University of Turin adopts Openwater’s Open-Motion for muscle blood-flow research

The University of Turin will use Openwater’s wearable Open-Motion device to study how muscle blood flow changes under mechanical stimulation and stress. The collaboration could also inform future noninvasive brain-computer interface research based on hemodynamic signals.

Why it matters: - The University of Turin is testing whether Openwater’s Open-Motion can measure muscle blood flow directly, rather than inferring circulation changes from indirect signals. - The work could improve understanding of how the nervous system regulates muscle circulation during physical and mental stress. - The collaboration may also point toward future noninvasive brain-computer interface applications that use hemodynamic signals.

What happened: - Openwater announced that the University of Turin in Turin, Italy, will use its Open-Motion device in cardiovascular and neurophysiological research. - The university’s Integrative Physiology Lab will lead the study. - Silvestro Roatta, Ph.D., associate professor of physiology and head of the lab, will oversee the research. - Openwater made the announcement on September 29, 2026.

The details: - The research will examine how muscle vasculature responds to changes in internal and external pressure and to changes in neural drive. - The team will study the rapid increase in blood flow that occurs when muscle tissue is exposed to mechanical stimuli, including muscle contraction and external compression. - The team will also examine vasoconstriction triggered by sympathetic nervous system activity during physical and mental challenges. - Researchers plan to measure these changes across different areas of the body at the same time. - The study will assess whether Open-Motion can complement noninvasive measurements such as tissue oxygenation. - Open-Motion is a lightweight, portable, noninvasive research platform that uses near-infrared light to measure subtle changes in blood flow and blood volume below the surface of bodily tissue. - High-resolution sensors capture how light is altered by blood movement, producing real-time insight into physiological changes beneath the surface. - The platform does not use radiation or invasive procedures. - Openwater said the device may support earlier detection and more informed decision-making when traditional imaging is unavailable or impractical. - Roatta said Open-Motion could help measure muscle blood flow directly and add another measurement to existing techniques.

Between the lines: - The collaboration fits Openwater’s push to position Open-Motion as a research tool that complements, rather than replaces, existing physiological measurements. - The possible BCI angle suggests Openwater wants to extend the device beyond muscle circulation into broader neurophysiology research. - That broader scope may help the company build evidence across multiple use cases before any clinical expansion.

What's next: - The University of Turin team will evaluate Open-Motion in its Integrative Physiology Lab. - The researchers may explore noninvasive BCI communication paradigms based on hemodynamic signals associated with lateralized brain activity. - The project may also examine communication pathways based on autonomic signals, including voluntary pupil-size modulation, that do not rely on overt muscle movement. - Openwater said the University of Turin joins a growing global network of research collaborators. - Other institutions using Openwater technologies include the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Arizona, MIT Lincoln Laboratory, the University of Birmingham in the U.K. and the Hospital del Mar Research Institute in Barcelona. - More information is available at Openwater’s website.