Samya: continuous stress sensing for women's hormonal balance
Samya is a noninvasive wearable device offering continuous stress monitoring by translating physiological signals into cortisol-based stress metrics. It addresses hormonal health management by providing real-time insights, crucial for women experiencing hormonal imbalances like PCOS and menopause.
Overview
Samya is an innovative wearable platform designed to provide women with continuous monitoring of their stress levels by translating physiological signals into actionable cortisol-based stress metrics. This technology aims to fill a critical gap in hormonal health management by offering real-time insights into how daily stress impacts hormonal balance. The device is particularly beneficial for women experiencing conditions like PCOS and menopause, where understanding and managing stress is crucial for hormonal wellbeing.
Technical specifications
Samya leverages a core electrodermal sensor, benchmarked against gold-standard laboratory equipment, to detect stress-related physiological changes. The platform integrates multimodal signals, enhancing its ability to accurately predict diurnal salivary cortisol fluctuations. This integration allows Samya to establish personalized stress baselines, giving users a comprehensive view of their hormonal health. The current hardware is being improved with adaptive gain control and additional signal variables to ensure accuracy and reliability.
Technology readiness level
Currently, Samya is at Technology Readiness Level 3. The device has undergone preliminary validation, demonstrating its capability to distinguish between stress and relaxation states. The next stages involve linking physiological signals to cortisol levels in lab settings and conducting longitudinal studies in women across different hormonal phases to further validate the system's efficacy.
About University of Rhode Island
The University of Rhode Island is a public land- and sea-grant research university with a flagship campus in Kingston and additional coastal and urban sites. Industry engages through a business engagement team, Cooperative Extension, and a Sea Grant program, which move solutions from lab to field and support workforce development. Co-located facilities at the Narragansett Bay Campus and proximity to the offshore wind supply chain and a major naval R&D hub in Newport enable joint testing, piloting, and rapid iteration with regional partners. Research is supported by competitive federal funding from NSF, NIH, USDA, NOAA, and the Department of Defense. A technology transfer office and entrepreneurship resources help with IP protection, licensing, and startup formation.
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