Fylde surgeon's digital device to help people recover from knee and hip operations

A retired consultant surgeon from the Fylde coast has teamed up with Preston’s university to make a digital device to aid recovery from operations.
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Former knee surgeon Shameem Sampath, from Lytham, has worked with the University’s business support arm for the past two years after using his experience to create a smart-technology product called Slider to support pre and post-operation knee and hip patients.

Shameem came up with the idea of a sliding device linked to patients’ smart-phones and the hospital to encourage the right exercises for people recovering from their operations. It uses games to get them to complete their rehab.

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He contacted UCLan in 2018 after needing help to turn his business idea into reality.

Shameem Sampath from Lytham who has worked with UCLan to form a company to produce his invention the Slider to help people in rehab from knee and hip operationsShameem Sampath from Lytham who has worked with UCLan to form a company to produce his invention the Slider to help people in rehab from knee and hip operations
Shameem Sampath from Lytham who has worked with UCLan to form a company to produce his invention the Slider to help people in rehab from knee and hip operations

After tapping into the University’s Health MATTERS programme, a three-year collaborative venture between the University and the Innovation Agency, part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund, he has now established a start-up company called ai Rehab Ltd and is ready to start production with his product that has recently been granted a CE Mark.

Shameem said: “I’ve developed an innovative product that uses artificial intelligence to record a patient’s knee or hip exercise progress and then shares the information directly with a physiotherapist. My ultimate aim is for Slider to be rolled out across the NHS.

“I honestly don’t know where I’d be without the support I’ve received from UCLan. I was a surgeon not a businessman so I hadn’t got a clue how to take my idea forward but I knew it was worth pursuing.

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“The business experts at UCLan helped me with early designs of Slider, linked me with potential investors and helped me apply for funding grants. I had some bad experiences when I initially set up my business, so it was refreshing to work with a team that had my best interests at heart and treated me as an individual with specific business needs.”

The Slider in actionThe Slider in action
The Slider in action

UCLan employs a team of experts with years of experience to work with a wide range of sectors to develop opportunities.

Through its Idea to Scale-Up programme, companies can work with the University on product design, development and validation, intellectual property (IP) protection, securing investment, commercial strategy and exploring new markets. Shameem is currently using the Idea to Scale-Up Programme to help him validate his product in a real-world clinical environment.

Through the Health MATTERS programme Shameem will also receive help in accessing the NHS, clinical staff and commissioners who can validate Slider`s clinical performance.

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Shameem said: “I’ve developed an innovative product that uses artificial intelligence to record a patient’s knee or hip exercise progress and then shares the information directly with a physiotherapist. My ultimate aim is for Slider to be rolled out across the NHS.”

Peter Leather, Head of IP and Commercialisation at UCLan, said: “The University is in the fortunate position of housing a range of expertise and experience under one roof.

"We can offer a streamlined, multi-disciplinary package of support to businesses from a variety of sectors, whether they’re looking to speed up product development time, increase market share or raise investment funds.”

Chris Wynne, Investment Manager in the Idea to Scale-up Team, added: “Shameem’s been a great client to work with and it’s been fantastic to see how not only Slider has developed as a product, but how Shameem has developed as an entrepreneur over the last two years.

ai Rehab Ltd is just one example of how a new start-up business can tap into the support services on offer at UCLan.”