to both Singapore and MIT are undertaken at SMART. SMART currently comprises an Innovation Centre and six Interdisciplinary Research Groups (IRGs): Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), Critical Analytics for Manufacturing Personalized-Medicine (CAMP), Disruptive & Sustainable Technologies for Agricultural Precision (DiSTAP), Mens, Manus and Machina (M3S), Wafer-scale Integrated Sensing Devices based on Optoelectronic Metasurfaces (WISDOM), and Wearable Imaging for Transforming Elderly Care (WITEC).
SMART research is funded by the National Research Foundation Singapore under the CREATE programme.
For more information, please visit http://smart.mit.edu
About Wearable Imaging for Transforming Elderly Care (WITEC)
The WITEC collaborative research project is Singapore’s first centre dedicated to foundational research and development of wearable ultrasound imaging technology. Launched in May 2025 by the Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology (SMART), WITEC aims to pioneer the world’s first wearable ultrasound imaging system to enable continuous, real-time monitoring and personalised diagnosis of chronic conditions. By integrating advancements in soft materials, metamaterials, low-power electronics and intelligent algorithms, WITEC aims to shift healthcare from hospital-centric, reactive care to proactive, community-based solutions.
For more information, please visit https://smart.mit.edu/research/witec/about-witec
We sincerely thank our customers for their continued trust. AIA Hong Kong’s sustained leadership in the number of new business policies reflects that when people seek to protect their own and their loved ones’ future through insurance, AIA’s quality health and wealth solutions — together with services and experiences that go beyond traditional insurance — consistently stand out as their preferred choice.
We remain committed to protecting every moment that matters and helping people and the communities we serve to live Healthier, Longer, Better Lives.
Notes:
* Source: The latest provisional statistics of the Insurance Authority on Hong Kong long-term insurance business from January to September 2025.
** Based on statistics from Insurance Authority released since 2014 – Provisional statistics of the Insurance Authority on Hong Kong long-term insurance business.
Hashtag: #AIAHongKong
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
About AIA Hong Kong & Macau
AIA Group Limited established its operations in Hong Kong in 1931. To date, AIA Hong Kong and AIA Macau have about 18,000 financial planners1, as well as an extensive network of independent financial advisors, brokerage and bancassurance partners. We serve over 3.6 million customers2, offering them a wide selection of professional services and products ranging from individual life, group life, accident, medical and health, pension, personal lines insurance to investment-linked assurance schemes with numerous investment options. We are also dedicated to providing superb product solutions to meet the financial needs of high-net-worth customers.
1 As at 30 June 2025
2 Including AIA Hong Kong and AIA Macau’s individual life, group insurance and pension customers (as at 30 June 2025)
All nominations will undergo a rigorous screening and evaluation process conducted by the VinFuture Pre-Screening Committee and the Prize Council, which comprise leading scientists from around the world, including laureates of prestigious international awards such as the Nobel Prize, the Turing Award, and the Millennium Technology Prize.
The evaluation process is scheduled to be completed by September 2026, with the 6th VinFuture Prize Award Ceremony slated for early December 2026. Nominations submitted after April 17, 2026 will automatically be considered for the 2027 season.
In order to provide comprehensive information and strengthen engagement with its global network of nomination partners, the VinFuture Foundation will host two international webinars in the first quarter of 2026, featuring insights and perspectives from representatives of the Prize Council, the Pre-Screening Committee, and VinFuture Laureates. The first webinar will take place at 8:00 AM on January 26, 2026 (Hanoi time).
In 2026, the VinFuture Prize will continue the implementation of its Top Nominators Recognition Program, formally acknowledging the exceptional contributions of scientists whose discernment and scholarly leadership are instrumental in identifying and nominating scientific and technological achievements of transformative significance for humanity.
Having completed five successive and highly successful award cycles, the VinFuture Prize has established itself as a globally respected distinction within the international science and technology community. To date, it has received a cumulative total of 6,132 nominations from nearly 110 countries and territories and has recognized 48 outstanding scientists whose pioneering work has delivered profound, enduring, and far-reaching benefits to humanity.
Many of the achievements recognized by the VinFuture Prize are closely aligned with major milestones in human progress, ranging from global networking technologies, PERC solar cells, lithium-ion battery energy storage, and artificial intelligence to essential fields such as sustainable agriculture, healthcare, and environmental protection. Reflecting its expanding international reach, VinFuture’s global nomination partner network now includes nearly 15,000 scientists worldwide.
