What started as a side project at UCL has quickly turned into a game-changing innovation. Bhavy Metakar and his co-founder, Kylin Shaw (ex-LSE), both with sports backgrounds and personal experiences with injuries, recognised a major gap in injury prevention. Their solution? The world’s first AI-empowered knee airbag that deploys within 30 milliseconds to prevent acute injuries like ACL and meniscus tears.
Since launching, Hippos Exoskeleton has raised $642K in pre-seed funding, secured partnerships with elite sports teams, and is progressing through clinical validation stages with leading biomechanics and orthopedic experts. Their breakthrough in analogue sensing technology allows for ultra-fast response times, a key factor in injury prevention. Reflecting on the invaluable support provided by UCL, Bhavy remarked:
I've had incredible support from UCL - academics, lab staff, and last year’s Fleming Society committee (EEE’s departmental society). The academics and lab team have given us invaluable guidance, helping us bridge the gap between theory and hands-on prototyping. The Fleming Society played a huge role in supporting this as a student project, and your help with media outreach has been fantastic. Really appreciate it!
With strong demand from athletes, physiotherapists, and consumers, Bhavy and Kylin are on a mission to make knee injuries a thing of the past. Backed by industry leaders and top investors, Hippos Exoskeleton is poised to redefine injury prevention in sports and beyond.
Links
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