Surefooted Trainer Ultra
$20,000 retail
- Dynamic braking mechanism
- Footprint: 3 × 12 feet
- Pairs with an existing ceiling harness or the freestanding Solo-Step harness
Surefooted LLC
Redefining Fall Prevention
Introducing the Surefooted Trainer, a dynamic perturbation trainer that helps older adults improve reaction time and stability so they stay on their feet.
The Problem
Falls are the leading cause of injury for older adults
1 in 4seniors fall each year
40%of nursing home admissions are due to falls
#1cause of injuries for senior citizens
The cost of falls
$50 billion in annual medical costs
- $29B Medicare
- $12B Private payers
- $9B Medicaid
Our Solution
The future of fall prevention
Dynamic perturbation training exposes people to small, safe, controlled slips so their bodies learn to recover.
- Improve reaction time and stability
- Prevent falls
How the Surefooted Trainer works
- WalkUsers walk back and forth across the trainer.
- SlipRollers are locked or released with a brake to create a sudden, safe slip.
- AdaptUsers adapt to the slips rapidly, building the reflexes that prevent real-world falls.
Products
Two models to fit your space
Surefooted Trainer Lite
$10,000 retail
- No overhead harness needed
- Lightweight
- Footprint: 3 × 7 feet
For Clinics
Built for rehabilitation providers
Size of the US market
54,000Outpatient physical therapy facilities
15,500Skilled nursing facilities (rehabilitation)
1,150Rehabilitation hospitals
Reimbursement
Billing CPT codes:
- 97530
- Therapeutic activities, direct patient contact
- 97112
- Neuromuscular reeducation of movement, balance, coordination
Revenue: $65 × 12 sessions (6 weeks) = $780 per patient
Evidence
Ten years of research and development
- Moving platform prototypeEarly R&D into dynamic perturbation training
- Research at UICMultiple studies at the University of Illinois Chicago exposed senior citizens to perturbations and demonstrated feasibility
- 2019–2020: NIH STTR grant$225K Phase I grant, alongside the NIH I-Corps program
- Roller table versionThe design behind today's Surefooted Trainer
- 2023: Commercial pilotFyzical Physical Therapy in Illinois. Positive feedback from the owner, and well received by patients
Highlights
10 yearsR&D, multiple prototypes
2 NIH grantswith the University of Illinois
$280,000Grant funding
1 pilotFyzical in Illinois
3 US patents2020, 2022, 2024
1 publicationBiomechanics
$120,000Bootstrapping
TeamMD, engineer, PhD
Patents & Funding
Protected and validated
Intellectual property
3 utility patents issued
- US 10,835,777 B2 Nov 17, 2020
- US 11,266,893 B2 Mar 8, 2022
- US 11,938,377 Mar 26, 2024
Funding
- $225K NIH Phase I STTR Grant (2019–2020)
- $120K Bootstrapping
- $55K NIH I-Corps Program (2019)
- $400K Total invested
Meet the Team
Clinicians and engineers
Udai Jayakumar, MD, MBA
Founder & CEO
Dr. Jayakumar has practiced as a palliative and primary care physician for 20 years. Through various clinical and leadership roles, he understands the impact of falls on individuals and healthcare organizations.
Brad Taras, MBA
Founder & CTO
Mr. Taras is an engineer with a track record of leadership in innovative technologies. Brad has leveraged his product experience to help invent and improve upon the many iterations of the Surefooted Trainer.
Sharan Lohithaswa, MD
Director of Marketing
Dr. Lohithaswa is a medical affairs leader with extensive experience driving strategy and execution across a broad product line, focusing on launch excellence, stakeholder engagement and patient access.
Let's prevent falls together
Whether you run a clinic, want to try the trainer, or are interested in investing or partnering, we'd love to hear from you.
Email us