Wearable movement enhancer for easier walking

Aim

Help us to bring a ground-breaking product to market that increases your capability to exercise by making walking easier and more enjoyable.

Origins

As a Tai Chi practitioner and teacher, I have always been captivated by the effortless power and grace of relaxed movement. 

However, when I started nearly 20 years ago, there was very little material explaining the mechanisms behind this mysterious capability. 

Being a curious person and a dedicated teacher, I had a strong desire to understand what was really going on. 

During my studies of human physiology, I came across an article documenting the remarkable motor skills of Zambian load-carrying women: 

The research demonstrated that it's possible to power locomotion using gravity rather than physical effort. This revelation switched on a light in my brain that has burned brightly ever since. 

Proving the concept 

Having tested the mechanisms and confirmed the truth for myself, I started to develop a method and incorporate it into my teaching. 

The outcomes were often impressive and far exceeded what I was able to achieve before. Sometimes the feedback actually shocked me... in a good way! 

However, although it was highly effective, the approach was labour intensive and often required many hours of in-person instruction. 

The power of experience

In addition, the more I tried to explain the technique and how it worked, the more it seemed to cause confusion due to information overload.  

So I decided to strip everything back to the core of the method, which was a simple exercise involving resistance applied to the hips using a belt:

The results taught me that the experience itself was powerful and worth 1000 explanations, because it spoke to the intuition and could be grasped in an instant.

Delivery challenges

But there was a snag! The method required a lot of space, which often meant doing it in public. It also required a willing partner to apply the resistance. 

In an attempt to expand my audience and develop the approach further, I spent five years writing various instructional guides and producing teaching videos.

Although they were well received by people in my circle and helped them to learn, I experienced difficulties in engaging those unfamiliar with my work. 

My conclusion was that the guides were the wrong vehicle for fronting my ideas, because they made it difficult to quickly grasp the substance of the method.

Evolution of the solution

Eventually, in 2019 I set myself a long-term goal to invent a product that was as effective as the belt exercise and would be available 24-7 to the end user. 

I realised that I needed to create a practical tool that didn't require any prior understanding or feats of concentration, while consistently getting great results.

My initial idea was to adapt a self-powered treadmill for mobility training, using a resistance belt as well as a Pilates ball to enhance sensory feedback:

Although the initial results were encouraging, the cost of developing the product was prohibitive and the barriers to adoption were still too high due to its complexity. 

Slowly, it became clear to me that the ideal solution would need to be something wearable and easy to use. 

I had already established that a stronger flow of sensory information from gravity was critical to generating enhanced movement.

Returning to this concept once again, I started to experiment with using weights both on and off the treadmill, refining my ideas until I made a breakthrough:

At the time, I was also experimenting with sound and discovered that specific harmonics generated even better results, especially when used in conjunction with the weights.

Finally, after seven years of research and development involving very many false dawns and changes of direction, I had completed the jigsaw and achieved my objective.

About the product

The fruit of my efforts is a solution that safely and naturally boosts movement capability by using gravity and inaudible sound to increase sensory feedback to the brain. 

This is delivered via a weighted bone conduction headset and ankle strap, offering a simple 'wear and go' solution, which is demonstrated below:

Unlike existing devices that impose electrical or mechanical energy on the body, my product gently cues the nervous system, providing the information it needs to enhance motor performance naturally.

Because everything happens imperceptibly in the background, no extra mental or physical effort are required. Instead, the user is guided automatically and is able to ride on the extra energy input, like a surfer on a wave.

The kit itself is very light and comfortable enough to forget you're wearing it. It will come in a small gift box with a clear and concise user guide. 

For those who want in-depth exploration of the method and the theory behind it, online coaching videos and courses will be available.

Further feedback from those who have tested it and a more comprehensive discussion of the product benefits are both available on the E2 Human website. 

Next steps

In summary, my solution provides an innovative, discrete and practical way of addressing exercise intolerance and increasing physical activity levels. 

It does this by removing an important barrier to regular exercise, which is the effort and discomfort involved. As early users have confirmed, the device can transform a hard slog into something easy and enjoyable.  

Should the research continue to confirm these results, the product could be rolled out at scale to address major public health concerns such as obesity, mobility loss and joint problems, which affect over 20 million people in the UK. 

Despite this obvious potential, the novel nature of the device and the unconventional story behind it has made it difficult to convince grant funders to back it. 

The painful irony is that they require a standard of proof that is impossible to obtain without the investment that they themselves refuse to provide! 

To date, except for the kind contributions of a few individuals, the project has been self-funded by income from elsewhere. However, it is now necessary to focus exclusively on the project, so that I can meet the demands of building a startup and launching my product.

Although I have had firm interest from industrial designers, suppliers and other partners, I cannot start working with them in earnest until my financial position is more secure and I have been able to obtain at least £20,000 in grant funding. 

To achieve the above and qualify for grant funding, I need to: 

1. Build a higher spec prototype that approximates the finished product and is suitable for field trials with potential customers.

2. Design a watertight intellectual property (IP) strategy in order to protect the novelty and uniqueness of the invention.

3. Embark on a formal testing programme to develop a robust evidence base and open the door to regulatory compliance and certification.

4. Build a strong community of product testers and supporters who will champion the concept and become the first customers. 

5. Establish the foundations of a profitable business that can consistently deliver value to customers by safeguarding their future wellbeing.

Your call to action! 

For the above to happen and to bridge the gap, it is essential that I work exclusively on the project for the next 6 months. This will give me sufficient time to establish an investable venture with solid foundations.

In the longer term, your generosity and foresight will help millions of people substantially improve their quality of life. Naturally, this includes your present or future self and the people you care about. 

In the shorter term, if you live on or near the Isle of Bute and donate £50 or more, you will have the opportunity to apply to become a product tester so that you can experience the benefits for yourself.

The opportunity to make a lasting difference is in your hands.

Over to you!

Alex Swainson 

Founder, E2 Human

Funding method

Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made by 19th November 2026 at 1:03pm