I first spoke to Dr. Nan-Wei Gong when her startup Figur8 launched from stealth in August.
Her story was one I could relate to. She suffered from chronic lower back pain. Her physiotherapist asked her to rectify her gait and posture. So Gong, thinking like a biomechanical engineer, set off to create a biomarker to track and measure movement, much like a blood test would.
When I was invited to demo Figur8, my enthusiasm piqued for two reasons. No. 1: Who doesn't want to stick on sensors on their body and do squats? And No. 2: I was excited to get a sneak preview and be a product tester.
The on-body assessment sensors, which collectively look like a resistance band, were designed by Gong in collaboration with the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Sports Science Lab. Clinicians take clients through an assessment to establish a movement health baseline, diagnose movement dysfunction, identify injury risk, optimize exercise routines and monitor progress. For now, the company only does lower-body assessments.
The technology quantifies a combination of micrometer precision signals of muscle activity and joint mobility to give information on movement-related biomarkers like imbalance, gait and posture.
The assessment process was swift and easy—it took all of 20 minutes. I headed to Figur8's studio office, where it invites athletes to test and give feedback on the product. Flanked by Gong and her team as they meticulously explained the drill, I wore four sensor bands on my legs—one on the quads and another right below the knee—and did three reps of deep squats and bilateral squats to measure lower body movement.
After the drill, I was sent home with the promise that my movement measurements would be analyzed by an expert at the MGH Sports Medicine Center.
While the analysis did not tell me anything I didn't already know (my right leg is less stable than my left), the numbers and charts quantified the variance. The analysis also suggested corrective measures like neuromuscular activities to improve dynamic movement and stability.
Figur8 is currently developing a B2B model and is working with elite athletes, teams, training facilities and major occupational and physical therapy clinics. The company also plans to make this advanced movement data, including muscle activation timing and intensity with joint angles, acceleration and motion in 3D space, instantly available through a web platform.
