Sit Sense is a “smart” recliner that knows what you need before you do and is designed to reduce pressure injury risk. Every year, 2.5 million hospital patients suffer from pressure injuries in the US, and 60,000 patients die. These injuries, commonly known as bedsores or pressure ulcers, are painful, localized areas of soft tissue damage caused by prolonged pressure, often over bony prominences. Health insurance does not reimburse for facility acquired pressure injury treatment, so hospitals themselves must cover the cost – more than $26 billion annually. Current standard of care is the manual repositioning of patients every 2 hours to redistribute pressure and reestablish blood flow, a task that is physically challenging to the nursing staff and that contributes to work-related nursing injuries costing hospitals about $16B per year.

The patented, “smart” Sit Sense medical recliner follows a proprietary repositioning protocol, using five unique articulating supports and pressure feedback to optimize patient positioning. This prevents prolonged pressures on bony regions of the body. Nurses simply transfer patients to the Sit Sense recliner, select a program, and monitor progress. Repositioning data are automatically added to the electronic patient record; reports can be generated to optimize early patient mobilization. While some technologies help maintain repositioning schedules, they do not address the physical challenge of repositioning. No currently available medical recliner monitors pressure and repositions patients automatically. Available solutions require manual repositioning in combination with repositioning alarm systems, and sometimes air cell cushions.

In 2023, the global rehabilitation chair market was estimated at $1.76B. We will focus on early mobilization in intensive care units where pressure injury rates are up to 25%. There are 112,000 intensive care rooms in US hospitals, we estimate this market to be $874M. At a later time, Sit Sense will expand into the long-term care market, which includes over 2.6 million rooms in elder care facilities that experience pressure injuries at similar rates to intensive care units.

The Beta prototype of the Sit Sense was showcased to nursing staff at several hospitals, who gave feedback on design concepts for the recliner to best fit the hospital setting. We were recently awarded a grant to complete design for manufacturing with our partner, Tekna, which will incorporate that feedback. Tekna will also deliver Gamma and Delta prototypes which will be used in a real world-pilot with hospital partners in Southeast Michigan. Our medical recliner, which is exempt from the 510(k) pre-market notification process, will then be manufactured by a 3rd party so our team can focus on the development of the next, more advanced medical recliner.

The Sit Sense smart medical recliner will be sold for $7,800, with the cost of goods sold approximated at $3,500. Currently available powered medical recliners - that do not automatically reposition patients - cost between $3,000 and $15,000. The real benefit of the Sit Sense will be reducing the risk of pressure injuries for immobile patients, reducing the physical strain on nursing staff, and reducing related costs that are carried by the hospitals.