Edinburgh firm behind 'robotic glove' that can help stroke victims secures £2.2m in funding

An Edinburgh tech business has secured £2.2 million in funding to develop a robotic glove that can help restore upper limb mobility in patients following a stroke.

Bioliberty’s funding round was led by Archangels, the business angel investment syndicate, with participation from Eos Advisory, Old College Capital and Hanna Capital SEZC. The capital firm has created the Lifeglov - a soft robotic glove which offers rehabilitation for both the closing and opening strength of the hand. The glove monitors key metrics related to upper limb mobility and can show improvement as the patient progresses through their rehab.

There is also a digital therapy platform, which provides the patient with tailored exercises to help develop natural hand strength. For stroke survivors, the glove helps carry out rehabilitation from the home. For occupational therapists, the glove is a tool to help manage their patients remotely and improve patient outcomes.

Rowan Armstrong, Bioliberty chief executive, said: “Our aim is to empower every human to live a longer independent life by providing assistive robotics and rehabilitative technologies. The Lifeglov is a first step on this journey and the funding will allow us to complete its development, along with our software platform, while preparing the runway for our US sales push.”

Niki McKenzie, joint managing director at Archangels, added: “Bioliberty has developed a highly effective solution for helping patients with hand weakness, with the potential to improve the quality of life for millions worldwide. We believe its technology has far-reaching benefits beyond this first application, providing the business with an excellent opportunity to grow quickly from its base here in Scotland.”