Sports tech, rehab and cloud firms have signed up as tenants at Liverpool’s new tech centre Sensor City.
Sensor City’s mission to create a global hub for sensor technologies and its latest tenants include regional and internationally based businesses.
One of the new tenants is entrepreneur Terry Nelson, a former Liverpool footballer and paratrooper who, after a series of serious health issues, pioneered the Aqua Running body suit designed to provide a no-impact resistance workout in the water.
The suit – the only fitness aid of its type in the world – ensures that people of any age or ability can exercise through injury or physical challenge.
It can be used in rehabilitation and athletic training. A number of Premier League teams, including Manchester United and Liverpoool, and Real Madrid use them.
At Man United Yesterday delivering the new suit. pic.twitter.com/EdPhOFlKS6
— Terry Nelson (@TerryTnar) May 1, 2014
Nelson will use Sensor City’s technology development zone and open innovations lab to evolve the Aqua Running product further by building sensors into the suit that will provide medical staff with valuable training and performance data.
The new suit is due to be launched in late 2018 after testing at the Real Madrid training ground.
At Anfield With Real Madrid Players- Modric. pic.twitter.com/ZbF6kBIrWX
— Terry Nelson (@TerryTnar) October 24, 2014
Also taking up occupancy at Sensor City is Uplec Industries Ltd, a North Wales-based business focusing on the design and development of a range of specialist electronics products.
It will use the facilities to work on its flagship research and development projects, trialling remote physiotherapy technologies to the UK’s healthcare markets.
The project, supported by Liverpool John Moores University and Innovate UK, involves the development of sensor technology that will enable physiotherapy patients to be treated remotely, through the provision of trackable and monitored exercise regimes done in the home.
The innovations are designed to provide patients with more access to high quality physiotherapy and specialist services, whilst eliminating travelling time.
This cutting edge technology will be launched in 2018, following successful medical evaluation.
Sensor City’s collaborative network will help Zaiku Group Ltd, a technology company specialising in cloud and distributed systems, develop its start-up venture Nanosai.
Launched by Zaiku and Denmark-based Jenkov Aps, the firm will develop back-end technologies aimed at enabling a better and more intelligent 21st century internet experience.
Alison Mitchell, executive director for Sensor City, said: “The innovations our new tenants are developing are enormously exciting and each has the potential to be a game-changer in their individual market sectors.
“That Sensor City has been able to attract such pioneering businesses proves we are the place to be if you are a sensor technology innovator wanting to develop your product to commercialisation.
“Sensor City has been designed and built to establish and support commercially viable high-tech businesses by offering technical expertise, business support and an international platform for collaboration.
“It is fantastic to see businesses like Aqua Running, Uplec and Zaiku engaging with everything the centre has to offer and we look forward to seeing many more innovative companies and entrepreneurs doing so in future.”
Sensor City is expected to create 1,000 jobs in the region over the next decade, nurturing 300 start-up tech businesses.
It is a joint venture between the University of Liverpool and Liverpool John Moores University and one of four flagship University Enterprise Zones.