Downtown Detroit tech firm
Urban Science, the
Rehabilitation Institute of Michigan and Wayne State University of Michigan are partnering to create a new health-care innovation start-up,
Life Beyond Barriers.
The new start-up, which calls the Renaissance Center home, combines health-care, research, engineering and entrepreneurship into sort of clearing house for innovative new technologies for the health-care field. The idea is to help people from around the world overcome everyday physical challenges.
"We're focusing on the health-care industry initially," says Blake Mathie, vice president of operations for Life Beyond Barriers. "The focus is to work with the people working in humanitarian systems. Health-care is one of them."
Life Beyond Barriers allows healthcare providers, caregivers, those with disabilities and others to submit challenges and product ideas for research and development consideration on a rolling basis. The start-up's three-person team will design, engineer and develop a solution for selected submissions, produce it and market the invention.
"We're trying to develop product solutions to help people," Mathie says. "We're also trying to develop companies to help people."
Mathie expects Life Beyond Barriers to deliver its first products next year. It is currently working with local hospitals and research institutions to develop new technologies that help people suffering from diabetes and healing wounds.
Source: Blake Mathie, vice president of operations for Life Beyond Barriers
Writer: Jon Zemke
Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.
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