Advancing Public
Safety Through
Start Up Innovation
Tuan Tong Foo
GaitMetrics, Co-Founder
(Dimension X Cohort 2 Start-up)
TURNING BOLD IDEAS INTO OPERATIONAL SOLUTIONS
Start-ups often discover significant breakthroughs outside their original field, with opportunities to develop solutions emerging from unexpected places. For Foo Tuan Tong, co-founder of Singapore-based GaitMetrics, that breakthrough came when his healthcare start-up found a new opportunity through Hatch, HTX’s innovation centre. This path trailblazed the dual-use potential of his technologies for public safety.
GaitMetrics is an alumnus of the second cohort of Hatch’s open innovation challenge – Dimension X. When Tuan Tong first encountered Hatch during the cohort’s open call, GaitMetrics products were built for eldercare, to remotely monitor vital signs and detect falls.
GaitMetrics is an alumnus of the second cohort of Hatch’s open innovation challenge – Dimension X. When Tuan Tong first encountered Hatch during the cohort’s open call, GaitMetrics products were built for eldercare, to remotely monitor vital signs and detect falls.
Hatch identified the dual-use applicability of these technologies to public safety, and in collaboration with HTX’s Sensemaking and Surveillance Centre of Expertise (S&S CoE) and the Singapore Prison Service (SPS), adapted Tuan Tong’s innovations for correctional settings. This initiative marked the beginning of GaitMetrics’ entry into Singapore’s public safety sector.
FROM HEALTHCARE TO PUBLIC SAFETY
During Dimension X, GaitMetrics worked closely with SPS
officers and HTX S&S CoE engineers to modify and test
its monitoring system for use in medical wards and cells.
The objective was to maintain inmate privacy, particularly as the prison population ages, while allowing officers to respond efficiently during incidents like falls or irregular heart rates.
Although GaitMetrics had not previously operated in a prison environment, Tuan Tong noted that Hatch’s involvement facilitated the adaptation of GaitMetrics’ existing medtech solutions for the proof-of-concept with SPS.
Although GaitMetrics had not previously operated in a prison environment, Tuan Tong noted that Hatch’s involvement facilitated the adaptation of GaitMetrics’ existing medtech solutions for the proof-of-concept with SPS.
“In eldercare, privacy is just as
important as safety. The same principle applies in prisons, where safety must be balanced with respect for the individual,” Tuan Tong explains.
The collaboration identified requirements for GaitMetrics’ radio-frequency sensors to work within the unique parameters and features of highly-secured facilities – of which many of these constraints extended beyond the commercial capabilities of GaitMetrics’ technology. By building upon the start-up’s existing technology and advancing it in partnership with HTX engineers to fulfil the Home Team’s requirements, this approach delivered mutual benefits to all stakeholders. Officers, like those in SPS, gain access to technologies customised for their specific needs; while start-ups are funded to develop technologies with dual-use applications in public safety
HOW HATCH CATALYSES INNOVATION
Dimension X offers a uniquely effective platform for impactful collaborations: Home Team end users introduce real-world operational challenges, start-ups respond with innovative solutions for new operating concepts, while HTX scientists and engineers address the technical requirements of these developments.
Building a team to encourage innovation involves establishing relationships with each stakeholder, framing the scope of challenges, curating global start-ups that are suitable for the task, and managing the project process between start-ups and the Home Team.
Building a team to encourage innovation involves establishing relationships with each stakeholder, framing the scope of challenges, curating global start-ups that are suitable for the task, and managing the project process between start-ups and the Home Team.
It is with Hatch’s deliberate matching of stakeholders and the careful management of the innovation process that ensures the final technological solution is one that best addresses the frontline officers’ needs on the ground. Tuan Tong acknowledges the impact of this structured approach: “Hatch’s platform gave us access to Champions within SPS who worked closely with us, which is very rare. It created a bridge between the start-up ecosystem and government end users, allowing us to understand the problem deeply and iterate with real feedback.”
BUILDING PATHWAYS FOR START UPS
For Tuan Tong, the engagement with Hatch has proven transformative in two significant ways. Firstly, it facilitated the establishment of a new business vertical focused on public safety and enabled GaitMetrics to progress from proof-of-concept to two operational trials within SPS facilities in approximately one year. This contrasts sharply with traditional processes, where start-ups frequently encounter complex and protracted public sector procurement procedures.
Secondly, partnering with Hatch allowed GaitMetrics to advance beyond conceptual development into practical testing and implementation through collaborations with HTX S&S CoE engineers. Insights and technologies matured from public safety deployments can be leveraged by GaitMetrics to power future healthcare applications, thereby enhancing commercial opportunities beyond the correctional environment.
Secondly, partnering with Hatch allowed GaitMetrics to advance beyond conceptual development into practical testing and implementation through collaborations with HTX S&S CoE engineers. Insights and technologies matured from public safety deployments can be leveraged by GaitMetrics to power future healthcare applications, thereby enhancing commercial opportunities beyond the correctional environment.
Crimes evolve and so do the tactics of criminals. We can’t afford to play catch-up; we need to anticipate these changes and adapt proactively.
As a platform for public safety innovation, Hatch creates valuable opportunities: direct access to end users, exposure to operational environments, and structured technical validation and financial pathways that support start-ups in developing their concepts. These initiatives aim to reduce the challenges that early-stage deep tech companies with limited resources often face when interacting with public agencies.
LOOKING AHEAD
Public safety challenges are multifaceted, and a single initiative is usually unable to address every single aspect at a go. Hatch’s programmes, like Dimension X, demonstrates what can happen when start-ups are given access and structure to collaborate closely with the public sector. Fresh ideas take root, and small experiments begin to shape the bigger approaches of tomorrow to create eventual mission impact.
The progress of GaitMetrics highlights how Hatch facilitates start-up innovation by providing
opportunities, fostering experimentation, and ensuring that pioneering ideas are evaluated in relevant, real-world settings.
Are you a start up with a bold idea or a Home Team innovator facing a challenge? Join innovators like Tuan Tong in building the future of public safety. Reach out to us at hello@thehatchx.com to start your innovation journey today.
Innovating for
a Safer Future
Hatch brings together global start-ups, government agencies, and corporations to fast-track dual-use technologies that tackle real-world challenges. From validating cutting-edge solutions to driving cross-sector collaboration, Hatch is building future-ready systems for a safer tomorrow.
Be part of our journey via LinkedIn.
Be part of our journey via LinkedIn.