AUBURN HILLS – Oakland University INCubator has been awarded $42,500 by the Michigan Economic Development Corporation to provide product development support to Safety in Motion, a developer of an “on the field” concussion testing medical device.

Safety in Motion, based in Novi, was formed in 2013 to use leading-edge automotive safety technologies and engineering skills to bring science to new medical devices.  Its first product is a balance assessment device to be used by trainers and health care professions in the gym and by the field-of-play to diagnose concussions. It’s called the SiM – 1000.

The awards from the MEDC Business Accelerator Fund will enable Safety in Motion to create, produce, and test the all-important computerized circuit board that will be used in the SIM 1000 prototype, as well as create 12 beta units of the SIM 1000 medical device. These 12 beta units will be used for field testing in multiple locations with schools and sports organizations throughout Michigan. Once the necessary milestones are completed, Safety in Motion will begin rolling out the product to potential customers, including public schools, universities, sports clubs, health care institutions and professional sports organization.

Current methods of concussion assessment are dependent upon subjectivity, the skill of the evaluator and often require an immense amount of time to make a final assessment. The SIM 1000 provides objective, computer-based scientific measures to assess balance deficiency and thereby aid in the diagnosis of a concussion within minutes and allows professionals to determine whether an athlete is potentially injured, plays, sits or need to seek immediate medical treatment. Importantly, the SIM 1000 allows professionals to continue to follow and assess improvement or degradation of an athlete in the days and weeks after a suspected concussion.

“OU INC is pleased to receive these funds, through the MEDC, to assist Safety in Motion in developing and field-testing its promising breakthrough concussion related medical technology,” said Amy Butler, Executive Director of OU INC.