SKINOS

What SKINOS does

SKINOS (株式会社スキノス) is a privately held Japanese medical and research instrumentation company headquartered at the Shinshu University Open Venture Innovation Center in Ueda, Nagano Prefecture. Founded in its current form in April 2017 (with technology lineage tracing to a 1998 Shinshu University venture), the company develops and sells ventilation capsule-type sweat meters and supporting biosignal measurement devices. Its core proprietary technology is the ventilation capsule differential method, which quantifies evaporated sweat as mg/(cm²·min), distinguishing effective vapor-phase sweat from liquid surface sweat and TEWL (transepidermal water loss), and is the only sweat measurement approach codified as a Japanese industrial standard (JIS B7923, established March 2020). The company holds multiple patents on the probe architecture, and the SKD-2000M / SKN-2000M product family is approved as a Class II medical device.

Its product portfolio spans four layers: (1) bench/laboratory-grade ventilation capsule-type sweat meters (SKN-2000M, SMN-1000S, SMN-1000SR) priced ¥850k–¥900k ex-tax; (2) wearable sweat and biosignal sensors (SKW-1000 / SKW-1000S, the WLS-1000 heatstroke-prevention device, and the 2024-launched SKWL-1000 wristwatch-type multi-sensor wearable integrating sweat, heart rate, skin temperature, acceleration, and barometric pressure); (3) wireless skin potential sensors (SPN-03 / SPN-03S) for emotional/mental sweat measurement; and (4) accessory hardware and software (VitThermo in-ear thermometer, MSD/MSR multi-signal recorders, AnalogRecorderPro analysis software).

SKINOS generates revenue through a mix of one-time hardware sales (¥300k–¥900k+ ex-tax per device), one-time software licensing (AnalogRecorderPro bundled or add-on), equipment rental (separate general and academic pricing tiers; Japan-domestic only), and commissioned biosignal evaluation services (starting at ¥50,000 per project). Go-to-market is sales-led, primarily through four authorized specialist distributors in Japan (Hodaka Electronics, As One, Bio Research Center, Muranaka Medical Instruments) supplemented by direct sales, trade show presence at venues including Wearable EXPO, SPORTEC, MD&M West, and Medical Taiwan, and direct academic relationships anchored by the founder's faculty positions at Shinshu University. Customers are concentrated in Japanese academic research institutions, corporate R&D laboratories (textiles, cosmetics, automotive, electronics, telecommunications), and an emerging segment of industrial/occupational heat-safety buyers.

Name

SKINOS

Legal name

株式会社スキノス

Website

https://skinos.co.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Short description

SKINOS is a Japanese private company that develops and sells ventilation capsule-type sweat meters, wearable biosignal sensors, and heatstroke prevention devices. It serves academic researchers, corporate R&D labs, and occupational safety buyers, primarily in Japan, using a JIS-standardized (JIS B7923) measurement methodology developed at Shinshu University.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Medical Biosignal Measurement Instruments

NAICS

Electromedical and Electrotherapeutic Apparatus Manufacturing (334510), Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing (334516), Testing Laboratories and Services (54138)

SIC

Electromedical & Electrotherapeutic Apparatus (3845), Surgical & Medical Instruments & Apparatus (3841), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Continuous Temperature & Fever Monitoring (Wearable Thermometry) (HLAHACAK)

Keywords

• Medical biosignal instruments
• Ventilation capsule sweat meters
• Wearable perspiration sensors
• Heatstroke prevention devices
• Physiological measurement research equipment

Headquarters

HQ city

Ueda

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Medical and Research Equipment Sales: Sale of ventilation capsule-type sweat meters and related biosignal measurement devices to universities, research institutions, and corporate R&D labs. Products include SKN-2000M (medical device), SMN-1000 series, SKW-1000/SKW-1000S wearables, SPN skin potential meters, MOD-002 recording systems, and accessories. Revenue is one-time capital expenditure (capex) per device.
2. Software Licensing: Recording and analysis software (AnalogRecorderPro) is bundled with hardware or sold separately as an optional add-on. The software provides frequency filtering, arithmetic operations, waveform editing, frequency analysis, and multi-file data integration capabilities.
3. Biological Measurement Outsourcing Services: SKINOS conducts commissioned product evaluation tests using its sweat measurement technology. Services are priced from ¥50,000 per project and include measurement of heart rate, skin temperature, core body temperature, local and whole-body sweat rate, skin electrical activity, HRV, respiration rate, thermography, EMG, and sensory evaluation. Target applications: clothing, bedding, sports gear, air conditioning, and heat stroke prevention products.
4. Equipment Rental: Short-term and long-term rental of research equipment including SKN-2000, SMN-1000SR, SKW-1000S, SPN series, SKWL-1000, and VitThermo. Rental pricing varies between general (commercial) and academic (discounted) rates. Services are available only within Japan.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

