Scottish technology firm Bioliberty has secured £2.2 million in funding to develop a robotic glove that can restore upper limb mobility in patients following a stroke.

Located within the National Robotarium at Edinburgh's Heriot-Watt University, the company is developing its soft Lifeglov which helps to strengthen both the closing and opening of the hand. The technology monitors key data on upper limb mobility and can record improvement as the patient progresses through rehabilitation.

The funding round was led by investment syndicate Archangels with participation from Eos Advisory, Old College Capital and Hanna Capital SEZC.

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The cash injection will allow Bioliberty to complete development of the trial product and its accompanying digital therapy platform. The money is also expected to see the business through to obtaining regulatory approval and early commercial engagement with rehabilitation clinics ahead of a planned launch in the US market in 2024.

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Rowan Armstrong, CEO at Bioliberty, said: “Our aim at Bioliberty is to empower every human to live a longer independent life by providing assistive robotics and rehabilitative technologies," chief executive Rowan Armstrong said.

"The Lifeglov is a first step on this journey and the funding announced today will allow us to complete its development, along with our software platform, while preparing the runway for our US sales push. We’re confident in our technology and excited by the benefits it can deliver for both patients and occupational therapists.”

There are more than 800,000 strokes every year in the US, with 88 per cent of patients left with upper limb weakness. Mr Armstrong said there is also an urgent need for at-home occupational therapy services, with demand for forecast to outpace the supply within all 50 states of the US by 2030.

Bioliberty's use of soft robotics is currently unique to the rehabilitation market. This makes the product more pliable and comfortable to the upper arm while also generating data related to stroke recovery.

The Lifeglov is accompanied by a digital therapy platform that provides the patient with tailored exercises to develop natural hand strength.

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For stroke survivors, the glove helps carry out rehabilitation from the home. For occupational therapists, the glove is a tool to help manage patients remotely and improve patient outcomes.

Co-founded in 2020 by Mr Armstrong, chief design officer Conan Bradley, chief technology officer Ross O'Hanlon and chief operating officer Shea Quinn, Bioliberty has initially targeted the rehabilitation market for upper limbs but expects that its technology will have a broad range of clinical applications including lower limb.

Niki McKenzie, joint managing director at Archangels, said Bioliberty has developed a "highly effective" solution for helping patients with hand weakness, with the potential to improve the quality of life for millions of people around the world.

"We believe its technology has far-reaching benefits beyond this first application, providing the business with an excellent opportunity to grow quickly from its base here in Scotland," she added. "Archangels is excited to be supporting the team as they finalise what we hope will be the first of many products and start scaling up their sales activity.”