A raft of businesses focused on driving innovation in sports technology, tele-rehabilitation and cloud platforms have signed up as tenants at Liverpool’s new center for sensor technology development, Sensor City.
Sensor City, which opened the doors to its new £15 million facility in Liverpool city center earlier this year and recently appointed former BT Business CIO, Alison Mitchell, as its executive director, is a collaborative venture between Liverpool John Moores University and the University of Liverpool. It is funded by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, as well as a further £5 million from the England European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).
Sensor City aims to driver sensor technology in Liverpool, across the UK and internationally.
New faces at Sensor City
The additions, therefore, are fitting as the new clientele has both a regional and international feel to it. Among those taking up residence is Terry Nelson, a former Liverpool FC player and paratrooper who, having endured a series of serious health issues, pioneered the Aqua Running body suit designed to provide a highly effective, no impact, resistance workout in the water.
The suit is supposedly endorsed by Santas Real Madrid Medical Services and uses a patented hydro buoyancy system to maximize no impact training in the water. Nelson designed the suit with the aim that people of any age or ability can exercise through injury, or physical challenge, and currently boasts a number of UK Premier League clubs, as well as Spanish football giants Real Madrid, as clients.
Nelson intends to evolve the Aqua Running product further at Sensor City by building sensors into the suit that will provide medical staff with valuable training and performance data.
Also taking up occupancy is Uplec Industries, a North Wales based business focusing on the design and development of a range of specialist electronics products. Uplec claims it will use the facilities at Sensor City to work on its flagship research and development projects, trialling remote physiotherapy technologies to the UK’s healthcare markets.
Finally, exploiting Sensor City’s collaborative network will also be high on the agenda of third new tenant, Zaiku Group, a technology company specializing in cloud and distributed systems. Nanosai – a start-up venture launched by Zaiku Group and Denmark-based Jenkov Aps – will be based at Sensor City, where it will develop back-end technologies aimed at enabling a better and more intelligent 21st century internet experience.
A hub for sensor technology
Said Alison Mitchell, executive director, Sensor City: “Sensor City has been designed and built to establish and support commercially viable high-tech businesses by offering technical expertise, business support and an international platform for collaboration. It is fantastic to see businesses like Aqua Running, Uplec and Zaiku engaging with everything the center has to offer and we look forward to seeing many more innovative companies and entrepreneurs doing so in future.”
Sensor City is expected to create 1,000 jobs in the region over the next decade, nurturing 300 start-up tech businesses.