A Cornell University-affiliated startup, SensVita, is pioneering a groundbreaking approach to health monitoring by utilizing radio waves to track heart and lung health without any physical contact. This innovative technology aims to enhance patient care in home settings, offering a solution that bypasses the need for traditional wearable devices and hospital monitors.
Founded by Thomas Conroy, a doctoral student at Cornell, and his father James Conroy, who has extensive experience in medical devices, SensVita has joined the Praxis Center for Venture Development. This incubator supports startups from Cornell in their journey towards self-sufficiency. According to Bob Scharf, the academic administrative director at Praxis, “SensVita has a noncontact, passive way of monitoring cardiac activity and breath activity.” The initial applications are targeted at patients who are difficult to monitor, such as those in memory care or neonatal settings.
The concept behind SensVita is both audacious and straightforward: it employs near-field radio frequency sensing to detect minute physiological movements within the body. The sensors can be discreetly placed in various locations, like a room, furniture, or even clothing, continuously tracking critical cardiac and respiratory metrics without burdening patients. This technology promises to deliver real-time data to both patients and healthcare providers without the need for complex or intrusive procedures.
SensVita’s technology originates from research conducted by Edwin Kan, a professor in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Cornell. His team developed near-field coherent sensing systems that send electromagnetic signals into body tissue to sense internal movements, such as heartbeats and blood flow. Conroy, who began his research in noninvasive touchless health sensors in 2019, transformed this research into SensVita, officially founded in 2023.
In addition to its recent admission into Cornell’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, SensVita received a significant boost in February 2025, winning a $305,000 Phase I Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) grant from the National Science Foundation. This funding is intended to advance their technology towards pilot studies and eventual commercialization.
SensVita is particularly focused on chronic disease management, targeting conditions such as heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and sleep apnea. The founders believe that continuous monitoring will enable early detection of declines in health, preventing costly hospitalizations. Conroy emphasized, “We are focused on people at high risk for going back to the hospital. That’s the group we want to monitor.”
The remote monitoring market is expanding rapidly, driven by the need to reduce frequent hospital readmissions, which cost billions globally. SensVita aims to complement existing technologies, such as electrocardiograms (ECGs) and imaging, by providing baseline continuous monitoring. Their zero-contact model is particularly appealing in home settings and for patients who resist traditional wearable devices.
Before the technology can be applied to human subjects, it will undergo testing on animals to assess changes in vital signs related to heart and lung health. Scharf indicated that the College of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell will facilitate this crucial animal testing phase.
If successful, SensVita could emerge as a significant player in the rapidly evolving remote patient monitoring (RPM) sector. With many healthcare systems now reimbursing for RPM services, the trend towards home-based care is accelerating. As Scharf noted, “This is technology covered by multiple Cornell patents. Everyone acknowledges Cornell is the leader in this concept.” With access to advanced instrumentation, including million-dollar devices, SensVita is well-positioned to make a notable impact in healthcare innovation.
