Cambridge Design Partnership spins out new 'connected wearables' business

Gmax technology has been working for over 5 years to overcome the challenges to create practical and effective connected monitoring devices in the demanding commercial equine training environment.  Supported in the past by both Technology Strategy Board SMART awards and Knowledge Transfer Partnership grants, the company has been able to bring this disruptive innovation to the horse racing industry.

The Gmax product range is initially targeted to exploit some potentially lucrative niche markets.  The Gmax ‘Vetcheck’ is the first hand held equine ECG and is currently in use at Dubai International Endurance City.  The flagship product, the Gmax ‘Trackwork’ is used to gather live performance data from groups of training horses, allowing owners and trainers to monitor fitness during training anywhere in the world. It is currently in use in the UK by the Coral Champions Club allowing over 4000 of their members to follow the training of their horses over the internet. Finally, Gmax ‘Treadmill’ monitors horses during treadmill exercise sessions so that a complete history of training responses can be created.

Gmax came about as a result of Cambridge Design Partnership’s expertise in designing medical diagnostic devices and products for the Internet of Things (IoT).  The company’s multidisciplinary team was able to overcome not only the technical challenges of developing novel sensors and wireless communications systems to operate in harsh environments, but also the data analysis and usability challenges that are key to making these systems really compelling and valuable to trainers.  Horse training methods have remained virtually unchanged for 150 years; now Gmax has the opportunity to provide a completely new approach. In human athletics, it has become increasingly commonplace for athletes to rely on technology to reduce injury and maximise performance. Through the use of Gmax’s innovative systems, horse trainers can now bring this same approach into a sport that is worth billions of dollars globally.

Will Bradley, the Managing Director of Gmax said: “The demand for connected devices for the Internet of Things (IoT) is growing rapidly. The multidisciplinary approach of the Gmax team has allowed us to create products that combine novel sensors with wireless communications, which deliver valuable insights into the physiological effects of training. These innovative solutions are already in use by the horse racing industry and we expect similar products to be developed for a variety of markets such as human healthcare and sports training.”

Gmax has recently moved into its own premises on the Cambridge Design Partnership site in Toft.  The company is currently working with partner Total Performance Data to exploit new opportunities and to take the company to the next level.