Aiber is a UK based med-tech firm, which provides medical technology to commercial airlines, and business jets.
When just one airline can make thousands of calls per year to ground-based medical providers, seeking assistance during an inflight medical emergency, consider the volume of these incidents on a global scale.
Some airlines have a comprehensive medical kit onboard, supported by products such as defibrillators, but the provision varies across the globe. Providing an end-to-end connection with ground support medical services and tools for sharing vital signs data, is crucial for a range of medical emergencies. Technology specifically designed to ‘hand hold’ non-medical professionals like cabin crew through a variety of events from allergic reactions to potential heart complaints, is the focus of our company for the year ahead.
Supporting air crews with lifesaving skills and emergency management by giving them the tools they need to communicate the emergency properly, helps them to respond in a calm and confident manner and enables the airline to provide optimal safety mitigation. All of these elements can contribute positively to the crew’s mental health and stress management.
In addition to improving the passenger’s and crew’s experience, such technology can mitigate risk and save airlines considerable sums. One diversion caused by a medical incident can cost a commercial airline anything from £25,000 to £500,000.
Boeing acknowledged the need for informed decisions to be made by the flight deck and supported the onboard Aiber technology (that addresses the above challenges) with inflight trials to drive further innovation. In addition, Aiber raised a seven-figure investment, led by BGF (Business Growth Fund). As a result, Aiber announced earlier this year plans to double its workforce following the upgrade of its industry-leading ‘carry onboard’ solution, informed by six months of intensive trials supported by Boeing Executive Flight Operations.
Jacqueline Davidson, Program Director of Boeing’s Aerospace Xelerated said: “We are delighted to have supported the Aiber team with this important phase of testing and validation of their inflight emergency product. Coupled with their successful investment in May 2022, this testing lays the foundation for growth and for the company to service their customers on a global scale.”
The trials underlined the need for the carry-onboard solution to be as lightweight and compact as possible for stowage on business jets and limited spaces on commercial carriers. A team of technologists and aviation health experts were also able to evaluate how Aiber performs in a range of real-world emergency scenarios, including assessing the quality of vital ECG heart activity data. The subsequent upgrade and re-design made it more compact, with an easy-to-use layout and clear labelling to help crew in times of stress.
The ongoing support from Boeing has accelerated the company’s global readiness. Since first participating in Boeing’s Aerospace Xelerated program, a funded three-month industry specific accelerator for start-ups and growth companies, Aiber has gone from strength-to-strength.
The award-winning company, which was originally spun out from the University of Aberdeen, will further roll out its product to customers in the aviation and maritime sectors in geographical territories such as Europe, the US, and the Middle East. As part of this expansion, it expects to create a range of new roles, including in software development, sales, and service support.
Anne Roberts
CEO
