HCi Viocare - the company behind a smart insole that monitors diabetic feet – is now launching smart mattresses and smart wheelchair cushions.
Designed to help patients avoid debilitating pressure sores, the technology works by using a network of tiny electronic sensors to send data back to a smart device or mobile for real-time feedback or for later analysis.
The mattress and wheelchair cushion will use the electronic sensors to monitor potentially harmful pressure and shear forces among bedridden or wheelchair-using patients. Real-time feedback from the sensors will prompt the mattress or cushion to automatically adjust so that the patient is repositioned to help prevent ulcers forming.
HCi Viocare says it is in discussions with several partners who have shown significant interest in incorporating the new technology into their products and in producing the company’s new inventions.
Dr Christos Kapatos, HCi Viocare’s chief technical officer said:
“We were delighted with the rapid and highly positive response to our Smart Insole invention – a reaction that has led us to expand our range of innovations.
We are now moving forward with new applications for our core technology, and continue to seek new partners who wish to commercialise this next generation of health products.
Our Smart Mattress and Wheelchair Cushion technology is developed to automatically respond to the pressure feedback from our sensors, adjusting the way the patient is positioned so that pressure ulcers don’t get a chance to form”.