SKINOS develops, manufactures (via contract manufacturer Nishizawa Denki Keiki Seisakusho), and sells ventilation capsule-type sweat meters and associated biosignal measurement instruments for medical, research, and occupational safety use. The product portfolio includes medical-grade and portable sweat meters, BLE-enabled wearable sweat sensors, skin potential sensors, the WLS-1000 heatstroke prevention device, the VitThermo in-ear thermometer, and supporting data-recording software, all compliant with the JIS B7923 standard. The company also offers biosignal measurement outsourcing services and equipment rentals.

Product overview

SKINOS develops and sells ventilation capsule-type perspiration meters and biosignal measurement instruments for medical and research use. The product portfolio centers on its core ventilation capsule differential-method perspiration meters (SKN-2000M for high-precision lab use; SMN-1000S/SMN-1000SR for portable use), supplemented by a wearable perspiration sensor line (SKW-1000/SKW-1000S for wireless field use; SKWL-1000 wristwatch-type for daily/occupational monitoring), skin potential meters (SPN-01, SPN-02, SPN-03/SPN-03S), the WLS-1000 heatstroke prevention wearable device, the VitThermo ear thermometer, and supporting software (AnalogRecorderPro recording/analysis software, MOD-002 signal recorder, MSR/MSD series multi-signal recorders). The company also offers product evaluation outsourcing services using its biosignal measurement technology, device rental services, and R&D collaboration. All perspiration meters comply with JIS B7923 ventilation capsule-type perspiration measurement standards.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Perspiration Meter SKN-2000M High-precision research-grade ventilation capsule-type differential perspiration meter with medical device approval. Features digital output, flow-compensation method, and JIS B7923 compliance. Designed for laboratory-based quantitative perspiration measurement.
• Perspiration Meter SMN-1000S / SMN-1000SR Portable 1-channel ventilation capsule-type perspiration meter with internal battery and memory card storage. SMN-1000SR adds Bluetooth LE wireless connectivity. JIS B7923 compliant; designed for field and lab use.
• Wearable Perspiration Sensor SKW-1000 / SKW-1000S Wearable perspiration sensor for wireless, unconstrained field measurement using BLE. Measures local perspiration during daily life, exercise, and occupational activities. Data can be recorded via smartphone or PC. SKW-1000S variant adds internal memory logging as backup during wireless transmission.
• Wristwatch-type Wearable Perspiration Sensor SKWL-1000 Wristwatch-type multi-sensor wearable perspiration meter equipped with perspiration, heart rate, skin temperature, acceleration, and barometric pressure sensors. For daily life, exercise, and occupational thermal sweating measurement. Data stored internally; downloaded via Bluetooth LE during charging.
• Heatstroke Prevention Device WLS-1000 Heatstroke prevention wearable device using integrated biosignal sensors (perspiration, heart rate, skin temperature, activity) to monitor fluid loss and deliver hydration alerts. Marketed as the world's first wearable with quantitative continuous perspiration measurement. Not a medical device.
• Wireless Skin Potential Sensor SPN-03 / SPN-03S Wireless skin potential sensor (SPN-03) and internal memory-equipped variant (SPN-03S) for qualitative evaluation of emotional sweating. Compatible with Windows, Mac, and Android via Bluetooth LE. Disposable electrodes and glove-type sensor options available.
• Skin Potential Meter SPN-02 Skin potential meter for laboratory use. SPN-02 features direct PC data import with analysis software and SD card portable recording. Compact, palm-sized design.
• In-Ear Thermometer VitThermo (VTB-01) Ear canal infrared thermometer for continuous core/deep body temperature estimation. Bluetooth-connected to dedicated Thermo Logger app on iOS/Android for data recording in CSV format. 30-hour battery life.
• Equipment Rental Service Short-term and long-term rental of SKINOS perspiration meters and biosignal instruments (SKN-2000, SMN-1000SR, SKW-1000S, SPN series, SKWL-1000, VitThermo) at differentiated general and academic rates (2-week and 1-month options). Japan domestic only.
• Product Evaluation / Biosignal Measurement Outsourcing Service Commissioned biosignal measurement outsourcing service using SKINOS perspiration measurement technology. Evaluates products (textiles, bedding, sportswear, HVAC, heatstroke prevention gear) by measuring physiological responses during use. Includes measurement of heart rate, skin temperature, core body temperature, sweat rate, skin electrical activity, HRV, respiration, EMG, thermography, and sensory evaluation. Starting at ¥50,000 per evaluation. Offered to corporate clients and research institutions.

