30th July, 2007 Media Statement
Smart sensing technology will improve life for diabetics
A device being developed by Auckland company Zephyr Technology that could prevent amputations through early detection of
foot problems in people with diabetes is being championed by international experts for its potential to significantly
improve quality of life for diabetics.
Zephyr’s research and development project to create a high tech inner sole for shoes that will help detect and prevent
foot ulcerations in diabetics is also being supported by the New Zealand government, with investment of $348,000 through
the Foundation for Research, Science and Technology.
Using sensor technology combined with novel algorithms, Zephyr makes smart fabrics that gather information on such
things as heart beat, skin temperature, posture, activity and breathing rates. They are used for measuring performance
and condition with applications in the health, defence and medical markets.
Now Zephyr is working with the scientists headed by Patria Hume at AUT University to develop its ShoePod product, an
inner shoe sole fitted with sensor technology, into a device that can detect foot ulceration in diabetics, potentially
reducing a major health problem that results in 90,000 amputations each year in the United States. Zephyr Director of
Business Development Steven Small says around 85 per cent of the amputations performed on diabetics in the US each year
could be prevented with the new ShoePod.
“People with advanced type 2 diabetes frequently lose feeling in their feet so they aren’t aware of the first signs of
the ulceration that can eventually lead to amputation. Our goal is to develop a variant of the ShoePod that can measure
temperature as well as pressure to give an early alert of potential problems.”
Key advantages of the Zephyr innovation will be its reliance on fewer sensors than other products, making it simple to
use and affordable for individuals who might otherwise have to go to a clinic to be connected to sophisticated
monitoring equipment.
The project has won endorsement from specialists at the Dr William Scholl College of Podiatric Medicine in Illinois with
Dr David Armstrong, Professor of Surgery and Associate Dean of the College and an acknowledged world authority on the
diabetic foot, working with Zephyr to develop and promote the technology.
Support from the Foundation of Research, Science and Technology, through its Technology for Business Growth (TBG)
scheme, will help Zephyr overcome significant technical hurdles in ensuring its temperature sensors are thin enough to
be incorporated in an inner sole, give accurate readings through socks and withstand constant use.
The R will also provide the means for information from the ShoePod to be easily accessed through a mobile phone or the
Internet.
“Helping Zephyr get its product to market faster was a key driver of our investment,” says Dr Suki Siriwardena, the
Foundation’s Northern Regional Manager. “This is leading edge technology from a company poised to grow and win a share
of valuable global markets if it can get products out there ahead of competitors.”
Once the diabetic shoe sole comes out of the lab, Mr Small says it will need to undergo clinical trials and comply with
US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations before it can be launched on the market.
Zephyr has been turning heads in the global technology world this year, being profiled by the BBC on the first day of
world’s biggest ICT trade fair, CeBIT, in Hanover, in March and winning the best of show award at the Larta Venture
forum in San Francisco at the beginning of May. Zephyr was part of a New Zealand delegation taken to CeBIT by New
Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE).
The Larta Venture Forum showcases early stage innovation and entrepreneurship. The Foundation for Research, Science and
Technology hosted a delegation of New Zealand companies and research organisations to attend the event this year.
Steven Small says Zephyr’s ‘migration’ from an electronics design consulting company into a producer of smart fabrics
started with research into combining fabric sensors with electronics to enable a person’s vital signs and performance to
be monitored unobtrusively.
Since then the company has invested heavily in R to bring products to market. Mr Small says working with the Anderson Graduate School of Management at the University of
California (UCLA) has been pivotal to Zephyr getting a foothold in the US, helping it make contacts and carrying out
market research to determine applications for its technology. NZTE introduced Zephyr to the UCLA Global Access
programme, where the company was matched with students with relevant expertise. This team of students also planned
Zephyr’s market entry into the United States.
Zephyr has a staff of 15 and Mr Small expects that to double in the next three months as commercialisation of the
company’s technology speeds up.
ENDS