Start-up alumni Noxon relieves back pain with smart textiles

Go back

What does relieving back pain have to do with smart clothing? A lot, explains founder Maria Neugschwender of the company Noxon: "Often, back pain cannot be clearly diagnosed. We are developing T-shirts that make it possible to collect live and long-term data on back pain from sufferers using printed electrodes. This enables more accurate conclusions about the causes of the pain and more individualized treatment."

Start-up help from HM

What is now a successful start-up with seven employees began as a project at the university in 2021. "In the initial phase, the Strascheg Center for Entrepreneurship, HM's start-up center, supported us above all. Prof. Dr. Ulrich Moosheimer helped us a lot with the practical implementation and even enabled us to use the HM printing labs during the Corona period," says Neugschwender.

Noxon combines established printing processes - such as screen printing - with printed electronics. The applications have already been used in the automotive industry or aerospace. Noxon specializes in applying the technology to textiles.

Better measurement of muscle activity

Until now, medical personnel placed conventional sensors manually on the skin to diagnose muscle inflammation or disease, for example. The sensors developed by Noxon make it possible for the first time to integrate the measurement method into everyday life and to make muscle activity transparent simply by wearing clothing. The feel is comparable to that of a normal T-shirt and does not interfere with movement.

More information about the company can be found on this website of Noxon.

Text ©: Ralf Kastner / Julia Blabl
Picture © : Alexander Frießleben

You can find the original text here.