The Singapore–MIT Alliance for Research and Technology (SMART), Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s (MIT) research enterprise in Singapore, has launched Wearable Imaging for Transforming Elderly Care (WITEC) a multi-million-dollar initiative to create the world’s first wearable ultrasound imaging system capable of 48-hour intermittent cardiovascular monitoring. The system could support the management of chronic conditions such as hypertension and heart failure by shifting care from reactive and hospital-based to preventative and home-centred.

If successful, the project could offer clinicians ongoing clinical insights instead of occasional snapshots from periodic scans or check-ups, enabling earlier detection, timely intervention and truly personalised care.

WITEC is Singapore’s first centre dedicated to foundational research and development in wearable ultrasound imaging. Funded by the National Research Foundation (NRF) Singapore under its Campus for Research Excellence and Technological Enterprise (CREATE) programme, the initiative brings together researchers from MIT, Nanyang Technological University (NTU Singapore) and the National University of Singapore (NUS). Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) will serve as the clinical partner and will lead patient trials to validate long-term heart imaging for chronic cardiovascular disease management.