Case Study: Wearable Systems - Developing Biomedical Devices: Design, Innovation and Protection - page 76

• the wearable sensor system does not prevent or limit the standard operation of
doctors and nurses;
• the textile system as a component/sensor is able to “live” independently and
communicate with standard hospital monitors (different monitors of different
companies were tested) and can therefore be integrated in ordinary hospital sys-
tems, without involving procedural changes.
Instead, the home version has to be integrated with a hardware unit and a cor-
responding software suite. In this option the complete system can manage the data
independently, report them in “readable” form for non-professionals, and even-
tually store them for a possible reinterpretation by the medical and paramedical
staff.
This idea and prototype led to a patent application to be first submitted to the
judgment of a selected panel of experts, entrepreneurs and venture capitalists.
Under suggestion of the University, ComfTech took part in a pre-Business Plan
competition, namely the I2P—“Idea to Product Competition Italy”, organized for
the first time in 2010 by the Business Accelerator of the Politecnico di Milano and
the Fondazione Politecnico di Milano.
This competition aims to bring out research ideas that can be turned into prod-
ucts. The final of the 2010 edition was held on 8 June 2010. ComfTech ranked
fourth and thus was admitted to a tutoring service for the preparation of a com-
plete Business Plan.
This opportunity allowed to perform a detailed analysis of the position and
opportunities of such a concept in the market concerning solutions for children
monitoring, the technological feasibility and all the industrial aspects, in particular
the organizational and financial ones.
The Business Plan was then presented at the 2011 edition of the Start Cup
Milano Lombardia, whose final was held in Milan on 26 October 2010.
Here the ComfTech project won:
• the 1st Prize in the Life Sciences Section;
• the Special Prize for the best business idea of the Lecco Province;
• the special mention of the “Bright Future Ideas Award” of the British Consulate
General and UK Trade & Investment Milan.
By virtue of this result, Comfortable Technology was selected and admitted to
the National Innovation Award PNICube where it was selected for the final as one
of the 10 best business ideas in Italy in 2010.
These successes strengthened the conviction of the entrepreneurship idea and
provided the initial financial input to the company.
The prototype was patented in co-ownership between the Politecnico di Milano
(Fig. 4.5 ) and the new company, that obtained an exclusive license.
Comfortable Technology (ComfTech) was set up to create products that
improve the quality of life of fragile users in terms of comfort and usability of
technology, associating the technological aspect of miniaturized systems to the
textile world, that has always offered protection and physical and psychological