Scoop has an Ethical Paywall
Work smarter with a Pro licence Learn More

News Video | Policy | GPs | Hospitals | Medical | Mental Health | Welfare | Search

 

Technology will improve life for diabetics

30th July, 2007 Media Statement

Smart sensing technology will improve life for diabetics

A device being developed by Auckland company Zephyr Technology that could prevent amputations through early detection of foot problems in people with diabetes is being championed by international experts for its potential to significantly improve quality of life for diabetics.

Zephyr’s research and development project to create a high tech inner sole for shoes that will help detect and prevent foot ulcerations in diabetics is also being supported by the New Zealand government, with investment of $348,000 through the Foundation for Research, Science and Technology.

Using sensor technology combined with novel algorithms, Zephyr makes smart fabrics that gather information on such things as heart beat, skin temperature, posture, activity and breathing rates. They are used for measuring performance and condition with applications in the health, defence and medical markets.

Now Zephyr is working with the scientists headed by Patria Hume at AUT University to develop its ShoePod product, an inner shoe sole fitted with sensor technology, into a device that can detect foot ulceration in diabetics, potentially reducing a major health problem that results in 90,000 amputations each year in the United States. Zephyr Director of Business Development Steven Small says around 85 per cent of the amputations performed on diabetics in the US each year could be prevented with the new ShoePod.

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

Are you getting our free newsletter?

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.

“People with advanced type 2 diabetes frequently lose feeling in their feet so they aren’t aware of the first signs of the ulceration that can eventually lead to amputation. Our goal is to develop a variant of the ShoePod that can measure temperature as well as pressure to give an early alert of potential problems.”

Key advantages of the Zephyr innovation will be its reliance on fewer sensors than other products, making it simple to use and affordable for individuals who might otherwise have to go to a clinic to be connected to sophisticated monitoring equipment.

The project has won endorsement from specialists at the Dr William Scholl College of Podiatric Medicine in Illinois with Dr David Armstrong, Professor of Surgery and Associate Dean of the College and an acknowledged world authority on the diabetic foot, working with Zephyr to develop and promote the technology.

Support from the Foundation of Research, Science and Technology, through its Technology for Business Growth (TBG) scheme, will help Zephyr overcome significant technical hurdles in ensuring its temperature sensors are thin enough to be incorporated in an inner sole, give accurate readings through socks and withstand constant use.

The R&D will also provide the means for information from the ShoePod to be easily accessed through a mobile phone or the Internet.

“Helping Zephyr get its product to market faster was a key driver of our investment,” says Dr Suki Siriwardena, the Foundation’s Northern Regional Manager. “This is leading edge technology from a company poised to grow and win a share of valuable global markets if it can get products out there ahead of competitors.”

Once the diabetic shoe sole comes out of the lab, Mr Small says it will need to undergo clinical trials and comply with US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations before it can be launched on the market.

Zephyr has been turning heads in the global technology world this year, being profiled by the BBC on the first day of world’s biggest ICT trade fair, CeBIT, in Hanover, in March and winning the best of show award at the Larta Venture forum in San Francisco at the beginning of May. Zephyr was part of a New Zealand delegation taken to CeBIT by New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE).

The Larta Venture Forum showcases early stage innovation and entrepreneurship. The Foundation for Research, Science and Technology hosted a delegation of New Zealand companies and research organisations to attend the event this year.

Steven Small says Zephyr’s ‘migration’ from an electronics design consulting company into a producer of smart fabrics started with research into combining fabric sensors with electronics to enable a person’s vital signs and performance to be monitored unobtrusively.

Since then the company has invested heavily in R&D to bring products to market. Mr Small says working with the Anderson Graduate School of Management at the University of California (UCLA) has been pivotal to Zephyr getting a foothold in the US, helping it make contacts and carrying out market research to determine applications for its technology. NZTE introduced Zephyr to the UCLA Global Access programme, where the company was matched with students with relevant expertise. This team of students also planned Zephyr’s market entry into the United States.

Zephyr has a staff of 15 and Mr Small expects that to double in the next three months as commercialisation of the company’s technology speeds up.

ENDS

© Scoop Media

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading
 
 
 
Culture Headlines | Health Headlines | Education Headlines

 
 
 
 
 
 

LATEST HEADLINES

  • CULTURE
  • HEALTH
  • EDUCATION
 
 
  • Wellington
  • Christchurch
  • Auckland
 
 
 

Join Our Free Newsletter

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.