Government backs SIM Continence Technology
14 February 2011
A consortium headed by Simavita is proud to have been selected as one of the first round of successful applicants to Victoria’s Science Agenda (VSA) Investment Fund. As announced by the Minister for Innovation, Gavin Jennings, Victoria’s Science Agenda (VSA) Investment Fund will assist Simavita in the development of its next generation, SIM™ medical device. SIM™ is a revolutionary new method of remotely monitoring incontinence events during the 72 hour continence assessment period. This replaces the practice of manually checking for incontinence which is very labour intensive and disruptive to residents. SIM™ consists of various components which are based on over 10 years of research and development aimed at providing a better technique for the assessment and management of continence. Simavita’s motto is ‘gracing life’ and the SIM™ technology provides a sense of dignity and grace to those with incontinence.
The Victorian Government investment is backing Simavita’s lead in tackling the difficult and sensitive issues around continence assessment and management in residential aged care. Incontinence is one of the biggest health issues in the Australian Community, affecting nearly four million Australians of all ages and for a variety of reasons. Around 77 per cent of nursing home residents in Australia are affected by incontinence.
To enable the SIM™ assessment cycle to function its main component is the disposable continence aid – the SIMpad®. The SIMpad® is fitted with a sensor strip (SIM™ strip) which allows it to monitor incontinent events. This information is transmitted to SIM™ manager and alerts the carer via SMS message that an event has occurred. During the manufacturing process of the SIMpad® the SIM™strip is manually incorporated into the product, which is an expensive process. The VSA Investment Fund will provide financial assistance to Simavita to develop a SIM™ strip that can be integrated into the SIMpad® during manufacturing to improve the products costs and allow for larger scale manufacture.
Simavita will work with Procept, Invetech and the University of Wollongong to develop a solution which can be mass-produced at a commercially viable price for the world market. This collaboration will make possible improvements into its current product which will keep Simavita ahead of the needs of the market and open up new applications for additional products in the Australian market and internationally.
VSA Investment Fund was established to help turn Victorian science and technology ideas into new products and services and take them into the global marketplace.
About Procept
Procept works with leading companies, helping them to design, engineer, and bring to market innovative products and services. With a multidisciplinary team of strategists, project managers, system architects, hardware engineers and software engineers, Procept’s innovative solutions span multiple technologies and platforms.
Procept works across a broad spectrum of industries, including agriculture, healthcare, mining, defence, clean energy, industrial control and automation, and consumer electronics. Founded in 2006, Procept is headquartered in Melbourne, Australia with offices in Barcelona and facilities in Bendigo, Victoria.
Visit www.procept.com.au or www.procept.es
For more information please contact:
Procept APAC
Chris Reade, Business Development Manager
Tel: +34 3 9224 6636
Email: chris.reade@procept.com.au
Procept APAC
Sean Worth, Venture Manager
Tel: +61 3 9224 6636
Email: sean.worth@procept.com.au