How did you come up with the idea for the STIL Orthosis? 

“It all started back in 2014 when I was watching a video of Michael J. Fox. His hands were shaking and I thought: there must be a mechanical aid for this? I have an engineering background and the possibility of making something to suppress tremors fascinated me. Just as a washing machine needs good damping to prevent it from moving around the room, it should also be possible to reduce tremor in someone's hands. I couldn't shake off that idea. It really got me thinking: how can we help people regain control of their own bodies? It became my mission.”

How did you set about turning that idea into a product?

First of all, I spent a year researching and immersing myself fully in the topic. In 2017, I established my company and the first few years were dedicated to development and testing. We wanted to create a ‘wearable’ device that actively counters tremors. You could compare the principle to noise-cancelling headphones: they cancel out sound by producing the opposite reversed sound waves. What we came up with worked, but on motion instead of sound. But, the first prototypes didn't have the desired effect. We had to run countless trials, collaborate with patients and specialists, and we kept going back to the drawing board.”

What were the greatest challenges you faced? 

“The first versions worked well technically, but were large and clunky. In 2019, patients told us they didn't want to wear it. That was confronting. We realised we had to come up with something simpler and more practical. In 2020, during the corona period, we went back to the drawing board and devised a mechanical damping solution without electronics. The idea is actually quite simple: stabilise the right joints, but don't block movement completely. Then we had to find the right material and fit. We wanted a single device that would be suitable for a large group of people and still be effective. So we created and tested many prototypes on patients and incorporated their feedback into improvements.”

How does the STIL Orthosis actually work? 

“The device absorbs the involuntary shaking while still allowing normal movements. For this we use specially developed rotary dampers, which neutralises the tremor, as it were. The orthosis is easy to put on thanks to the magnetic fasteners, an important feature for people who struggle with fine motor skills. The effect is immediate, as soon as you put it on you realise what the orthosis can do for you.”

When was the product ready to market? 

“Well, a product is never really finished, of course – but by June 2023 we felt it was ready to launch. Since then we've been scaling up and expanding internationally.”

How are sales going now? 

“Initially we sold directly to the actual users. People came to our location in Delft, tried the orthosis, and if they liked it, they could take one away with them. That worked well, but we knew that for a proper scale-up we needed a different model. Now we work with specialised orthopaedic distributors, who now supply our product to patients. These parties already work closely with hospitals and health insurance companies for providing orthoses and prosthetics, so they’re ideal partners for our product.”

Is the STIL Orthosis covered by health insurance? 

“That's always an issue with new medical products. And this is why we’ve conducted an extensive clinical study with the STIL Orthosis, which has been published in a leading international medical journal. We hope this will help tip the balance when it comes to reimbursement. Oddly enough, we've more success in Germany than in our home market.”

Nijdra takes care of production for you. How did this joint venture start? 

“Funnily enough, I did an internship there around 2010, and I grew up in Middenbeemster, so I know the company well. When we were looking for a production location, I immediately thought of Nijdra. They make high-performance precision equipment and adhere to stringent standards, which is essential for medical products. What's more, I have fond memories of the company and their no-nonsense mentality fits in well with our organisation too. It feels good to be working with them.”

So they make an excellent partner? 

“Yes! Another good thing about working with Nijdra is that they have an excellent track record when it comes to traceability and quality assurance, another crucial aspect of making medical equipment. Every part must be traceable to its manufacturer and the batch in which it was made. This level of precision and documentation is necessary to comply with European, and American, regulations. They also helped us fine-tune the production process. Our engineers work closely with their production team. It's not just a matter of placing orders, but we're constantly improving and optimising. Sometimes they make suggestions, for example to make production more efficient or a modification that would make assembly easier. This interaction makes our collaboration very valuable.”

How many orthoses have you sold now? 

“Our product has been on the market in the Netherlands for about 18 months now, and we have hundreds of satisfied users. But we're just getting going. We started distributing in Germany a few months ago, and we have agreed partnerships in Belgium and Italy. We expect to see substantial growth in the next few years, particularly if the insurers start covering the costs.”

What are your future plans for STIL? 

“We currently looking into public investment to fund our growth. We don't just want to expand into new markets, we also want to develop new products and conduct additional clinical research. Our mission is to give a better life to many people with tremors as possible. The best part is when you see a patient who can drink coffee or hold a pen normally again after many years of shaking. That makes all the challenges worthwhile.”