Movea Reveals SmartMotion™ Developer Solution, Accelerating Deployment of Motion-Sensing Solutions for Healthcare, Sports and Physical Therapy

Movea, the global leader in technology, patents, and products for motion-sensing applications, today unveiled its SmartMotion™ Development Kit (SMDK) at MEDICA 2009. The SMDK allows application developers, OEMs, and healthcare researchers to effortlessly add motion-sensing capabilities to their products or R&D projects. The best-in-class solution applies Movea’s patented sensor fusion technology to deliver highly accurate measurement of human body orientation and precisely quantified motion.

Utilizing the SMDK, healthcare, rehabilitation and evaluation professionals possess a solution to revolutionize the measurement of movement and physical activity assessment in a great variety of fields. Application areas include joint function measurement and diagnosis, functional physical therapy and biofeedback, elderly monitoring, home care, sleeping analysis, among many others. This is achieved by using high-tech miniaturized motion sensing MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical System) sensors which precisely measure and record body movements, combined with sensor fusion algorithms and a software engine. The MEMS are embedded within small, wireless, wearable consumer-friendly devices, allowing for entirely new deployment opportunities.

The SMDK combines a SDK with the MotionPod™, a wristwatch-sized device that utilizes MEMS, and a Windows-based API that allows developers to rapidly integrate and customize the use of wireless multi-sensors in their applications. It also includes a companion application, the MotionDevTool™ that has an intuitive graphical user interface for real-time visualization and integration.

“The SmartMotion Development Kit clears a significant hurdle for companies seeking to innovate in a myriad of markets with wireless multi-sensor motion sensing solutions,” said Sam Guilaumé, CEO of Movea. “The SMDK enables innovators to quickly and inexpensively develop new products based on our MotionPod and will help expand the market for motion-sensing applications and solutions.”

The SMDK is used by RM Ingénierie (RMI), the French medical information technology company, a Cegedim company. RMI currently employs MotionPod in its BioVal solution, a high-tech module that allows physical therapists and doctors to quantify joint function, as well as enhance and monitor physical therapy activity with biofeedback game exercises.

“The SmartMotion System is an exciting and exemplary development and deployment platform that will stimulate the adoption of increasingly sophisticated technology in medicine,” said Pierre Foucault CEO of RMI. “Movea’s expertise combined with our domain expertise and clinical solution provides healthcare providers with greater insight into how their patients bodies move thereby improving their quality of care.”

CIU Santé, the healthcare expertise center for new technology experimentation and evaluation for the elderly, has partnered with Movea to use SmartMotion solutions to clinically validate a rehabilitation and activity monitoring system. Targeting seniors and focused on monitoring for dependence, the project monitors and analyzes the quality and quantity of physical daily activity.

“Movea’s solution is designed to provide better preventative care by enabling patient rehabilitation and progress monitoring at home and can play a major role in healthcare cost reduction,” said Patrick Mallea, Project Manager of CIU Santé.

About Movea

Movea is the global leader in developing and delivering technology, patents, and complete solutions for human motion sensing applications in consumer electronics, healthcare and sports markets.

Created in March 2007 by a team of industry leading researchers and executive managers, Movea SA was founded out of the French research institute CEA-Léti and is headquartered in Grenoble, France. Movea represents the commercialization of decades of intellectual property, research and development at CEA-Léti’s world renowned Minatec innovation campus, focused primarily on human motion sensing for healthcare and sports applications.

In December 2007, Movea acquired Gyration, the pioneer since 1989 in consumer motion products, in order to further position itself as the global leader in motion-sensing solutions for consumer electronics. Gyration branded products feature industry leading motion-sensing controllers for the rapidly expanding consumer “digital lifestyle” markets, including home entertainment, gaming, personal computing, and mobile computing segments.

Movea is the inventor and patent holder of numerous innovative gyroscope, accelerometer and magnetometer based motion-sensing solutions. Patents cover the basic use of motion sensing in any device or apparatus, algorithms for motion sensing systems and software applications including graphical user interfaces.

Movea’s consumer electronics solutions are sold directly under the Gyration brand through retailers, distributors and system integrators worldwide. Movea’s healthcare and sports solutions are licensed and sold through market-leading partners in Europe and North America.