Funding the future of prosthetics: DASA supports UK start-up to develop patient monitoring tech
How DASA helped an SME break down challenges in prosthetic care
- DASA funding helped a six-person UK small to medium sized enterprise (SME) develop an app that transforms how veterans record and report prosthetic socket comfort
- Radii Devices has progressed from a university spin-out to securing a contract with the US Department of Veterans Affairs, supported along the way by DASA and its collaboration with key partners, including BLESMA
- The project demonstrates how DASA’s efficient funding approach and support can help small UK companies accelerate innovation development and access international markets.
Every morning, veterans who use prosthetic limbs after losing limbs in our country’s service face the same question: will today be a comfortable day? A well-fitting prosthetic isn’t just about comfort – it’s about living life on their own terms, from making a cup of tea to playing with their grandchildren and maintaining an active lifestyle.
Yet in clinic appointments, these same veterans often struggle to put their daily experiences into words. “How comfortable is the socket?” is a common question. But how do you compress weeks of wearing a prosthesis into a 30 to 60 minute appointment? Details such as the intensity of pressure points, patterns of discomfort, or gradual changes in fit - are often lost between appointments. This gap in data collection can impact the optimisation of socket fit and, ultimately, the veteran’s quality of life. Prosthetists, often dealing with multiple patients will need to rely on any limited notes they make during the appointment. This can be problematic and lead to misunderstanding, misremembering and misrepresenting what the patient has reported.
This was the reality that moved the team at Radii Devices to action. An SME from the University of Southampton in 2020, their six-person team united around a key insight they learned from veterans: there had to be a better way for to share their experience of wearing a prosthetic limb with their clinicians.
Funding the future of prosthetics: DASA supports UK start-up to develop patient monitoring tech
From Prototype to Practice
In 2022, a new opportunity emerged for Radii Devices through DASA’s “Veterans’ Health Innovation Fund” competition. This competition, funded by the Office for Veterans’ Affairs, sought novel innovations to enhance both the physical and mental healthcare provision for veterans. For Radii Devices, whose mission aligned perfectly with the competition’s objectives, this represented an ideal opportunity to accelerate the next stage of their innovation.
After securing DASA funding, Radii Devices set out to develop a prosthetic monitoring application through three stages.
Stage one centred on building a comprehensive understanding of user needs. Through Blesma, The Limbless Veterans, Radii Devices assembled an invaluable network of participants. The team conducted in-depth consultations with 20 stakeholders, including 13 veterans and 7 healthcare professionals spanning prosthetists, physiotherapists, and rehabilitation consultants. This diverse input proved crucial in understanding the daily challenges of prosthetic use from both clinical and user perspectives.
The second stage transformed these insights into tangible solutions through collaborative design workshops. Veterans and healthcare professionals worked side by side with the Radii team, reviewing wireframe drawings and prototype concepts. “We wanted to bring a solution that not only benefitted the wearer, but genuinely enhanced clinical practice and built on clinicians’ expertise” explains Jenny Bramley, Clinical Lead of Radii Devices. Each design iteration was validated with prosthetists to ensure the collected data would drive meaningful improvements in socket fitting.
The third stage saw the development of a user-friendly prototype application that will help veterans to:
- track socket comfort scores
- log daily activities
- document specific issues as they occur
- build comprehensive comfort profiles over time
Radii Device’s app in action
Early testing with users has yielded overwhelmingly positive feedback, helping move veterans from sporadic clinical observations to continuous, data-driven insights that can be acted upon.
One anonymous veteran during the project reflected: “When you get fit in hospitals, it’s not reflective to everyday life. This feed of information we can now provide to prosthetists is vital.”
International recognition
DASA’s support proved transformative for Radii Devices, providing more than just funding, explains Joshua Steer, CEO. “Nothing great is built alone – we’ve looked to partners like DASA since day one to help us bring better fit, comfort, and quality of life to limb wearers. In collaboration with organisations and individuals closest to the wearer, we’re even more deeply motivated to fulfil the opportunity to make lasting change to the field.”
This backing from DASA played a pivotal role in securing another huge opportunity with the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). After citing their work and backing from the likes of DASA and Innovate UK, the SME caught the attention of VA, leading to their selection for a major veteran’s healthcare transformation project alongside global technology leaders such as HP Inc. This project further aims to revolutionize prosthetic care for veterans by supporting their clinicians in the socket design, fitting and manufacturing process. With influential partners in the field such as these, Radii Devices continues to address the fragmented and labour-intensive nature of prosthetic fitting that demands an overhaul.
“There’s really positive momentum behind Radii Devices, and we’re excited to expand our work internationally with our newest partners in the US. There’s lots to be gained from partnering with such prestigious organizations, and lots we can share with them too to improve the fitting journey for everyone.”
This project has been a great success for reviewing how limbless veterans receive prosthetic care in the UK and will enable better communications between clinicians and their patients regarding prosthetic socket fit. The continued development of an application prototype, enhanced by new datasets and qualitative insights from clinicians and veterans, will lead to veterans having more agency in their own care. It is Radii Devices’ hope that their commitment to innovative solutions will set a new global standard of care in Orthotics and prosthetics (O&P), ensuring that prosthetic limb wearers receive the same exceptional experience, no matter where they access care.
Their growth demonstrates how DASA and the Office for Veteran Affairs’ effectively helps British SMEs evolve from early-stage ideas.