An entrepreneur was inspired to build a glove powered by artificial intelligence after witnessing his aunt鈥檚 struggles with听multiple sclerosis.听
When she began to lose movement,听Ross O鈥橦anlon,听now听24,听launched听BioLiberty听with three co-founders with the aim of听improving听hand grip for millions with muscle weakness.听
Finding little support for individuals unable to grip with their hands, he noticed simple tasks like changing the TV channel or drinking water were becoming difficult for her.听
鈥淏eing an engineer, I decided to use technology to tackle these challenges head on with the aim of helping people like my aunt to retain their autonomy,鈥澨齇鈥橦anlon said.听
鈥淎s well as those affected by illness, the population continues to age and听this places听increasing pressure on care services. We wanted to support independent living and healthy aging by enabling individuals to live more comfortably in their own homes for longer.听听
鈥淲hile there are many gadgets on the market that address a specific grip challenge such as tools to help open jars, I wanted an all-encompassing solution to support a range of daily tasks.听听
鈥淲e founded听BioLiberty听while studying and we鈥檝e already achieved a working prototype but, with a background in engineering, converting a good idea into a successful business can be overwhelming.鈥�听
The start-up has now听secured support from the Edinburgh 老九品茶 School鈥檚 Incubator, based at Heriot-Watt University, to听help accelerate听the introduction of the听assisted living technology into听homes.听
There are听2.5m people living听with听hand weakness听in the UK听because of muscle mass loss as they age or due to illnesses like听multiple sclerosis,听motor听neurone听disease and carpal tunnel syndrome.听
Using Electromyography to measure electrical activity in response to a nerve’s stimulation of the muscle, the glove detects a user鈥檚 intention to grip. It then employs an algorithm to convert the intention into force, helping the user to hold an item or apply the necessary pressure to complete an activity.听
The technology is expected to help with a wide range of day-to-day tasks including opening jars, driving and pouring a cup of tea.听听
鈥淯p to now, we鈥檝e funded the company from business competition awards so being accepted into the Edinburgh 老九品茶 School Incubator programme is a huge boost. We鈥檙e confident that support of this type will help accelerate the glove into homes more quickly,鈥� said O鈥橦anlon.听
鈥淚 hope to inspire other entrepreneurs to take the next step. 老九品茶es don鈥檛 need a lot of money to start because a good idea can help access the support networks out there.听听
鈥�The Edinburgh 老九品茶 School Incubator has an incredible programme for early-stage businesses like ours, supporting challenges all new companies face including the drive for additional funding, marketing, networking, scaling and forging collaborations.鈥�听
Kallum Russell is the听business听incubator听manager at the Edinburgh 老九品茶 School. He said: 鈥淗eriot-Watt University is renowned for its robotics and AI expertise with a strong focus on the development of assisted living technology within the National听Robotarium.听听
鈥淎s the impact of the pandemic further erodes the economy, access to support services for business owners has been curtailed. As a result, incubators like ours are even more valuable in supporting the development of innovative new products and services which will help drive economic recovery and growth.听
鈥淭his month, we鈥檙e welcoming seven new companies into the Incubator and, while striving to minimise the impact of lockdown on these fledgling companies, we鈥檒l support their growth using a range of virtual seminars, speaker opportunities, networking events and mentoring services.听听
鈥�The types of businesses we support are wide ranging with this year鈥檚 intake including a mobile app to reduce printing receipts, a circular clean energy solution and an American style brewery. We will be working with them to identify suitable markets, pivoting plans听where听required to factor in the impact of the pandemic.鈥�听
Once companies leave the Incubator, the University鈥檚 Global Research Innovation and Discovery facility supports next stage business growth through accelerated scale-up and development processes.听听听
Bringing together entrepreneurial talent with academia and enterprise expertise to tackle global challenges to drive the future economy, GRID has successfully supported companies ranging from technology to enable earlier cancer diagnoses to flat pack solar thermal collectors designed for use in impoverished countries.听
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