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High-tech robotics in the intensive care unit for the first time
A revolutionary vision and the right partners for success
Early mobilization for faster recovery
In 2020, Reactive Robotics was the first company in the world to bring high-tech robotics to intensive care units. Since then, its assistive robotic system VEMOTION has been supporting nursing staff and therapists in mobilizing their patients at a very early stage - in some cases even from day one. The patient remains in the intensive care bed throughout the entire treatment. The robot is docked directly to the bed, eliminating the risky transfer to a therapy device. "This means that even a 50-kilo nurse can easily treat a 130-kilo patient - without endangering the patient or themselves," says founder and CEO Dr. Alexander König, explaining his innovation. He uses a current example to explain the advantages: "Ventilated corona patients have to lie on their stomach for an average of three weeks. If they are successfully brought back, they may have beaten coronavirus, but they are usually only a shadow of their former selves. With early mobilization through VEMOTION, we can significantly improve their situation without increasing the demand on the already overburdened nursing staff." The company's surveys show just how clearly. Studies with manual early mobilization show that critically ill patients recover on average 20 percent faster. This would not be possible today without the expertise and creativity of Alexander König and his dedicated team. But neither would it be possible without funding.
Subsidies - more than just start-up aid
"Success has three letters - DO." Johann Wolfgang von Goethe already knew this. This is exactly what Alexander König did when he came up with the idea for VEMOTION while reading a technical article: "As an engineer, you must be able to do something to make early mobilization accessible to many patients and relieve the physical strain on nursing staff through technology." He built a model out of Lego bricks and drew up a business plan. A short time later, he quit his lucrative job in the automotive industry and founded a start-up with his retirement savings. "My parents beat their hands over their heads, but I believed in my vision," the entrepreneur recalls. At the same time, he knew it wouldn't work without further funding. Because the path from idea to innovation costs money - especially in medical technology. In 2015, a wooden model was built in the garage at home and the first employee came on board. At the same time, König embarked on an arduous search for financial support. He found what he was looking for through Bayern Innovativ.
The right people for all questions relating to technology funding
High costs are usually incurred before ideas become innovations. But where to find the funds and who to turn to? Alexander König is convinced that "for me, the best decision was to turn to Bayern Innovativ". The Bavarian Project Management Agency, which is based there, acts as a funding guide and advisor in the jungle of technology funding programs of the Free State of Bavaria, the federal government and the EU. The team is also entrusted by the Bavarian Ministry of Economic Affairs with the implementation of numerous technology funding programs such as the innovation voucher. König applied for four of these vouchers between 2015 and 2017 and was particularly impressed by the team's expertise and the dialog at eye level. "There were people there who understood the importance of our project," he recalls. "They advised us on the application process and supported us until the projects were completed."
Dr. Jörg Traub, Head of Specialization Field Health at Bayern Innovativ GmbH and Managing Director of Forum MedTech Pharma e.V. explains: "My colleague Sabine Blassmann, who was responsible at the time, was enthusiastic about the project. The improvement in the situation of intensive care patients was clearly visible. After a few queries, our experts quickly gave the go-ahead. Alexander König is passionate about the project, has a deep scientific understanding of technology and medicine in equal measure and is also very down to earth."
The company, which had nine employees at the time, used the funding to finance the hardware development of the sensor network and the control electronics of a demonstrator. In addition, a design study and the development of a new type of knee orthosis for the therapy device. These are all important prerequisites for attracting potential financing and research partners with a convincing prototype. König is convinced that "you have to start the vision machinery in the minds of potential partners. It helps to be a good storyteller, but above all you need the perfect prototype." This is where the innovation vouchers from Bayern Innovativ were more than just a start-up aid. The funding helped the company to develop the prototype to such an extent that it was subsequently able to obtain the important CE approval for VEMOTION. "Only then did we become interesting for partner companies such as clinics, hospital suppliers and other companies from the intensive care unit ecosystem. And only then were we allowed to work with patients."
Found at Bayern Innovativ: the perfect partners
Technology funding programs are an important component of Bayern Innovativ GmbH's efforts to drive innovation in Bavaria. Equally relevant and a great strength of the company is the networking of people from science, business and politics in the interdisciplinary Thinknet Bayern. This is where partners come together to exchange knowledge or drive projects forward together.
Alexander König is one of them. In 2018, he met Dr. Doris Maier, Chief Physician, Specialist in Orthopaedics and Physical Therapy Center for Spinal Cord Injuries with Neuro-Urology BG Unfallklinik Murnau at Bayern Innovativ. Both were members of the "Robotics in Rehabilitation" expert group of Forum Medtech Pharma e.V., Europe's leading association in the healthcare sector, which is based in the Bayern Innovativ innovation ecosystem. The meeting was the initial spark for a successful collaboration. "The BGU Murnau is a leading clinic in the field of rehabilitation therapy. The fact that it was one of the first clinics to integrate VEMOTION into its mobilization therapy for severely affected patients was a huge success for us," says König.
Today, König and his company are an integral part of the Bayern Innovativ healthcare network and the Forum Medtech Pharma e.V.. He and his team regularly take part in events and use exhibition space at the joint Bavarian stands. Alexander König values the opportunity for personal exchange and allows others to benefit from his experience. But his company also continues to research and develop. Both in the direction of personalized therapy and on devices for home care or even for people's own homes. The fact that the young company received the coveted euRobotics Tech Transfer Award 2021 for the development of the Assist-as-Needed in collaboration with the Technical University of Munich and the Schön Klinik Bad Aibling speaks for the innovative strength of Reactive Robotics and the Bavarian ecosystem. In any case, König still has plenty of ideas up his sleeve and has the right partner for the future in Bayern Innovativ.