When Bill Howe took a look at how the medical field uses eye tracking in concussion diagnosis, he noticed that it stopped short of being a long-term tool.
So, he started to work on how the tech could be used to track brain health and predict traumatic brain injury resulting from a concussion earlier than ever.
At IFGA Labs, Howe, 65, has created a way to collect a series of data points that, over time, could reveal patterns that doctors can use to improve their predictive ability on TBIs.
“As you test hundreds or thousands, you start to say, ‘OK, let’s pull out everyone with condition X and see their unique data points,’” Howe said. “As you get more data and test enough people, you can predict things a little more clearly.”
IFGA Labs is one of the inaugural class of veteran-led companies at Orlando-based Veterans Entrepreneurship Initiative’s SPEAR Accelerator.
Orlando as a defense tech hub
The program launched last month and continues to put entrepreneurs who are veterans through their paces to build their business.
The resource might carry more weight because of its Central Florida location. The region is home to one of the more robust defense industry clusters and annually hosts the largest defense industry emerging tech conference, I/ITSEC, in the world.
In addition, the modeling and simulation arm of all the major U.S. Armed Forces are based here, as well.
Howe got his start in emerging technologies while serving in the U.S. Navy from 1977 to 1995.
As a Navy photographer, he helped figure out how computer vision could help in target reacquisition, a capability that proved useful both in photography and the military.
Later, he led a team that equipped an old, tossed-out wheelchair with the tech needed for a the team to drive it using eye tracking.
Howe says he doesn’t necessarily require veterans as his partners. However, there is an unspoken bond with those who are.
“They have all been there and done that,” he said. “Veterans understand the difference between leadership and management. You don’t make excuses; you get it done. You know if you’re working with vets, they will do everything they can to get the job done.”
Howe has a decidedly simple approach to his company’s growth.
Every time he gets a chance to meet a new audience, he says, is a chance to foster incremental growth.
He considers the SPEAR Accelerator another step in that. That it’s a veteran-led effort makes it all the more appealing.
“This can be the thing that makes all the difference in the world,” he said. “I might not be doing this anymore if not for support from veterans I have found.”
How IFGA Labs does its work
IFGA Labs has a vision of making brain health and treatment more accessible than ever.
To accomplish this, Howe said it’s a matter of articulating the importance of it to a wide array of profiles.
The means creating a message for parents of young athletes, soldiers in combat and the medical community.
Ultimately, it’s all about shifting attitudes on the importance of brain health.
IFGA Labs plans on creating tools, including a mobile app, that allow the average person to “trick” their brain into health, Howe said.
“We can change the way people take care of their brain,” he said. COO in Atlanta.