Sleep-tracking startup moves to Baltimore

As health tracking gets more and more ubiquitous, sleep trackers are becoming a built-in part of the equation for many device makers.
For Awarables, sleep is the thing.
The company, which was created out of research at the University of Maryland Medical Center and in College Park, is looking to create sleep tracking that can be used clinically by doctors looking to help patients with sleep disorders.
Cofounder Gil Blankenship, an entrepreneur and professor at UMD’s Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, said the technology started with a wearable device that has sensors to measure multiple variables about sleep, such as heart rate, light and temperature. It even has a snore microphone. The idea is to measure the same variables that are taken in an overnight sleep lab study, which doctors often prescribe to people with trouble sleeping.

Sleep loss is associated w/ increased age-specific mortality, according to large population studies. #SleepHealth pic.twitter.com/LrtzlXShF6

— ASAA (@sleephealthorg) June 22, 2016

The company later decided to combine that technology with an imaging device for detecting sleep apnea that was invented at the University of Maryland Medical Center by Dr. Jeffrey Wolf. Sleep apnea is a condition where a person’s breathing starts and stops during sleep. The device, called SONOSA, essentially provides an ultrasound of the airway that is blocked.
“The company with both technologies is able to offer what you can get in the sleep lab, and help you quantifiably become a better sleeper,” Blankenship said.
With the combined technologies, the company recently received a $500,000 investment from the Abell Foundation.
“Baltimore has long been known for cutting edge medical research and innovation,” said Abell Foundation President Robert Embry. “Companies like Awarables show it’s possible to bring that research to the market, support job growth in the city, and potentially improve the quality of life for millions of people.”
With the investment, the company also moved its base of operations from College Park to Baltimore. Awarables currently has four full-time employees working on building the devices in offices on West Pratt Street. With the investment, Blankenship expects more hiring in the near future.