Fall detection and prevention

The clinical need:

Falls among the elderly, particularly those with cognitive disorders, represent a critical public health challenge, leading to severe injuries, diminished quality of life, and substantial healthcare costs. Falls place an immense strain on the NHS, being a primary driver for emergency service calls, hospital admissions, and the transition from home living to residential care. There is a market need for a passive, non-intrusive and highly reliable fall detection and prevention system.

Project challenge:

A team at the University of York have developed a non-wearable, wireless technology for fall detection and prevention, and wanted to understand more about their addressable market, competitive landscape, regulatory requirements, intellectual property protection and the pathway to commercialisation.

How did Medipex help?

Medipex conducted research into market size and trends, and provided a comprehensive review of alternative technologies that are intended to meet the same clinical need (both on the market and patent filings).  The regulatory requirements that are pertinent to this type of technology were outlined, and potential barriers to future adoption were highlighted; this information can be used to inform robust and appropriate product development and evidence-generation plans.  Finally, a suggested roadmap for commercialisation was presented, with justified recommendations for the optimal market strategy.

Impact:

This research gave confidence to the team that there is a sizeable market for their innovation and that there is a need for a non-wearable, non-invasive system that is simple for users.  The regulatory requirements and potential barriers to future adoption that were highlighted as part of the report enables the inventing team to address these, thus increasing their chances of success in launching a new product on this market.  The team now have an objective dossier of information with which to attract collaborative and financial support for further development of their innovation, with a clear route to market outlined.

Client testimonial:

"Medipex conducted a comprehensive and high-quality proof of market research for our fall detection technology. The research was carefully tailored to our specific requirements, and the findings proved invaluable in shaping our market strategy. In particular, the work enabled us to clearly identify target customer segments, regulatory requirements, potential collaborative opportunities and partners, and to gain a strong understanding of the competitive landscape. In addition, Medipex carried out an extensive and well-structured patent search, providing clear insight into the relevant intellectual property space. The project was delivered within the agreed timeframe and to a very high standard.
Overall, we are extremely pleased with the proof of market research provided by Medipex. Based on our positive experience, we have already recommended Medipex to colleagues at the University of York and would be very happy to strongly recommend them to other companies and universities seeking expert commercialisation support."

Kanapathippillai Cumanan (Cuma) (Professor of Wireless Communications at University of York) and Sathish k Sankarpandi (Digital Health Innovator)