Alter-G uses anti-gravity tech for physical therapy, raises $8M

Medical device maker Alter-G, has an interesting concept for physical therapy: Anti-gravity. Based in Menlo Park, Calif., it offers a special treadmill, called the G-Trainer, that uses air pressure to give patients the feeling of weightlessness as they are moving. And it just landed $8 million in second-round funding to continue growing its operations and market penetration.

The anti-gravity environment is said to allow patients to extend their range of motion while taking strain off joints… Continue Reading

Cyber-Rain rakes in $1.5M for smart sprinkler systems

Cyber-Rain, an Agoura Hills, Calif.-based maker of wireless sprinkler control systems, has raised $1.5 million in first round funding led by Funk Ventures. Its seed funding round last June was led by Momentum Venture Management; it also has several angel investors.

The firm’s control system lets users sync their sprinklers via computer from the comfort of their home. It also downloads regular weather updates to allow for easy scheduling adjustments.

On a hot, dry day, for example,… Continue Reading

Alter-G raises $2.5M more for anti-gravity treadmills

Alter-G, a Menlo Park, Calif. company whose first round of funding we reported last year, has taken an equal follow-on amount of $2.5 million to help roll out its “anti-gravity” treadmills for physical therapy.

The device assumes a portion of the patient’s load by use of a pressurized that reduces effective weight. If that sounds odd, further description isn’t likely to help; just check out this video of the machine in action.

The company says it will… Continue Reading

Funding roundup: Announcements that got away

Funding roundup: Announcements that got away

Although I try to stay on top of events in the life sciences, announcements do sometimes manage to slip through the cracks. Some days, in fact, I end up triaging. Because the roots of this site — not to mention many of its readers — are in Silicon Valley, Bay Area events are a priority. Then come announcements from the rest of the U.S., then Asia, then Europe. Also, smaller or partial fundings tend to… Continue Reading