Petal Wins the 2026 Women’s HealthTech Advancement Award

A Wearable Designed Around Women’s Health

Petal uses bioimpedance to measure midsection fat and estimate visceral fat. The same sensor system supports ECG-derived measurements for heart rate and heart-rate variability. Because the device is worn near the body’s center of mass, it can also monitor step cadence, gait variability, mobility, and balance while tracking everyday activity such as steps, distance, and active calories.

The Petal Wellness app compares these measurements with each woman’s personal baseline rather than relying only on broad population averages. This approach is designed to help users recognize gradual changes that may occur with aging, hormonal transitions, lifestyle changes, or new medications and bring more informed questions to their healthcare providers.

Petal began shipping across the United States in 2026. The device works with a bra the user already owns, has a reported battery life of 10 to 14 days based on typical daily use, and synchronizes with the Petal Wellness app through low-power Bluetooth.

Supporting Better Health Insights Through Women-Centered Data

Women have historically been underrepresented in medical research, contributing to gaps in the data used to understand female physiology and develop health technologies. Petal was created specifically around women’s bodies and health changes rather than adapting a general-purpose wearable after development.

The company submitted technical validation supporting the device’s body-composition capabilities. Petal’s midsection-fat model was evaluated across 119 sessions involving 51 participants. Its visceral-fat model was developed using data from 17,389 women and evaluated against a held-out dataset of 908 women who were not included during model development.

A smaller comparison with clinical dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry scans provided an additional directional assessment of Petal’s estimates. The company describes the product as a wellness device and does not claim that the results establish clinical equivalence with DXA.

Petal was developed with input from doctors working in women’s health, breast health, cardiology, and clinical research. Users may also choose to contribute anonymized information to research intended to improve the understanding of women’s breast tissue and overall health.

Designed for Practical Everyday Use

Petal’s form factor allows it to be worn discreetly without requiring a specialized garment or visible hardware. By combining several types of measurements in one device, Petal gives users a broader view of changes involving body composition, cardiovascular indicators, movement, and physical stability.

The personal-baseline approach is central to the experience. Rather than presenting every measurement primarily as a comparison with a generalized population, the app helps users follow how their own measurements change over time.

This combination of women-centered design, distinctive sensor placement, technical validation, and consumer availability made Petal the strongest overall submission for the 2026 Women’s HealthTech Advancement Award.

Obtelecare Recognized as Runner-Up

Obtelecare was recognized as runner-up for expanding access to maternal-fetal medicine specialists for patients with high-risk pregnancies, particularly in hospitals and communities where local specialty coverage is limited.

Obtelecare provides virtual maternal-fetal medicine support that integrates into local maternity workflows. Its specialists collaborate with OB hospitalists, physicians, nurses, and other clinicians to provide timely guidance for complex pregnancies while helping appropriate patients receive care closer to home.

The service has been implemented across different healthcare environments. Obtelecare launched 24/7 inpatient maternal-fetal medicine coverage at Providence Alaska Medical Center and Memorial Hospital Gulfport. An outpatient program at Ellis Medicine’s Bellevue Woman’s Center launched in 21 days.

Since expanding in 2025, Obtelecare reported supporting approximately 7,000 patients through 11,000 procedures across nine states. Its combination of virtual specialist access, workflow integration, clinical collaboration, and provider education offers health systems a scalable response to persistent maternal-fetal medicine workforce shortages.

About the Women’s HealthTech Advancement Award

The HealthTechNode Women’s HealthTech Advancement Award recognizes technologies, platforms, devices, treatments, and care models addressing the distinct health needs of women across different life stages. The category honors innovations that improve access, understanding, prevention, diagnosis, treatment, monitoring, or care delivery while advancing a more complete and inclusive approach to women’s health.

About Petal

Petal is a women-centered health technology company developing wearable tools designed around female physiology. Its discreet bra-worn device brings together body-composition measurements, ECG-derived heart metrics, mobility and balance information, and everyday activity tracking. Learn more at petal.today.

About HealthTechNode

HealthTechNode covers the technologies, companies, and people shaping the future of healthcare. The HealthTechNode Awards recognize meaningful innovation across digital health, medical technology, healthcare infrastructure, clinical research, patient care, and the broader global health technology ecosystem.