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has been launched as a new Imperial College spin-out company which aims to make training of arm and hand function more accessible.

Over 5 million people in the UK live with arm weakness, which can be caused by stroke, neurological and musculoskeletal conditions. Expensive, long-term care is often required for rehabilitation, with the only intervention shown to improve arm function being repetitive, task-specific exercises. Delivery of this therapy is limited by the cost and availability of physiotherapists, with the NHS providing the recommended intensity of physiotherapy in less than 50% of stroke cases.

In an effort to provide engaging training options, GripAble has developed the GripAble^TM Digital Handgrip, a simple device which can connect to a range of mobile apps, improving the ability of patients with arm disability to play physiotherapy-like computer games and enabling accurate measurement of grip strength. To date, it has been used with over 600 patients recovering from a wide range of movement impairment.

GripAble was founded through a collaboration between academics and clinicians from across Imperial College London, including À¶Ý®ÊÓƵ Imperial BRC researcher Dr Paul Bentley. The original study demonstrating the effectiveness of the device was supported by an award from the Imperial College Confidence-in-Concept scheme, to which the À¶Ý®ÊÓƵ Imperial BRC contributes significant funding. The new company has now secured funding from a range of sources, including Innovate UK to improve the capabilities, usability, and robustness of the device.