SensaGest
Ian Anderson, founder of SensaGest
SensaGest
Ian Anderson broke his neck eight years ago in a road traffic accident. A life-changing accident meant he had to change his job, home, car, and adjust to a life in a chair. He decided the best way to tackle his disability was with a change of trade and undertook a computing degree course at the University of the West of England. Upon completion of his degree he applied to the University of Bristol to do a PhD in the field of mobile and wearable computing. During his PhD he studied the feasibility of integrating computing equipment into simple things such as clothes. Ian became increasingly aware of the applicability of mobile and wearable computing technology as a means of addressing some of the issues which he, as a wheelchair user, encounters on a day-today basis.
In November 2005 he started to realise how big the gap between good idea and a successful business really was. To secure some initial funding Ian entered the 2006 Bristol New Enterprise Competition. In July 2006 he and two colleagues won the competition and within the week formed SensaGest Ltd. Their aim is simple: to promote independence. They have developed touch sensitive interfaces for enabling the control of domestic devices, replacing buttons with gestures that can easily be performed by people with minimal hand dexterity.
Ian says ”Looking back over the last eight years I still find the fact that I am now solving problems I first became aware of when I broke my neck a little strange because I’d never set out to do this. But when I think about it, this is what being an entrepreneur is all about, fusing knowledge with personal experience.
“I like the idea of being a social entrepreneur, and knowing that my work could make a difference to others whose lives have been changed forever. Knowing my research, and now my business, can make a real difference is a huge motivating factor.”
