Companies partner to jointly break new ground for prostheses

French startup Kurage combines innovative medical technology and top-class sports in a more inclusive world. It employs intelligent products to help people with limited mobility move their paralysed limbs. One main element of their neuroprosthesis is the silicone force sensor SXTSC1 from Sateco.

The sensor is incorporated into the sole of a shoe and supplies data on walking behaviour. This information is evaluated by an AI-based algorithm that powers a system of neuromuscular electrostimulation electrodes. As a result, the system can reproduce functional movements in a personalised and secure manner to offset flaws in the sensomotoric performance of the movement apparatus.

“We have tested many different sensors for this application,” explains Rudi Gombault, CEO of Kurage. “Only the silicone force sensor delivers the signal quality that the algorithm requires to function optimally.”

The key is the soft structure of the sensor, which enables ideal sensor integration in the shoe, and the force distribution on the foot can be measured across a large area. As a result, an exceptionally clear signal is created. The signal is produced in conjunction with the sensor’s silicone material and the appropriate evaluation electronics.

Sateco assists Kurage with its expertise. “We see the use of the silicone sensor in a prosthesis as an expansion of our core business in man-machine interaction and assist the young company in its endeavours to make clinical approval of the neuroprosthesis as efficient and successful as possible,” confirms Daniel Haefliger, CEO of the Sateco Group.