CrucialTec, a Korean biometrics business, said Wednesday it will expand into the biomedical market next year with a plan to provide products like smartphone thermometer and diabetes diagnosis kit.

The company said it plans to add biomedicine as a new business area at its shareholders’ meeting in January.

The announcement comes after years of research and development projects with domestic and foreign institutes including Texas A&M University in the US based on a judgment that 2018 will be an opportune time to start the new business. 

In the past few weeks, CrucialTec has won a handful of patents regarding sensor modules for thermometers that will be built in small mobile devices like smartphones.

The sensor technology CrucialTec exclusive owns will be available both for cattle and humans, providing a variety of smart farm and medical solutions, the company said.

One of the smart farm systems the company is preparing to launch is an anti-foot-and-mouth disease system that will prevent cattle from the disease by keeping track of their body temperature through the sensor.

The same logic can also be applied to prevent human diseases like Middle East respiratory syndrome, the company said.

“CrucialTec has long prepared for the biomedical business, considering it a crucial growth engine,” a company official said. “R&D and facility investment for the new business will be carried out according to a mid- and long-term plan.”

The company also expects its patented Display Fingerprint Solution to be applied to flagship smartphones next year.

By Song Su-hyun (song@heraldcorp.com)