MIAMI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Vision diagnostics and augmentation leader Heru Inc. has been named a CES® 2022 Innovation Awards Honoree in the Virtual & Augmented Reality category for re:Vive™ by Heru™, the company’s multi-modal, wearable diagnostic solution used to screen and diagnose visual defects. The announcement was made ahead of CES 2022, the world’s most influential technology conference, which will be held January 5-8, 2022, in Las Vegas.
“On behalf of eye care professionals around the world working to preserve eyesight, we are honored to receive such a prestigious award,” said Mohamed Abou Shousha, MD, PhD, Heru’s founder and CEO. “re:Vive by Heru improves access to vision care and provides physicians with a single, space-saving diagnostic, health and wellness tool which has revolutionized how screening and diagnosis for visual defects is performed in eye care.”
Heru developed its re:Vive platform in partnership with the University of Miami’s Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, the U.S.’s leading eye hospital. The platform features patented vision diagnostics software on commercially available AR/VR head-mounted displays. CES selected Heru’s innovative technology from a record number of submissions—more than 1,800—to be recognized with this year’s Innovation Award.
“Globally, approximately 450 million people are affected by visual defects caused by strokes, glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration and other disorders,” said Maurice R. Ferré, MD, CEO, Insightec and Chairman of Heru’s Board of Directors. “Yet the decades-old standard of care is immobile, bulky, expensive, and requires a skilled technician or clinician to operate, limiting patients’ access to care. Limited access means that millions of individuals suffering from visual defects remain undiagnosed, causing irreversible damage to their eyesight. Heru’s technology brings us into an era in healthcare where improved access is no longer a goal, it is the new reality.”
Heru recently announced the expansion of their diagnostic platform to include three new testing modalities which enable physicians to perform 6 vision diagnostic, health and wellness exams, supported with 5 reimbursable CPT codes, in 1 wearable solution. The expanded platform transforms the diagnostic landscape, eliminating several legacy devices while providing physicians with additional avenues for reimbursement to build practice revenue.
“Heru’s award-winning technology enables diagnostic exams to seamlessly be performed anywhere, even in remote locations, with clinical results available in real-time, providing the potential to expand screening beyond traditional eye care practices and points of care," said Kerri-Lynn Primmer Morris, Microsoft’s Chief Technology Officer, Healthcare, U.S. Enterprises, and member of Heru’s Board of Directors.
Once patients slip on the portable, lightweight headset, the exams are guided by Heru’s friendly onboard virtual “personality,” which creates an enjoyable, personal experience that teaches, encourages, and supports the patient throughout the process. This frees up technicians and clinicians during the examination so they can tend to their practice, interpret clinical data, and educate patients on their treatment options.
“Screening for visual defects is only the beginning,” said Frederic H. Moll, MD, Chief Development Officer, Johnson & Johnson Robotics, Heru Advisor, and Investor. “In clinical development are therapeutic applications which include augmented vision correction. This new, cutting-edge technology will be the first of its kind and will transform the lives of patients with compromised vision around the world.”
Owned and produced by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA)®, the CES Innovation Awards program is an annual competition honoring outstanding design and engineering in 27 consumer technology product categories. Those with the highest rating receive the “Best of Innovation” distinction. An elite panel of industry expert judges, including members of the media, designers, engineers and more, reviewed submissions based on innovation, engineering and functionality, aesthetic and design.
About Heru
Heru Inc. (www.seeheru.com) is a medical software company focused on the development of next-generation diagnostic solutions leveraging commercially available AR/VR head-mounted displays. The company has pioneered the first multi-modal wearable solution, which has revolutionized healthcare by introducing several diagnostic modalities in a single platform. Heru is leveraging its award-winning platform to build a comprehensive diagnostic solution that is strongly correlated to the current standard of care, and exceeds traditional standards of care in usability, cost, size and portability. Future development includes therapeutic applications for personalized augmented vision correction.
In May 2021, Heru announced a $30 million Series A funding round, led by global investment firm D1 Capital Partners with participation from SoftBank’s SB Opportunity Fund and existing investors. Heru was born out of the University of Miami’s Bascom Palmer Eye Institute. In December 2020, Heru announced a seed round led by Fred Drasner, Maurice R. Ferré, MD, Frederic H. Moll, MD, and a consortium of investors with extensive experience developing, launching, and scaling cutting-edge medical technologies.
