Former LFC man among new tech entrepreneurs at Liverpool’s Sensor City

Businesses focused on innovation in sports technology, tele-rehabilitation and cloud platforms have snapped up space at Liverpool’s new Sensor City scheme.

Amongst the entrepreneurs bringing their ventures to the development is Terry Nelson, a former Liverpool FC trainee and paratrooper who created a suit designed to assist with no-impact resistance workouts in water.

Known as the Aqua Running body suit, the aid features a patented hydro buoyancy system and is used in both rehabilitation and athletic training.

By taking advantage of the facilities available at Sensor City, Terry plans to develop the Aqua Running product with in-suit sensors that provide medical staff with training and performance data.

Also new to Sensor City is North Wales-based Uplec Industries Ltd, which focuses on the design and development of a range of electronics products.

The company, led by managing director Simon Parry, will use the Sensor City facilities to continue trialling its remote physiotherapy technologies for the UK’s healthcare markets, ready for a 2018 launch.

The third newcomer is Nanosai, a startup created by tech firm Zaiku Group Ltd and Danish company Jenkov Aps.

At Sensor City, Nanosai will develop back-end technologies with the aim of enabling better, more intelligent internet experiences.

Sensor City’s executive director, Alison Mitchell, said: “The innovations our new tenants are developing are enormously exciting and each has the potential to be a game-changer in their individual market sectors.

“That Sensor City has been able to attract such pioneering businesses proves we are the place to be if you are a sensor technology innovator wanting to develop your product to commercialisation.”

She continued: “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 centre has to offer and we look forward to seeing many more innovative companies and entrepreneurs doing so in future.”

Sensor City, a joint venture between the University of Liverpool and Liverpool John Moores University, is forecast to nurture 300 tech startups and create 1,000 jobs over the next decade.