The European population is ageing, resulting in more people suffering from chronic health issues, an increasing need for long-term care, and associated rising costs. Care providers and hospitals are already under pressure to ensure high standards of care whilst managing demanding workloads and stringent reporting requirements. Regular monitoring and repositioning of patients with prolonged immobility to prevent pressure ulcers (sores) forming is an ongoing necessity, which is time-consuming for staff and disruptive to patients. DecubiMat, developed and tested by German company BLACKPIN with support from ESA’s Business Applications and Space Solutions (BASS), provides a real-time improvement with an automated pressure monitoring and documentation system underpinned by technology originally developed for use in space. 

Prevention is critical in the management of pressure ulcers which cause damage to skin and underlying tissue, which, if left untreated, can worsen and cause open wounds. Recovery is painful, slow and expensive, particularly in older patients where fragile skin can impede healing. The DecubiMat, and its associated reporting service, reduces the time needed for documentation by up to 50%, improving efficiency and compliance but importantly, freeing staff to focus on patient care. The service reduces the risk of pressure ulcers by delivering continuous, non-invasive pressure monitoring to enable early intervention and automated reminders when repositioning is needed.  AI driven recommendations for optimal positioning support care staff and eases the burden of decision-making. Relatives have secure access to information, helping minimise anxiety about care quality and in turn, reducing the strain and workload of staff.  All the reports generated are GDPR compliant for pressure sore management.  

ESA BASS supported BLACKPIN to test and validate the system in a feasibility study in real-world care environments, providing opportunities to optimise the usability of the technology and demonstrate improvements and impacts for staff and patients. Blackpin partnered with Kinotex Sensor, MacDreamy, Bytec, the University of Leipzig, care centres and more, and the service was trialled with PH Schwäbisch Gmünd, Melanchthonhaus, ICCAS and University Clinic Leipzig, to ensure the product was suitable for the care environment and patient use. The sensor mat, data acquisition, processing and dashboard functions were all successfully tested, including mechanical loading, flexibility, and liquid exposure. Feedback from nursing staff, and the 8 – 12 patients involved, demonstrated impressive time savings of up to two hours per shift and confirmed strong user satisfaction with the system. 

Sandra Jörg, CEO & Founder, BLACKPIN GmbH, spoke of the importance of ESA to the project: "ESA Business Applications and Space Solutions gave us much more than funding. Our technical officer got into our technology, the clinical context and the regulatory requirements of medical devices remarkably quickly and in great depth, and the guidance was always precise and constructive. With the support of ESA Business Applications and Space Solutions (BASS), we were able to validate the feasibility of DecubiMat in a clear and structured way and take an important step towards protecting patients from pressure ulcers in everyday care. We would be delighted to continue our successful collaboration with ESA Business Applications and Space Solutions (BASS) as we take the next steps with our project." 

 DecubiMat uses space-grade, hollow-space optical sensor technology which was originally developed by Kinotex Sensor GmbH on behalf of NASA for the movement of payloads, astronauts and protection of robots on the International Space Station (ISS). This upstream technology is exceptionally durable and the flexible, mat-like design is easily integrated into beds without the need for specialised mattresses. It is suitable for intensive clinical environments as the sensors are non-conductive and immune to electromagnetic interferences. The results are processed by a highly secure, closed AI analysis tool and displayed on an interactive dashboard for each patient, providing access to staff and relatives. 

Arnaud Runge, Technical Officer for ESA on the project said: “Space technology is at the very heart of this project, which has achieved high-quality results already as they have considered the market potential, the clinical relevance, the value of space and opportunities for future development.” 

Market analysis undertaken during the project has identified over 32,000 relevant care institutions in Germany alone, and the team intend to apply for a follow-up pilot project to integrate feedback from testing, validate the solution at larger-scale care facilities and hospitals, and continue regulatory certification in readiness for commercial rollout. In October 2026, The Mat won the Regional Cup 'Start-up WOW Challenge 2026' of the Start-up BW Elevator Pitch, qualifying for the state final in Baden-Württemberg, with Minister of Economic Affairs Dr. Nicole Hoffmeister-Kraut congratulating the team. There are also plans to develop the product for use in other spheres, and work is already underway on an application that can be used by rescuers working with people trapped in tunnels. 

Secure and resilient electricity supplies rely on utility companies maintaining grids and regularly inspecting millions of kilometres of power lines. Traditional inspection cycles can take years and involve helicopters, drones and ground patrols, which are expensive, carbon intensive and offer limited visibility, often exposing field workers to potentially hazardous situations. As climate change causes more severe storms, utilities need timely information to respond to emergencies and reduce the risk of power outages. Using the latest Satellite Earth Observation technology, Norwegian company StormGeo has developed GridEyes, with support from the European Space Agency’s Business Applications and Space Solutions (BASS), to monitor vegetation near power lines remotely, helping reduce inspection costs and identifying high risk areas.   

The electricity industry is valued at more than US$150 billion and is constantly growing as electrification increases, infrastructure is updated, and renewables are integrated into the grid.  However, every year, vegetation encroachment causes a huge number of power outages, costing billions across Europe and North America. Vegetation management accounts for a significant percentage of grid operation and maintenance budgets, and the scale of growth and climate change is making existing methods impractical.  

GridEyes addresses this challenge through three interconnected services: Vegetation Detection, Change Detection, and Emergency Management. This comprehensive vegetation risk management platform is delivered through a secure, web-based portal and provides risk indicators, geospatial map layers, and reports supporting maintenance planning and documentation. Individual trees are evaluated for potential line strikes in storm conditions and overlaid onto power corridor maps, highlighting risks and increasing operational resilience by moving from reactive management to storm preparedness. Combining vegetation observations with StormGeo’s weather intelligence helps utilities prioritise exposed areas and prepare for severe weather.  

GridEyes uses existing data, such as LiDAR and aerial images, with Satellite Earth Observation (SatEO) data from optical satellites and geospatial reference data. These combine with advanced AI analytics to provide an economic and safe solution to vegetation management, disaster response, and asset monitoring. The project also demonstrated the use of Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) which is unaffected by cloud cover or low-light, supporting situational awareness after severe weather.  

“We’re grateful to ESA for its support and close collaboration throughout the GridEyes project. Together with our utility partners, we developed a service that combines satellite observations with StormGeo’s weather expertise to help utilities prioritise vegetation risks and prepare for severe weather. ESA’s backing helped us bring GridEyes to market and laid a strong foundation for its continued development,” said Christer Hansen Eriksen, Senior Project Lead, StormGeo. 

During the pilot, StormGeo partnered with Linja in Norway and Nova Scotia Power in Canada to select areas with diverse vegetation, terrain, and climatic conditions. The team worked closely with utilities throughout, providing training and ongoing support, and the project not only achieved technical validation but advanced scientific understanding of vegetation monitoring, machine learning and Earth Observation as findings were disseminated in international publications.  

“ESA supported StormGeo from the start as they set out to ensure GridEyes met the needs of utilities, complied with regulations, reduced environmental impact, and offered a scalable, affordable solution. Their commercial success to date demonstrates the scale of the market for their service and as expansion of grids continues worldwide, the potential for further opportunities can only increase,” said Marion Allayioti, Application Engineer for ESA.  

The future is looking bright for StormGeo and GridEyes. StormGeo had already secured commercial business for the service before the demonstration project ended, demonstrating demand beyond the pilot phase. Building on these results, the company is continuing to enhance GridEyes to help utilities connect vegetation insights and weather intelligence with inspection and maintenance priorities.