Imperial College Innovation Fund backs GripAble in latest funding round | | Imperial College London
Summary
Limited arm movement impinges severely on quality of life, making everyday tasks such as opening a jar, pouring water, getting dressed and eating more difficult. The device is sensitive to a range of types of movement, such as squeezing, turning or lifting, and these are used as inputs for games designed to hold patients’ attention and encourage them to complete exercises. GripAble has paired this innovation with a data system that allows therapists to monitor patient progress, set goals, and deliver a greater level of personalised attention than is usually possible with remote rehabilitation. Dr Paul Rinne, CEO and co-founder of GripAble, said: “It is a challenging task to build a product for both neurological and musculoskeletal disorders, for individuals of all ages and with all ranges of cognitive abilities, but we have succeeded in delivering to market a product with incredibly broad applicability by putting the users – therapists and patients – front and centre of everything we do.” Brijesh Roy, Seed Investment Manager at Imperial, said: “GripAble’s progress to date demonstrates the considerable patient benefits achievable through academic entrepreneurship. GripAble’s driven leadership team have developed great technology and worked closely with healthcare providers and patients to bring to market an innovative solution for an acute unmet need.