On the 22nd September 2016 Folium Optics showcased their My Health Tags solution for medical adherence at the Digital Art of the Possible at Ashton Court Stadium in Bristol. The event was run by the West of England AHSN and widely attended by NHS employees, alongside other healthcare providers and their suppliers.  

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My Health Tags was one of a select number of solutions on show, all offering digital enhancements to existing services or new ideas for healthcare providers and patients in areas such as:

• Clinician-to-Clinician communication
• Mobile apps and devices to support clinicians in delivery of care
• Mobile working, connectivity and cloud solutions
• Person-centred technologies supporting self-care, including personalised health records and citizen digital health
• Population health analytics and real-time clinical decision support

To find out more about the Digital Art of the Possible event see here or for more information on My Health Tags, please read the case study ​

​In order to further develop their prototype laser dazzle solution, Folium Optics have just been awarded £87, 771 in funding. This funding will help enable double curved visors that can be used in helmets for military and commercial applications. The doubly curved visor for active laser protection system (VALPS) project will conclude by April 2017. For more information see our case study

WEAHSN just released this video of CEO Steve Kitson overviewing Folium Optics and their plastic displays, incorporated within the medication adherence solution, My Health Tags. 

Folium Optics were invited to represent Bristol's healthcare innovators with My Health Tags at SETsquared's Open Innovation Showcase 2016.

​CEO Steve Kitson (left) and Commercial Manager David Smee are joined in the photo by Monika Radclyffe, Centre Director SETsquared Bristol, during the event held in Surrey University on 22nd June 2016.

Folium gave demonstrations of their My Health Tags system to visiting healthcare companies and investors.

The UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) has just launched a new policy for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), cutting red tape to make it easier for companies to work with Defence. We're really proud that the announcement highlights Folium's adaptive camouflage technology, which was funded by the Centre for Defence Enterprise.

​Please contact us to find out more.

After two successful years at the BRL Technology Business Incubator, we've outgrown our old lab and moved to a bigger space of our own in Thornbury. See the contact page for our new address.

There's still some equipment to unpack and recommission, but progress has been fast and soon we will have a bigger and better cleanroom up and running.

We are pleased to announce that Folium Optics has won £1 million funding from SBRI Healthcare to develop “My Health Tags” - a prototype product to help improve medicine adherence. During the next 12 months we will develop the technology and carry out the first clinical evaluation.

Up to 50% of prescribed medicines are not used as the prescriber intended. Non-adherence and underuse represent a loss to patients, the healthcare system and society at large - it is a missed opportunity for health improvement and a waste of valuable resources. To address this problem a Small Business Research Initiative for Healthcare (SBRI Healthcare) competition was launched by NHS England in partnership with the Academic Health Science Networks to find innovative products and services. 

Folium Optics’ solution builds on the Internet of Things - we have developed a smart electronic tag attached to medicine packaging, and a separate lightweight portable reminder unit. The tag has an 'always-on' vivid display that shows clearly which medicine should be taken and when. The reusable tags are lightweight and robust, will still work if the medication is taken outside the home and can be simply configured by the pharmacist, carer or user. We have initially targeted those entering old age (65-75) and we are developing the system to work for other groups. 

The tags are made possible by our plastic display technology - because our displays are very thin, robust and can be any shape. We have built a fully functioning system solution, consisting of tags, reminder unit and the cloud service and apps to connect them together.

Steve Kitson, CEO of Folium Optics, says “we are delighted to win the funding. It will allow us to take the next step in developing our technology and ultimately to help patients. It’s a really tough technical challenge - exactly the sort of project we thrive on at Folium Optics.”

We have brought together a strong team to deliver this project - Pumpco and Designability will help us deliver the technology and the Bristol Heart Institute will lead the clinical evaluation. We’re looking forward to working together to develop a solution to help patients.

This work was commissioned and funded by NHS England. The views expressed in the publication are those of the author(s) and not necessarily that of the funding partners.

We've just completed a TSB funded project looking at manufacturing processes for simple plastic displays. Dr Alex Webb will be talking about it tomorrow at the Collaboration Nation event in London.

In this project we have tested the feasibility of new processes to significantly reduce manufacturing costs so that we can address a new market opportunity: animated eye-catching graphics in safety products. High visibility markings are commonly used to help draw attention to vulnerable people or hazardous environments. We have developed a colourful, low power, reflective, animated high visibility marking that is more effective than existing static products, so could save lives. Applications include cyclists, road signs and workwear.

We are looking for partners to help us commercialise the technology; in particular we are looking for partners that can help us apply the basic technology in real applications, particularly road safety products. We would like to speak to people currently using high visibility marking or LEDs who are looking for new more effective solutions to differentiate their products.

Please do get in touch if you are interested in our technology.

We're going to be at DSEI 2015 talking about a project with the Centre for Defence Enterprise (CDE). We have developed technology for adaptive camouflage - see more details in the CDE news article and our case study.

Folium Optics has just completed a 6 month project to develop “My Health Tags” - a prototype product to help improve medicine adherence. We are now starting to test the technology with patients.

It is estimated that up to half of prescribed medicines are not used as the prescriber intended. Non-adherence and underuse represents a loss to patients, the healthcare system and society at large, as it is a missed opportunity for health improvement and a waste of valuable resources.  To address this problem a Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI) Healthcare competition was launched by NHS England in partnership with the Academic Health Science Networks to find innovative products and services. Folium Optics successfully bid for a phase 1 project which we have now completed.

My Health Tags are smart electronic tags attached to medicine packaging. They are wirelessly linked to a cloud service and to an attractive separate reminder display. The tag has an always-on vivid display and shows clearly which packet should be opened and when. It has a simple user input to log medication, ultra-low power wireless communications and sensors to detect when the packet is moved. The reusable tags are lightweight and robust, will still work if the medication is taken outside the home and can be simply configured by the pharmacist, carer or user. We have initially targeted those entering old age (65-75) and we are looking to develop the system to work for other groups. Our technology integrates well with people’s lifestyles, making it easier for them to manage their medication, and acts as a bridge to higher intervention solutions such as medicine compliance aids.

My Health Tags are made possible by our plastic displays. Folium Optics designed and made the custom plastic displays and the embedded electronics, and managed the project. We worked with Pumpco to develop the cloud service and the communications between the devices. Designability helped us with the tag and user interface design - at all stages we engaged with stakeholders including patients, carers and clinicians to ensure that we delivered a solution that met their needs.

If you would like to find out more please get in touch - we are looking for partners to help us commercialise the technology.

To find out more please contact the team at Folium Optics or email Steve directly [email protected]

This work was commissioned and funded by NHS England. The views expressed in the publication are those of the author(s) and not necessarily that of the funding partners.