Overview of An early adopter pilot program for the Biomotum SPARK gait rehabilitation system
Project Title: An early adopter pilot program for the Biomotum SPARK gait rehabilitation system
Brief Research Summary:
Biomotum proposes an early adopter research project to evaluate real-world deployment of SPARK Rehab Gen 1, a lightweight powered ankle assistance system for supervised gait rehabilitation. The project will support late-stage verification and validation, production of 10–15 pilot-ready systems, deployment to selected neurorehabilitation pilot sites, and 90-day supported clinical pilots during Q3–Q4 2026.
The research will focus on whether SPARK can be safely, reliably, and effectively integrated into clinical gait rehabilitation workflows. Pilot sites will evaluate clinician usability, patient fit, training requirements, workflow integration, system reliability, service needs, utilization, patient engagement, and early functional outcomes. The project will also collect early mobility and device-use data to inform Biomotum’s future Mobility Intelligence Engine, including software-enabled biofeedback, walking-quality tracking, and clinician-supervised progression support.
Research Focus / Area of Study:
The project focuses on clinical implementation and early adoption of wearable robotic gait rehabilitation technology. Specific areas of study include:
1. Clinical workflow integration of powered ankle assistance during supervised gait training.
2. Usability and acceptability for clinicians and patients.
3. Device reliability, service requirements, and deployment readiness.
4. Patient engagement and walking-practice intensity during rehabilitation.
5. Early functional indicators such as walking speed, endurance, coordination, gait symmetry, propulsion, and therapy utilization.
6. Collection of real-world mobility data to support future analytics, adaptive biofeedback, and clinic-to-home rehabilitation pathways.
Target Population or Community Impacted:
The primary community impacted is people with neurologic walking impairments who need more effective, engaging, and measurable gait rehabilitation. Initial target populations include children and adults with cerebral palsy, stroke, Parkinson’s disease, and other neurorecovery conditions. The project will be conducted through neurorehabilitation clinics, children’s hospitals, adult neuro programs, rehabilitation hospitals, and specialty gait programs that serve patients with persistent mobility limitations.
By supporting early clinical adoption, this project will help move SPARK from launch readiness into real-world rehabilitation settings. The long-term goal is to create a connected mobility rehabilitation platform that begins in the clinic, expands into clinic-prescribed home rehabilitation, and ultimately helps people walk farther, stronger, and with more confidence across the continuum of care.
Our Ask
Biomotum is seeking $350,000–$500,000 in non-dilutive project funding and strategic support through the Disabled Life Innovation Gateway to complete late-stage verification and validation of our SPARK mobility rehabilitation system, produce 10–15 pilot-ready devices, deploy them to leading neurorehabilitation pilot sites, and support 90-day clinical pilots in Q3–Q4 2026.
This funding would directly accelerate early adoption of a clinician-directed wearable ankle assistance platform for people with neurologic walking impairments, including cerebral palsy, stroke, and Parkinson’s disease. The project will generate real-world usability, implementation, outcomes, and adoption data needed to move from late-stage product readiness to early commercial deployment. DLA support would be catalytic by helping Biomotum bridge the gap between validated technology and clinical adoption, while creating a repeatable mechanism for disability-focused funders to support access to high-impact rehabilitation innovation.
Institution & Principal Investigator
Institution / Organization Name:
Biomotum, Inc.
Department or Center:
Research & Product Development / Clinical Translation Program
Principal Investigator:
Ray Browning, PhD
Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Biomotum
Additional Scientific / Technical Lead:
Zach Lerner, PhD
Co-Founder & Chief Scientific Officer, Biomotum
Biomotum will serve as the lead organization for this early adopter research project. The project will be led by Dr. Ray Browning, Co-Founder and CEO, with scientific and technical leadership from Dr. Zach Lerner, Co-Founder and CSO and inventor of the SPARK platform. The project will be implemented in collaboration with selected neurorehabilitation clinical pilot sites, including rehabilitation clinics, children’s hospitals, adult neurorehabilitation programs, and specialty gait programs.
Research Capital Needs & Timeline
Biomotum is seeking $350,000–$500,000 in non-dilutive project funding to support an early adopter pilot program for the SPARK gait rehabilitation system. The project will fund the work required to move SPARK Rehab Gen 1 from launch readiness into real-world supervised clinical deployment with selected neurorehabilitation partners.
Budget priorities
1. Late-stage verification, validation, and product reliability — $100,000–$125,000
Support final verification and validation activities, usability checks, reliability testing, risk documentation, design refinements, and launch-readiness work needed before field deployment.
2. Pilot device production — $125,000–$175,000
Produce and qualify 10–15 pilot-ready SPARK systems, including materials, components, assembly, system testing, quality checks, and deployment preparation.
3. Clinical deployment, onboarding, and training — $60,000–$90,000
Support site onboarding, clinician training, workflow integration, training materials, deployment protocols, and initial implementation support at selected neurorehabilitation pilot sites.
