Fatih Durmaz, a 32-year-old computer engineer who has suffered from poor posture since childhood, developed a device as a result of his long research for a solution to this problem.
Sharing the idea of creating devices that help people improve their posture and health with his friends, Durmaz founded the wearable technology company Kodgem Technology (Kodgem Straight) in Kapadokya Technopark of Nevşehir Hacı Bektaş Veli University in 2019 by a group of health experts and technology enthusiasts.
Durmaz, who was looking for solutions to the “upright posture disorder” in this company, developed a device that combines cutting-edge technology with ergonomic design, allowing good posture that is easy to achieve and maintain.
The newly artificial intelligence-powered product, which shares the same name as the company, not only corrects posture but also contributes to a healthier lifestyle.
Durmaz, which quickly made a name for itself with the solution it developed to combat upright posture disorders, has already exported its product to 68 countries.
Looking for solutions to his poor posture, he founded a company.
Young entrepreneur Durmaz stated that he has been suffering from a hunchback since childhood and that he is looking for different methods to find a solution to this problem. First he tries to stand upright by placing a board on his back.
Stating that he later started wearing a corset, Durmaz said that during his college years, he removed the engine of his brother's remote-controlled car and placed him on his back so that the sensor he installed would alert him with a vibration if he disturbed his posture.
Durmaz noted that they founded Kodgem Technology 6 years ago when they were looking for a solution to this problem and continued his words as follows:
“We develop wearable health technologies based on artificial intelligence. We entered the field with our first product in 2019. At that time, we were even finalists in the technology competition for the benefit of humanity at TEKNOFEST. Later we also took part in the acceleration programs of the Turkish technology team (T3 Foundation). We are now a startup that exports to 68 countries.”
“It can detect whether I’m bending or stooping, and it’s the only device in the world that can do that.”
Fatih Durmaz talked about the products they developed and said that the product they developed as a solution to upright posture disorder, called Kodgem Straight, was born from his own problem.
Durmaz explained that his mother constantly warned him: “Stay upright, my son, otherwise you will bend over,” Durmaz said. “I have always stood hunched over. Being able to stand upright was a very problematic thing for me, but later we transferred the 'standing effect' that my mother told me to a technology. We launched our first generation product and it became a technology that could alert me when I was lying down.”
“Today we remade it and integrated artificial intelligence technology into it. Inside is a model that we trained with 180 million hours of data,” Durmaz continued as follows:
“This is actually a model that we created by labeling it with the CNN (Convolutional Neural Networks), LSTM (Long Short-Term Memory) and RNN (Recurrent Neural Networks) algorithms. This model can understand whether I am upright, slouched or tilted, and it is the only device in the world that can do this. If I put the device on my back and am slightly bent over, this way the device can alert me through vibration and my entire posture analyze in the meantime.” Today, with the technology we have introduced with artificial intelligence, the product can serve the whole world at this level.
He transferred the technology he developed to the USA
Stating that currently 8 out of 10 people have posture problems, young entrepreneur Durmaz said that this problem is widespread mainly due to the increasing use of computers, mobile phones and tablets and over time leads to permanent curvature of the spine.
Durmaz explained that they work with experts in this field: “This device also improves our chest and back muscles, since it allows us to have this effect by standing upright. It also affects people under 24 years old. Of course, we are not offering anything about improvement here. This device offers the effect of continuously standing upright, improving the muscles and allowing this habit to be acquired over time.” he said.
Durmaz stated that they never stopped developing the device, collaborating with physiotherapists, spine surgeons and orthopedists and continuing to conduct scientific studies.
On the other hand, Durmaz emphasized that they also worked with Michael Gardner and his team, who specialize in orthopedic trauma surgery at Stanford University in the USA, and made the following statements:
“They are also a team working on the backbone. They are currently applying our solutions to their own products. They have even found and discovered us. We have already exported our technology to 68 countries. “We are trying to make the best possible contribution to our country.”
Their products have been copied in some countries
Explaining that they have obtained utility model and patent certificates in Turkey, Europe and the USA for all the solutions they developed, Fatih Durmaz said: “We have started applying for patents for our new products. Now there are competing brands and products. In fact, our product has been copied in some countries. This is really a source of pride.”
Talking about the awards they received thanks to the solutions they developed, Durmaz said that they were found worthy of the “Entrepreneur Exporting to the Most Countries” award at the Turkey Innovation Week (TIW) organized by the Turkish Exporters Assembly (TİM) for exporting to 68 countries.
Noting that they are proud of this award, Durmaz said that the company they founded in 2019 made its first export in 2020 and they were very happy then.
Durmaz explained that the countries they export to include major regions such as the US, Russia and European countries: “We also have new projects that we are currently developing. Our overall goal is to be one of the best wearable health technology brands in the world.”
Stating that it is a company open to investment, Durmaz said, “We have launched a new round of investment. Our company is valued at $15 million and we are taking new steps that can go even higher. With the new round of investment, we want to increase this value 100 times.”
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