Dr. Thai-Ha Le, Managing Director of the VinFuture Foundation, stated: “After five years of establishment and development, VinFuture Prize has steadily affirmed its position as one of the world’s leading global science prizes, where outstanding scientific excellence is honored in parallel with social responsibility and the long-term interests of humanity. As we enter the 2026 season, we anticipate that nominations will continue to demonstrate the pivotal role of science and technology in addressing global challenges in a comprehensive manner, thereby advancing breakthrough solutions with strong applicability and the capacity to generate positive and sustainable impacts on a global scale.”
With its established international stature and credibility, VinFuture has contributed meaningfully to positioning Viet Nam as an emerging hub for global knowledge exchange and scientific collaboration. Numerous VinFuture partners have traveled to Viet Nam to engage in academic exchanges, share professional expertise, and strengthen ties with the domestic scientific community. Notable participants include Professor Aldo Steinfeld of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH Zurich), recipient of the 2024 SolarPACES Lifetime Achievement Award; Professor Kurt Kremer, Honorary Director of the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research (Germany); and Professor Chuanbin Mao of The Chinese University of Hong Kong (China), ranked among the world’s top 2% most-cited scientists in biomedical engineering…
Through VinFuture, many Vietnamese scientists have likewise gained access to, and established collaborations with, leading global researchers, actively engaging with the international scientific community to help shape a sustainable future for Vietnam and for humanity at large.
Hashtag: #VinFuture
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
Through this collaboration, FED Fitness and the Houston Rockets aim to bridge professional training standards with the at-home fitness experience, encouraging consistent movement and healthy routines for people of all ages and fitness levels.
FED Fitness offers a wide range of high-quality home exercise equipment, competitive pricing, and a free training app—aligning seamlessly with the Rockets’ performance-driven mindset and community-focused approach to sport and wellness.
Notably, this marks the Houston Rockets’ first partnership with a dedicated home gym solutions brand, reflecting the growing importance of home-based training within the evolving sports and fitness landscape. The partnership also reinforces FED Fitness’s expertise, product quality, and long-term strategic vision, as elite sports organizations increasingly align with innovative home fitness brands.
At the heart of the partnership is a shared commitment to health, discipline, and long-term fitness habits—whether training at home or competing at the highest level on the court.
Extending Professional Training into the Home
FED Fitness operates with the belief that fitness should be accessible, enjoyable, and sustainable, providing solutions designed to support users at different stages of their home fitness journey.
FED Fitness Home Gym Solutions
Its home gym solutions are defined by several core characteristics:
- Professionalgrade equipment
- Home training content system
- Spacefriendly designs
- Scenariodriven content
- Sustainable training system
FED Fitness is more than just equipment treadmills, ellipticals, strength machines, and lightweight accessories. Instead, it goes above and beyond by providing an entire home fitness ecosystem that includes training and health data.
Partnership Benefits for Consumers and Fans
The partnership between FED Fitness and the Houston Rockets is built on a shared focus on training, health, and fitness, as well as a mutual commitment to creating engaging, family-friendly experiences around the game.
Designed to benefit both organizations, the collaboration also delivers added value for Rockets fans through a variety of interactive activations and promotions. These include a sweepstakes for a VIP game experience, home training content featuring FED Fitness products and Houston Rockets personnel, and opportunities for co-branded merchandise offerings. Fans can also follow FED Fitness on social media to access exclusive, fans-only discounts.
About FED Fitness: Brand vision and global health mission
FED Fitness is a global home gym solution brand focused on delivering professional-grade equipment and digital training tools for home use.
Trusted by more than 12 million households worldwide, the brand is committed to helping individuals and families build sustainable fitness habits through accessible, high-quality solutions.
The partnership with the Houston Rockets further reinforces FED Fitness’s long-term vision of integrating professional training standards into home-based fitness and everyday life.
For more information, visit www.fedfitness.com
Hashtag: #FEDFitness
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
-
Feature/OPED6 years agoDavos was Different this year
-
Travel/Tourism9 years ago
Lagos Seals Western Lodge Hotel In Ikorodu
-
Showbiz3 years agoEstranged Lover Releases Videos of Empress Njamah Bathing
-
Banking8 years agoSort Codes of GTBank Branches in Nigeria
-
Economy3 years agoSubsidy Removal: CNG at N130 Per Litre Cheaper Than Petrol—IPMAN
-
Banking3 years agoSort Codes of UBA Branches in Nigeria
-
Banking3 years agoFirst Bank Announces Planned Downtime
-
Sports3 years agoHighest Paid Nigerian Footballer – How Much Do Nigerian Footballers Earn