Fadi Alsaleem, PhD, an associate professor of engineering at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, was among the presenters Thursday, May 22, 2025 during UNeMed’s Idea Pub: Morning Edition. He is also the CTO at Grasshopper Health, which presented its wearable tech during the networking event.
OMAHA, Nebraska (May 22, 2025)—UNeMed’s Idea Pub: Morning Edition, a networking event, continued today at Catalyst with Grasshopper Health delivering the featured presentation.
Built on collaboration between three University of Nebraska campuses, Grasshopper Health is a Lincoln-based startup developing a wearable device that can help doctors monitor the way a patient walks. A patient’s gait can indicate almost two dozen different indications, including life threatening and debilitating diseases like Parkinson’s Disease, stroke and several post-surgical complications.
“We could put 1,000 Grasshopper patches on patients,” CEO Richard Vlasimsky said, “and one doctor can monitor those 1,000 patients at the same time.”
The Grasshopper patch resembles a large Band-Aid that a patient would wear on their skin. As the patch collects data about how the patient moves and other biorhythms, a complex algorithm processes the data into a working picture of the patient’s health. The cloud-based innovation would then alert healthcare providers of potential problems in real time, perhaps even accurately diagnosing chronic conditions long before current means can detect.
The new device is the result of a team-up that includes Irakilis Pipinos, MD, Professor of Surgery at UNMC and the Chief of Vascular Surgery at the Nebraska VA Medical Center; Sarah Myers, PhD, Professor of biomechanics and the Vice Chancellor for Research and Creative Activity at UNO; and Fadi Alsaleem, PhD, an associate professor of engineering at UNL.
Vlasimsky, the CEO, announced that Grasshopper is looking to raise $1 million for a Series A funding round that will finance the first round of beta testing within the next year. The Grasshopper patch could be ready for clinical trials as early as 2027, with an eye toward seeking regulatory approval before the end of 2028.
Morning Edition is UNeMed’s networking event for university innovators, entrepreneurs and startup community members. Catalyst co-sponsors the event, and provides free tours of the spacious facility, which is planning a grand opening event next week.
Future Morning Editions will continue meeting in Catalyst’s Forge Event Hall, on the north end of the building. Guided tours will also continue as a feature of upcoming Morning Editions.
The next Morning Edition is planned for Thursday, June 26, 2025, in the Catalyst Forge Event Hall at 9 a.m.-11 a.m. The featured speaker will be UNMC’s innovative associate professor of cardiovascular medicine, Ed O’Leary, MD, who co-founded Aprendo Cardiovascular Solutions.