Quantifiable outcome

• In field trials, workers without hydration alerts lost >2% body weight (exceeding US occupational exposure limit of 1.5%), while following WLS-1000 hydration alerts significantly reduced the number of days exceeding this threshold
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• 西澤電機計器製作所 (Nishizawa Denki Keiki Seisakusho)coreTechnology or IntegrationManufacturing partner responsible for production of ventilation capsule-type sweat meters. The relationship originated in 2007 when the previous venture was liquidated and manufacturing was transferred to Nishizawa. SKINOS (founded 2017) continues to use Nishizawa as its contract manufacturer while handling development and sales in-house.
• 信州大学医学部 (Shinshu University Faculty of Medicine)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic co-development partner and origin of SKINOS technology. Co-founders Ohhashi Toshio (Professor) and Sakaguchi Masao (from Nagano National College of Technology) developed the ventilation capsule sweat measurement method at Shinshu University. SKINOS holds the 'Shinshu University Venture' designation (信州大学発ベンチャー) as of 2018. Joint research on heat stroke alert systems published in Scientific Reports (2023).
• 信州大学繊維学部 (Shinshu University Faculty of Textile Science and Technology)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner for textile and comfort evaluation research. Collaborates on product evaluation using sweat measurement technology for textile industry applications.
• 穂高電子 (Hodaka Electronics)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAuthorized distributor of SKINOS products including SKW-1000 series sweat sensors, SPN-03 skin potential sensors, and SKWL-1000 wristband sensors. Resells to research and medical institutions throughout Japan.
• アズワン (As One)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMajor Japanese scientific and laboratory equipment distributor. Authorized reseller of SKINOS products including SPN-03 wireless skin potential sensor.
• 村中医療器 (Muranaka Medical Instruments)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMedical instrument distributor. Authorized reseller of SKINOS products including SKWL-1000 wristband sweat sensor.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Biopac Systems: Biopac manufactures research-grade multi-channel physiological data acquisition systems used by universities and pharma researchers. Its product range (MP36, BioNomadix wearables) targets the same academic/corporate research buyer that SKINOS serves with its sweat meters and biosignal loggers.
• ADInstruments: ADInstruments (PowerLab, LabChart) provides physiology data acquisition platforms to academic life-science and clinical research laboratories. Comparable to SKINOS in serving research-grade physiological measurement workflows where reproducibility and signal fidelity matter.
• Thought Technology: Thought Technology builds biofeedback and psychophysiology instruments including skin conductance/EDA sensors for emotional sweating — overlapping with SKINOS' SPN/SPL/SPR skin potential meters used in mental-stress and autonomic-nervous-system research.

Emerging players

• Empatica: Empatica produces EDA/GSR wearable sensors (E4, Embrace) for stress and seizure detection — direct adjacency to SKINOS' wearable sweat sensor line (SKW-1000, SKWL-1000) but focused on consumer/clinical wearable markets rather than research instrumentation.
• g.tec medical engineering: g.tec develops high-resolution biosignal amplifiers and brain-computer interface hardware. Comparable as a niche electrophysiology instrument maker serving academic research customers, though focused on EEG/ECoG rather than sweat and autonomic measurements.
• TMSI (TMS International): TMS International manufactures high-quality multi-channel biosignal amplifiers (Refa, Mobi) used in clinical and academic research. Comparable niche player with similar academic/research customer base and emphasis on signal fidelity.

Broad incumbents

• Nihon Kohden: Japan's leading patient monitoring and electrophysiology medical device company. Relevant as a domestic Japanese incumbent with overlapping biosignal measurement (EEG, EMG, ECG) capabilities, broader portfolio, and stronger regulatory infrastructure.
• TSI Incorporated: TSI's QUEST heat stress monitors are widely used to measure WBGT and physiological heat strain in occupational settings. Adjacent competitor for SKINOS' WLS-1000 heat stroke prevention positioning in industrial safety customers.
• Polar Electro: Polar produces heart-rate wearables and physiological monitoring devices (Verity Sense, OH1) used in sports, research, and occupational settings. Relevant as a wearables incumbent with overlapping biosignal capabilities (HR, skin temp, motion).
• Compumedics: Compumedics manufactures clinical and research-grade EEG, sleep, and physiological monitoring systems. Comparable as a medical device company serving clinical/research markets with multi-sensor biosignal measurement products.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about SKINOS