Bioliberty, the Scots medtech startup which has created a soft robotic glove to help with the rehabilitation of stroke patients, has received almost half a million pounds in new funding to accelerate its product to market.

The firm secured £435,000 from the Biomedical Catalyst, Innovate UK’s flagship grant funding mechanism to transform innovative ideas into commercially viable businesses.

The Edinburgh-based company’s robotic glove works by assisting a patient to open and close their hand, an action which can be severely limited following a stroke.

Developed alongside physiotherapists, occupational therapists, and clinicians, the glove has built-in sensors that allows it to vary levels of resistance, helping to tailor rehabilitation exercises to the user.

The new funding is set to go towards developing the machine learning and data collection elements of the product.

Statistics from the UK’s Stroke Association state that someone has a stroke every five minutes in this country, affecting 100,000 people every year.

It’s also estimated that 1.3 million people in the UK have had a stroke with many requiring ongoing therapy to recover from the symptoms.

New guidelines from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published in October states that stroke victims should receive up to three hours of rehabilitation a day, five days a week.

However, the Stroke Association has voiced concerns over the NHS’ ability to deliver on this target.

Bioliberty, which has already raised more than £3.5 million in funding and created 8 new roles within the company over the last six months, believes the new technology can help deliver on these new guidelines.

The startup is based at the National Robotarium in Edinburgh, which works with partners around the globe to define, develop, and resolve industry challenges through the application of robotics and AI.

Speaking on the company’s product and the new funding, Conan Bradley, co-founder at Bioliberty, said: “Bioliberty is on the verge of a revolutionary leap in rehabilitation technology. Our upcoming trials for our soft robotic glove are set to ignite the United States, with top rehab clinics eagerly in discussions.

“With this newfound funding, we’re poised to accelerate trials and expedite our market launch. But we’re not stopping at the U.S.; the UK beckons, with a significant demand for innovative rehabilitation solutions amidst the latest NICE guidelines.

“Having access to the National Robotarium’s state-of-the-art office and lab facilities, including its ecosystem of collaborators, industry experts and academic teams, has been vital in helping us to develop our product.”

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Lisa Farrell, business development manager at the National Robotarium, also commented: “With an ageing population, demand for robotic solutions to assist in the rehabilitation of those who’ve experienced a stroke will be in great demand.

“Stroke is the leading cause of disability worldwide, so Bioliberty’s product is addressing a global need, which is one of the core missions of the National Robotarium.

“The National Robotarium’s mission is to develop robotic and AI solutions which make people safer, healthier and more productive and working with tenant companies, we want to provide a catalyst for entrepreneurship, and deliver economic and societal benefits.”

UK Government minister for Scotland, Malcolm Offord, also remarked: “This pioneering technology has the potential to become a vital tool for health professionals to help improve stroke patients’ care during their rehabilitation process.

“The UK Government has invested £21 million in the National Robotarium helping foster world-leading research and support high quality jobs, investment and growth, as part of our more than £2.7 billion investment to level up across Scotland.”