4. 90-day pilot support and data collection — $50,000–$85,000
Provide technical support, service, troubleshooting, usability feedback collection, utilization tracking, early outcomes data collection, implementation learning, and case study development during supported pilot use.
5. Project management, regulatory/quality documentation, and reporting — $15,000–$25,000
Support project coordination, quality-system documentation, regulatory alignment, data/reporting templates, and final project reporting.
Anticipated timeline
The project is expected to run over approximately 6–9 months, aligned with Biomotum’s Q3–Q4 2026 launch-readiness and early deployment plan.
Months 1–2: Verification, validation, and deployment readiness
Complete final testing, reliability work, usability review, pilot protocol planning, training materials, and site-readiness activities.
Months 2–4: Pilot system production and qualification
Build, test, and qualify 10–15 SPARK pilot systems for supervised clinical deployment.
Months 4–6: Site deployment and clinician onboarding
Deploy systems to selected neurorehabilitation pilot sites, train clinicians, integrate SPARK into clinical gait rehabilitation workflows, and begin supported use.
Months 6–9: 90-day early adopter pilots and reporting
Support clinical use, collect implementation and early outcomes data, document reliability and service needs, evaluate utilization and clinician/patient experience, and produce early adopter learnings and case studies.
By the end of the project, Biomotum expects to have 10–15 SPARK systems deployed or deployment-ready, trained clinical users, initial neurorehabilitation reference sites, real-world usability and workflow data, early clinical value indicators, and a stronger foundation for 2027 clinical commercialization.
Research Status & Prior Funding
Biomotum’s SPARK platform is at a late-stage product development and launch-readiness stage. SPARK Rehab Gen 1 is the company’s first commercial clinical rehabilitation platform and is designed for supervised use by trained clinicians in rehabilitation clinics, hospital outpatient departments, children’s hospitals, and specialty therapy programs. The current project is intended to move SPARK from launch readiness into real-world early adopter deployment by completing late-stage verification and validation, producing 10–15 pilot-ready systems, and supporting 90-day clinical pilots with selected neurorehabilitation partners.
Biomotum has received substantial prior funding to support foundational research, development, and translation of the SPARK technology. This includes NIH/SBIR-backed development, approximately $7 million in grant funding, and approximately $2 million in seed funding. Biomotum has also generated approximately $800,000 in prior revenue from earlier research-use products and has built a strong evidence base through more than 45 peer-reviewed publications, 3 million assisted steps, and an intellectual property portfolio that includes 8 patents.
Prior funding has enabled Biomotum to develop and validate the core powered ankle assistance technology, establish clinical and academic partnerships, build early systems, and generate foundational evidence for walking rehabilitation. The proposed DLA Innovation Gateway funding would support the next translational step: moving from validated technology and product readiness into structured early clinical adoption, implementation learning, and reference-site development.
Research Team & Collaboration
Biomotum’s early adopter research project will be led by an experienced interdisciplinary team with expertise in wearable robotics, biomechanics, rehabilitation technology, clinical translation, product development, and commercialization.
Key research team members
Ray Browning, PhD — Principal Investigator; Co-Founder & CEO, Biomotum
Dr. Browning will serve as Principal Investigator and project lead. He brings more than 30 years of experience in health, mobility, university and industry innovation, and health-related startups. He will oversee project strategy, clinical partner engagement, project execution, reporting, and translation of pilot findings into Biomotum’s 2027 commercialization plan.
Zach Lerner, PhD — Scientific and Technical Lead; Co-Founder & Chief Scientific Officer, Biomotum
Dr. Lerner is the inventor of the SPARK platform and a biomedical engineer and assistive-device expert at Northern Arizona University. He will provide scientific and technical leadership for the powered ankle assistance platform, clinical evidence strategy, mobility data interpretation, and future Mobility Intelligence Engine requirements.
Biomotum engineering, product, and clinical translation team
Biomotum’s internal team will support late-stage verification and validation, pilot system production, reliability testing, deployment readiness, clinician training, service support, data collection, and implementation learning. The team will also use field data and clinical feedback to inform SPARK Gen 2 software, adaptive feedback, walking-quality tracking, and clinic-to-home platform development.
Collaborating institutions and partners
The project will be conducted in collaboration with selected early adopter neurorehabilitation pilot sites, including rehabilitation clinics, children’s hospitals, adult neurorehabilitation programs, and specialty gait programs. These clinical partners will help evaluate SPARK in real-world supervised gait rehabilitation workflows and provide feedback on clinician usability, patient fit, training requirements, utilization, workflow integration, reliability, service needs, and early clinical value.
Biomotum may also collaborate with academic and clinical research partners to support evidence generation, mobility analytics validation, and future software/data development. Additional partners may include manufacturing, DFM, regulatory, quality, cybersecurity, reimbursement, and software/cloud partners as needed to support pilot deployment, product readiness, and future SPARK Gen 2 development.