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Buzz Building Around 'World's First' Bionic Knee Brace Developed By Dalhousie University Students

The Canadian Press, 11 Mar, 2016 12:33 PM

HALIFAX — A pair of scientists in Nova Scotia are hoping to turn pain into profit with a gizmo they're promoting as the world's first bionic brace.

Chris Cowper-Smith, 31, and his partner got the idea for their business in late 2012 when the two were working on their PhDs at Dalhousie University.

With backgrounds in neuroscience and mechanical engineering and both suffering from chronic knee pain, they developed a unique spring-loaded brace that stores energy when you bend your knees and releases it as you straighten.

Buzz started building around the two-pound gadget called Levitation, with the first investor coming on board in 2013 and a one-month online fundraising campaign that recently raised more than $200,000.

The Indiegogo site offered buyers the chance to pre-purchase the Levitation brace for US$1,449, which brought in pre-orders from 25 countries.

Spring Loaded Technology says it has secured $1.9 million in seed funding and a military contract with National Defence worth $1 million to provide a beefed-up, reinforced version of the consumer-grade brace.

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