US firm Cionic's Neural Sleeve recognised at IDEA 2023

The Cionic Neural Sleeve was created in partnership with fuseproject, the industry-leading multidisciplinary design studio founded in 1999 by award-winning innovator, Yves Béhar.

“So often, design–whether aesthetic or functional–is an afterthought for assistive technology. Our goal with the Cionic Neural Sleeve was to create something that not only provides essential and innovative support, but also that blends seamlessly into the wearer’s life in both function and form,” said Jeremiah Robison, Cionic founder & CEO. “We are honoured to have received multiple awards from the IDSA in recognition of those efforts, the preeminent authority on design excellence.”

Cionic’s technology was built from the ground up, using machine learning and extensive data collection to develop the proprietary algorithms that power the Cionic Neural Sleeve. The award-winning user experience is packaged into an intuitive iOS and Android application that acts as both a telehealth platform between the user and Cionic, as well as the command centre for the Cionic Neural Sleeve experience. That preeminent experience is continued through to the form factor, designed in partnership with fuseproject, and is the first true bionic clothing to combine sensing, analysis, and augmentation into a sleek, wearable garment. The first-of-its-kind digital interface and medical garment design efforts received gold and silver IDEA award recognitions from IDSA, respectively, the company said in a press release.

"Health and design are the best allies on behalf of patients. It’s an honour to partner with mission-driven leading neurotech startup, Cionic," added Yves Béhar, fuseproject founder and CEO. "Unlike traditional medical devices, our aim was to design everyday mobility assistance that is at once comfortable and attractive. To design alongside Cionic is to have the opportunity to work in service of people’s overall health and wellness, and – through that – to advance their goal to improve mobility and to instil in those who wear the Cionic Neural Sleeve a sense of pride and independence that positively accelerates their advancement towards wellness of being and body."

Cionic customer Patty Glatfelter shared her experience about the power of the technology. “I was a physical therapist for 47 years, and have been living with multiple sclerosis (MS) for 37. In all those years and all that MS and physical therapy background, this has been almost a dream come true. Since acquiring my Neural Sleeve 12 weeks ago, I no longer have to carefully wobble around the house to do my daily chores. Rather, I feel confident to grab my trekking poles and go for a trail walk safely for 20 to 30 minutes after my chores are done. Who knows where I will be in a year?”

Backed by clinical evidence and FDA-cleared, the Cionic Neural Sleeve analyzes, predicts, and augments a person’s movement. It uses a dense array of sensors to measure how the body is positioned and how individual muscles fire during movement, predicts intended movement by measuring the electrical signal from the brain, and then algorithms analyze this data in real time to determine optimal muscle activation patterns. The Cionic Neural Sleeve then delivers Functional Electrical Stimulation to sequence proper muscle firing for natural movement. It is an adaptive system that provides real-time augmentation and adjustment of the wearer’s movement, updating each time they take a step.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (RR)