Fort Washington’s Active Protective Technologies has received FDA breakthrough device designation for its Tango Belt, writes John George for the Philadelphia Business Journal.

Older adults can wear the Tango Belt to reduce the risk of traumatic fall injuries.

This is a major milestone for the company. The Tango Belt has been in development for a decade.

The “unobtrusive” belt has built-in sensors and algorithms to detect a hip-impacting fall through a process known as “fall disambiguation.”

When a hip-impacting fall in progress is detected, the device deploys airbags to cushion the hips reducing the risk of a traumatic injury.

The belt can also send an alert to caregivers and share data with a healthcare provider.

FDA breakthrough device designation will allow for an accelerated development and regulatory approval process.

The company has also recently successfully completed a multi-center clinical trial on the safety and efficacy of the Tango Belt compared with the standard of care.

With this positive momentum, Active Protective Technologies CEO Wamis Singhatat said the company hopes to seek market clearance in the first quarter of 2024.

The Tango Belt is “well-positioned to redefine the standard of care for fall injury prevention in older adults,” he added.

Read more about Active Protective Technologies’ Tango Belt in the Philadelphia Business Journal.

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