Azimut Medical has launched the primary large-scale trial of its breakthrough good garment – trousers that inflate throughout a fall – with plans to commercialize in 2026.
Almost one in three Canadian older adults will expertise not less than one fall this 12 months – the main reason behind injury-related hospitalizations for individuals over 65. Now, a MedTech startup is on a mission to decrease that statistic with a first-of-its-kind invention: wearable airbag expertise that simply inserts right into a customized pair of trousers to assist soften the autumn and stop fracture.
“The actual innovation we’re bringing to this sector is a miniature airbag system fully managed by electronics,” stated Maxime Bolduc, CEO and Co-founder of Azimut Medical, who was impressed to do a greater job of defending older adults after watching his grandmother undergo a prolonged restoration after falling and breaking her hip.
“On the identical time, we’re combining trend experience with AI to design clothes for older adults that’s each comfy to put on and good,” he added.
The corporate’s modern product – a customized pant with a zippered pouch to carry the distinctive inflatable membrane, which is supplied with electrical sensors to research an individual’s motion in real-time and is designed to be fully indistinguishable from an everyday pair of trousers when worn– is being piloted on the CIUSSS du Centre-Sud-de-l’Île-de-Montréal (CCSMTL), in partnership with the Montreal Chinese language Hospital and the IUGM Analysis Centre. Knowledge collected by the airbag sensors is analyzed utilizing proprietary algorithms to differentiate a fall from on a regular basis residing. When a fall is going on, the airbag rapidly inflates to guard the wearer and soak up the power of affect.
As a part of the pilot, the good garment is being evaluated with older adults receiving hospital-based persevering with care, in addition to by geriatric specialists who present that care. The outcomes are serving to to refine the expertise as the corporate gears up its go-to-market technique, which is quickly scaling in direction of commercialization subsequent 12 months thanks partly to Mitacs, a number one innovation group that connects companies and researchers to drive collaboration, deploy expert expertise, and construct innovation capability to strengthen Canada’s productiveness and world competitiveness.
To assist launch the corporate in 2021, each Bolduc and co-founder Pierre Li tapped right into a Mitacs program geared toward serving to up-and-coming entrepreneurs to develop their startups. This system supported the analysis of an early prototype, as Bolduc accomplished his engineering grasp’s diploma in Innovation Administration and Li graduated from his grasp’s diploma in mechanical engineering. Since then, the corporate has leveraged different Mitacs packages to rent extremely expert scholar researchers within the fields of engineering, electronics and machine studying to assist advance the expertise.
“Mitacs is a implausible group that actually helped us to help the analysis and improvement of our expertise,” stated Bolduc, including that in the course of the firm’s first 12 months, they employed seven scholar researchers at one time. “Their help was instrumental in accelerating our product improvement.”
Based on Mitacs CEO Stephen Lucas, “Mitacs locations top-tier expertise in Canadian companies, particularly SMEs, to help industry-academia collaboration. This helps unlock innovation potential, de-risk R&D for companies, and construct lasting academic-industry relationships. Our nationwide attain, worldwide connections, and talent to dealer cross-sectoral partnerships permit us to ship outcomes at scale, serving to Canadian companies compete globally whereas creating the following era of a talented and modern workforce.”
In contrast to the explosive airbags utilized in vehicles, Azimut Medical’s expertise is safer, silent, rechargeable and will be reset after every use. The brand new design, primarily based on a zippered inflatable membrane, permits customers to simply take away the system, so the garment will be washed, and the airbag will be recharged.
The expertise’s fall prediction algorithm is presently designed for widespread use. Sooner or later, the corporate will likely be working to develop extra personalised algorithms able to predicting different well being biomarkers, comparable to predictors of early dementia or detecting early indicators of Parkinson’s illness.
“The onerous half is getting older adults to love the garment and put on it, and we’re already there,” stated Bolduc, noting that the garment obtained excessive consumer acceptance scores for consolation (4.2 out of 5). “Our long-term objective for our system is to grow to be a completely built-in, protecting and discreet digital well being hub, with peace of thoughts, privateness and independence as a central focus.”
Because it ramps up manufacturing for the pilot – with 120 gadgets anticipated to be prepared for trial, together with smaller take a look at websites at non-public retirement properties along with the massive hospital-based pilot – Azimut Medical is finalizing the hiring of a Director of Operations and a Director of Gross sales. Azimut Medical can be elevating its first financing spherical to help the pilot trial, constructing its manufacturing capability and producing income in Canada.
The corporate can be investigating the potential for leveraging its modern airbag system to develop good clothes for high-level athletes and sports activities groups who need entry to real-time motion knowledge for coaching functions.
“For now, we’re targeted on older adults, the place our objective is to do higher than conventional fall alerts that solely ship assist after somebody falls,” Bolduc stated. “An alert is sweet, nevertheless it’s not going to cease a bone from breaking.”
About Mitacs
As a number one Canadian innovation group, Mitacs connects companies and researchers with unrivalled entry to expertise, monetary help, and the partnerships wanted to show concepts into impactful improvements. Via distinctive collaborations, Mitacs is driving productiveness and positioning Canada as a worldwide innovation chief. Mitacs is funded by the Authorities of Canada, the Authorities of Alberta, the Authorities of British Columbia, Analysis Manitoba, the Authorities of New Brunswick, the Authorities of Newfoundland and Labrador, the Authorities of Nova Scotia, the Authorities of Ontario, Innovation PEI, the Authorities of Quebec, the Authorities of Saskatchewan, and the Authorities of Yukon.
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