The initial idea with Kradal™ was to make a hip protector — a device worn by elderly on their hips to prevent hip fractures when they fell over. We contacted the Aged Care Research Group at Otago University and they advised that hip protectors worked well but the compliance time and cost made them ineffective — someone had to make sure (24 hours a day) that the hip protectors were worn correctly; if not, they provided no protection. They asked if a hip protector could be embedded into a floor covering — and thus Kradal was born.

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Otago University conducted many drop tests to check on impact absorbance, and then balance trials to ensure Kradal was suitable for elderly to walk on. Thirty elderly women walked across a balance beam so their stability could be measured. Kradal floor covering was firm enough for elderly to walk on safely but highly impact absorbing when they fell on it.

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Once installed, no one would need to turn Kradal on or make sure it was working. 7 days a week, 24 hours a day, it would be ready to catch anyone who fell — and not just prevent hip fractures, but any kind of impact injury to any part of the body. We then conducted a large-scale clinical trial in Sweden lasting over 3 years. The trial was designed and controlled by researchers at Karlstad University. The published results concluded that a near 60% reduction in injuries occurred on Kradal compared to conventional flooring.