Market Context — Why This Technology, Why Now

The increasing global emphasis on worker safety, public health, and operational efficiency is accelerating the adoption of advanced monitoring solutions. Regulatory pressures for hygienic practices in industries like food processing and healthcare, coupled with the drive for smart factory automation, demand reliable non-contact sensing. This technology provides a critical enabler for these trends, offering a scalable solution to enhance human-machine interaction safety and ensure continuous, unobtrusive health monitoring in critical environments.

Key Competitive Advantages
01

Achieves high-precision, non-contact biological data acquisition, overcoming hygiene and privacy limitations of traditional contact sensors. This enables continuous, stress-free monitoring.

02

Significantly reduces external noise and environmental interference through a unique suppression processing technology in the signal intensity calculation unit. This ensures stable biological data acquisition and minimizes false detection risks.

03

Leverages a versatile architecture that generates time-varying data from distance-varying data to derive biological metrics, enabling diverse applications from healthcare to industrial use and flexible adaptation to market needs.

Market Opportunity
Digital Health & Telemedicine
$15B–$25B globally (AI est.)
The aging population and healthcare worker shortages are driving a surge in demand for non-contact vital monitoring and remote diagnostics. This market is expected to expand, prioritizing patient privacy and convenience.
Digital health platform providers Remote patient monitoring solution developers Medical device manufacturers specializing in diagnostics
Smart Factory & Industrial Safety
$8B–$12B globally (AI est.)
Monitoring worker health and non-contact surveillance in hazardous industrial zones contributes to preventing occupational accidents and boosting productivity. Demand is rising with the acceleration of IoT and AI adoption in manufacturing.
Industrial IoT solution providers Factory automation equipment suppliers Workplace safety technology developers
Food Processing & Quality Control
$3B–$4B globally (AI est.)
Non-contact, hygienic, and high-precision quality checks and employee health management are crucial in food manufacturing and processing. This technology supports foreign object prevention and HACCP compliance.
Food processing equipment manufacturers Food safety and quality assurance technology firms Agricultural technology companies
IP Defensibility — Why Competitors Can't Replicate This
What This Patent Covers

This patent, granted after comparison with four prior art documents through a standard examination process, protects the core 'suppression processing by a signal intensity calculation unit' for non-contact biological data detection. This specific and robust claim scope, developed with the involvement of a prominent patent firm, covers the key differentiator for high-precision, noise-resistant detection, offering licensees a strong market advantage.

Competitive White Space

This patent protects the core signal processing for non-contact biological data acquisition. Licensees could build IP in advanced AI diagnostics or robotic integration.

Economic Impact
~$150K/year estimated cost savings per facility (est.)
estimated ROI · USD · AI analysis
ROI Calculation Logic

Implementing this technology in facilities like food processing plants or medical institutions could significantly reduce labor and time costs associated with traditional contact-based or manual biological data measurement. For example, automating ~30% of inspection tasks performed by 3 staff (annual labor cost of ~$60K/person × 3 staff = ~$180K (AI est.)) could yield annual savings of ~$54K (AI est.). Combined with an estimated ~$100K (AI est.) in damage avoidance from early detection of quality issues or accidents, the total economic impact could exceed ~$150K per year (AI est.).

Speed to Market
5× faster than in-house development
This technology's core signal processing algorithms and device configuration for biological data acquisition are already established and patented. This could significantly shorten development timelines compared to companies developing similar technology from scratch. Specifically, the challenge of noise suppression in non-contact detection is resolved, and the foundational technology for demonstration is already proven. This enables licensees to minimize R&D costs and time, facilitating rapid market entry and an estimated ~3.2 years of time savings.
Competitive Positioning

X: Data Reliability & Noise Immunity
Y: Ease of Implementation & Versatility

Business Models & Applications
📦 Device & Module Sales
Develop and manufacture non-contact biological sensor devices or modules incorporating this technology, offering them to medical device or industrial machinery manufacturers. Key strengths include high precision and noise immunity.
☁️ SaaS Monitoring Service
Provide a SaaS platform for analyzing and visualizing biological data acquired by this technology in the cloud. This could be deployed as a subscription model for high-value services like anomaly detection and health reports.
🤝 Licensing & Joint Development
Grant licenses for this technology to companies specializing in specific industries or applications, generating royalty income. Alternatively, joint development of niche solutions could accelerate market penetration.
Adjacent Application Opportunities
👶 Infant Monitoring
Smart Baby Monitor
This technology could be applied to smart baby monitors for continuous, non-contact monitoring of infant respiration and heart rate, enabling early anomaly detection. It offers a differentiated solution that enhances safety without skin contact, reducing parental anxiety.
🚗 Autonomous Driving & In-Vehicle Systems
Driver Biometric Monitoring
Could be used in autonomous and commercial vehicles to non-contactually detect driver alertness and stress levels. This has the potential to prevent accidents and support safe driving by identifying abnormal conditions during operation.
🏋️ Sports & Fitness
Performance Optimization System
Potentially applicable to systems that real-time, non-contact monitoring of an athlete's heart rate and breathing patterns during training. This could provide data to optimize fatigue management and performance.
Integration Roadmap — Estimated 21-Month Deployment
Phase 1: Technology Validation & Prototype Development
Duration: 6 months
Integrate the core module of this technology into a licensee's existing systems and use cases, conducting a Proof of Concept (PoC). This phase validates the accuracy and stability of non-contact detection.
Phase 2: System Integration & Feature Expansion
Duration: 9 months
Based on prototype validation, proceed with full system integration into the licensee's products or services. Develop data integration APIs and expand cloud connectivity features as needed.
Phase 3: Pilot Deployment & Market Preparation
Duration: 6 months
Conduct pilot deployment of the integrated system in a limited environment to identify and resolve operational challenges. Prepare for final product commercialization or service launch and formulate market entry strategies.
Technical Feasibility
This technology is based on a versatile principle of acquiring distance variation data from biological subjects and deriving biological data through signal processing. The 'signal intensity calculation unit,' 'frequency conversion,' and 'coefficient multiplication' processes described in the claims can be implemented using existing hardware like radar or ultrasonic sensors combined with software-based data processing algorithms. Integrating this technology's signal processing logic into existing sensor systems demonstrates high compatibility, allowing for deployment without significant capital investment.
Success Scenario
Implementing this technology could enable continuous biological monitoring without human intervention in environments such as factories or hospitals. This could lead to early detection of abnormal worker health conditions, potentially reducing occupational accident risks by ~20%. Furthermore, its non-contact nature simplifies hygiene management, reducing infection risks in medical settings, and continuously monitoring patient vital signs could reduce nursing staff workload by an estimated ~300 hours annually.
Patent Record
APPLICATION NO.
JP2022-011676
REGISTRATION NO.
7755856
FILING DATE
2022/01/28
GRANT DATE
2025/10/08
EXPIRATION DATE
2042/01/28
PATENT HOLDER
公立大学法人北九州市立大学
Examination History
2025-01-21
Request for Examination
2025-09-09
Decision to Grant