About Us

Stress is associated with many aspects of modern life as well as many psychological disorders.  Stress has also been implicated in such physiological diseases as high blood pressure.  BioHug is developing a non-drug stress relief device which uses the gentle, hug-like pressure and pulsation to calm the wearer.  Deep pressure is widely used by occupational therapists to calm people with autism, and to help children with ADHD stay focused on tasks.  Developed by Raffi Rembrand, engineer and father of an autistic son, and Haifa University autism expert, Dr. Eynat Gal, BioHug's vest fills an unmet need in the market.  Other deep pressure devices are either large machines, provide only constant pressure, or are improvisations which either require trained staff or are potentially dangerous.  BioHug's vest is light and portable, uses varied pressure to avoid habituation, and makes use of biometric stress sensors to provide the ideal level of stimulation.  In addition to use with people with autism and ADHD, we see possible benefit to patients suffering from other stress related disorders, as well as people in generally stressful situations.

The Market

• The company's initial focus is people with autism, ADHD and related conditions
       *      Autism Spectrum
            *   1 of 150 children in US (CDC 2/2007)
• Incidence of ADHD in US
      *     3 – 7% of all children
      *     4 Million according to CDC
      *     Estimated market size (US & Europe) $947 million (Ernst & Young)
• People in stressful situations (flying, undergoing dental treatment)
• People with other stress related conditions

Team

• Raffi Rembrand, CTO and Inventor -
  Raffi is an experienced engineer with over 30 years’ experience with optimal process control applications, ranging from irrigation to refinery plant operations.   A serial inventor and holder of a number of patents, he  has developed innovative solutions in areas as diverse as hearing aid optimization, process modeling software and economic value indexing.  He earned both bachelors and masters degrees from the Technion (Israel Institute of Technology). 
• Andrew Schiffmiller, CEO - 
  Andrew is an experienced manager and consultant with 18 years’ experience in the pharmaceutical industry.  He has extensive experience in the management of large projects.  His varied background includes work in the areas of systems, clinical trials, sales, marketing, regulatory and logistics with an emphasis on business process improvement.  He served as Director, Global Business Technology at Pfizer's corporate headquarters in New York.  His consulting clients included a number of major pharmaceutical companies.   He earned a BA in Experimental Psychology from the Johns Hopkins University, and was graded as MBA Equivalent by Pfizer. 

Status

The team has completed a number of working prototypes which received favorable feedback from professionals in the field.  Clinical trials are to be conducted in both Israel and the United States and  are expected to begin before year end.  The company is seeking both capital investment and strategic partnerships for co- development.