David Benaron, a medical researcher and furry known by his cheetah fursona Spottacus, died on 19 July 2025 at the age of 66, according to an obituary listing published by the Neptune Society.

Mr. Benaron invented the green light heart rate monitor, a technology later adopted in smartwatches and fitness bands such as the Apple Watch and Fitbit.

A PCMag report stated that he held more than 100 patents and also founded biotechnology firms, including the medical sensor company Spectros. He developed a new type of oximeter in 2005 that used LED light instead of infrared to measure oxygen flow in the body.

He worked in paediatrics and optical imaging, bridging clinical practice and technological innovation.

Within the furry fandom, Mr. Benaron was an active fursuiter and long-time attendee. He created characters including Toofs the sabretooth, Dandy the lion, and Ozzie the ocelot.

Earlier coverage noted that he had been active in the community since at least 2000, when he attended Further Confusion in California, and that he owned 46 fursuits.

A Flayrah report noted he also gave talks linking his scientific career with his furry identity, including a presentation at Berkeley titled Furries, Neurodivergence and STEM: Finding Your Path From Zero to One to One Billion.

Multiple reports described his work as influential in both science and culture.

心率监测器发明者大卫·班纳隆（兽设“斑竹”）逝世，享年66岁

根据 Neptune Society 发布的讣告，医学研究员、兽迷（furry）大卫·班纳隆（其猎豹兽设名为斑竹，Spottacus）于 2025 年 7 月 19 日去世，享年 66 岁。

班纳隆先生发明了绿光心率监测技术（green light heart rate monitoring），该技术后被广泛应用于苹果手表（Apple Watch）、Fitbit 等智能手表与健身手环。

据 PCMag 报道，他拥有超过 100 项专利，并创立了包括医疗传感器公司 Spectros 在内的多家生物技术企业。

他于 2005 年研发出新型血氧仪（oximeter），通过 LED 光替代红外线监测体内氧气流动。其工作横跨儿科（paediatrics）与光学成像（optical imaging）领域，有效连接了临床医学与技术创新。

在兽圈中，班纳隆先生是活跃的兽装（fursuit）爱好者与长期参与者，创作了剑齿虎 Toofs、狮子 Dandy、豹猫 Ozzie 等角色。早前报道显示，他至少自 2000 年参加美国加州兽展 Further Confusion 起便活跃于社群，并拥有 46 套兽装。

Flayrah 报道指出，他曾多次结合科学（STEM）生涯与兽迷身份进行分享，包括在伯克利大学（UC Berkeley）发表题为《兽迷、神经多样性与 STEM：从零到一再到十亿的探索之路》的演讲。

多篇报道评价其工作对科学与文化领域均影响深远。