Aquapore Moisture Reduction

About

Value Proposition For amputees experiencing excessive moisture accumulation inside their prosthetic limb as a result of normal sweating who want to improve walking stability,and comfort, the Aquapore Tissue Interface is a prosthetic liner which actively transports moisture out of the prosthetic limb by using new biomaterials andvacuum pumps. Unlike the Alpha liner Smart Temp, the Aquapore T.I. removes any sweat that builds up as a result of inevitable and healthy limb perspiration,instead of trying to prevent the perspiration in the firstplace by cooling the limb. Market Opportunity Our major competitors are Ottobock, Ossur, WillowWood and Alps. The increase in the number of amputees is driving the market. The global market for all prosthetics in 2014 was 1.1 Billion. The market in The US market for liners alone is about 55 Million annually. And as you can seethe market has doubled in the past ten years thanks to a steady growth rate of between 5-8% annually. Competitive Landscape Current state of the art products use a silicone or thermoplastic gel layer as a prosthetic liner. These materials are soft enough to be comfortable but do not allow any moisture to pass through. As a result activ eusers, users in warm climates or anyone unhappy with their level or perspiration suffer from chronic moisture accumulation in their prosthetic limbs which can lead to sores pain and infections. Our product uses an advanced biomaterial membrane to act as a moisture permeable layer which allows water to pass through when acted upon by a pressure gradient.The vacuum suction is supplied by commercially available prosthetic vacuums which are currently prescribed to improve the fit of the prosthetic limb. Technology Making use of new cutting edge biomaterials from the field of bioengineering, the Aquapore Tissue Interface is the world’s first moisture permeable prosthetic liner for use with a vacuum linkage system. Using a moisture permeable but airtight material allows us to achieve the best linkage possible together with the removal of sweat. Stage of Development We are currently working on validating our key enabling technology, the super tough thin hydrogel membrane. Testing includes toughness as well as permeability testing. IP Status We have a provisional patent application submitted through the University of Pittsburgh.