Spacetalk licenses NueRA health risk tech

Wearables business Spacetalk has reached a major milestone in its transformation to a data-led, smart assistive technology business with its exclusive, worldwide licensing of the Australian-developed gait biomarker algorithm Watch Walk AI.

The algorithm was created by Dr Lloyd Chan – who also led the scientific research underlying it – Professor Stephen Lord and Associate Professor Matthew Brodie in a combined team from University of New South Wales and independent, not-for-profit medical research institute Neuroscience Research Australia.

The algorithm will be implemented into wrist-worn devices that use predictive analytics subscription software to create health insights for care providers, insurers and consumers.

This new licensing agreement follows Spacetalk’s partnership with Talius Group in October to bring wearable alert devices to aged care providers and consumers in Australia and New Zealand.

The licensing agreement between Spacetalk and NeuRA directly relates to:

• rebuilding the company’s product and data technology architect – Spacetalk 2.0
• development of the next generation of wearable devices for seniors and kids
• development of an AI predictive analytics health and wellbeing product
• development of an interactive AI product.

It also includes the terms for the initial three-years – with options for Spacetalk to extend for an unlimited number of successive periods and a nominal, fixed and up-front license fee.

The agreement stipulates royalty payments are to be based on a sliding scale of gross margin on income derived from the sale of products utilising Watch Walk AI and the requirement to meet product development and commercialisation milestones including:

• creation of a product development plan within 60 days of licence commencement
• half yearly reporting aligned to product development plan
• right to terminate after 18 months if product development milestones are not met.

Professor Lord – senior principal research fellow at NeuRA – is actively engaged in initiatives to implement falls prevention evidence into policy and practice, and has published over 600 papers in the areas of gait and falls in older people.

“I am delighted with this agreement as it will allow the translation of our research findings to the clinical care of people at risk of many health conditions,” he said.

Spacetalk hopes to use the data insights from Watch Walk AI to predict a user’s risk of serious health conditions – including dementia, depression, stroke, heart attacks and injurious falls – and show how these risks change over time. Additional indicators are expected to be added in the future.

Spacetalk chief executive officer and managing director Simon Crowther said the algorithm will make it possible to enable timely care through it’s ability to predict health risks.

“Dr Chan, Professor Lord and Associate Professor Brodie have spent many years studying how to turn wearable device data into health insights. The way people walk and move is a predictor of their health. The Watch Walk AI algorithm will make it possible to analyse gait and other data from Spacetalk wearable devices to predict health risks, enable timely care, and assist Spacetalk customers to preserve and improve their health,” he said.

“The Watch Walk AI algorithm will enable us to create software with capabilities not offered by any other company, anywhere in the world, to our knowledge. We expect our new software to be able to analyse data from Spacetalk wearable devices to help care providers take better care of participants and residents, insurers to offer options to reduce risk, and individuals and families to be aware of their health risks.”

It is expected that the new Spacetalk software to be launched during the 2026 financial year – pending development and regulatory approvals.

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