MEI Micro is specializing in MEMs (micro-electro-mechanical systems) inertial sensors in particular, which include accelerometers and gyros, that are used to detect, monitor, and measure motion, and are used for a very broad variety of applications including navigation, autonomous vehicles, automotive, industrial, aerospace, commercial space, AR/VR, simulation & training, robotics, and defense. Another important application that is prioritized by the company is related to the life sciences and what the company refers to as “medtech, healthcare, and sports medicine.” The company has teamed up with a leading orthopedic clinic and renowned sports medicine research institute which will help lead to establishment of a new standard for accuracy in the use of wearables for the study of brain health and other applications in the field including navigation-guided surgical tools, remote clinical trials and telemedicine, robotics, and the application of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) for predictive analytics, lower health care costs, and timely preventative care.

In today’s health tech landscape, sensors are everywhere – from smartphones to satellites in space – but most that are small enough and affordable lack the precision and accuracy required for a number of clinical applications. As AI and ML play a bigger role in diagnostics and remote care, the need for the highest accuracy data is more urgent than ever. The results mean the possibility of identifying an abnormality well in advance and applying predictive analytics. The possibility of discovering a serious illness years in advance provides the option of deploying preventative treatments and changes in lifestyle in order to avoid the illness altogether. This later is a goal of those researchers looking for solutions and treatments to the growing number of people affected by Alzheimer’s and other dementia related conditions.  

That’s where MEI Micro comes in. Louis Ross and his team have developed the industry’s first chip scale and affordable “navigation-grade” MEMs inertial sensors that are not only significantly more accurate than existing consumer-grade devices, used in nearly all medical, sports, and health care related applications, but are also compact and cost effective enough to be used in everyday medical and life sciences settings.  Previously, the cost of such inertial sensor accuracy was far beyond the possibility of being considered as an option for life science applications. The growing use of EDGE/IoT computing for such applications, and the requirement for much higher accuracy, presented a problem since high accuracy inertial sensor data is the most expensive that can be collected from a wearable sensor. Since a great deal of digital biomarkers are developed using the data from accelerometers, gyros, it was critical for the answer to come from advances in MEMs manufacturing process, advanced semiconductor packaging and MEMs device technologies.

This matters because inaccurate data means missed opportunities. Some examples include the detection of concussions before symptoms set in, monitoring post-surgical recovery in real time, reducing the cost of clinical trials, predicting gait and other changes tied to neurodegenerative conditions like Alzheimer’s, and quantifying sports performance metrics that could correlate with the increased chances of developing an injury. MEI Micro’s innovation is poised to close that gap between the current state of the art that mostly identifies an existing condition vs. the ability to predict a condition well in advance. In the case of Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia, such as FTD, it has been challenging even for medical professionals to identify with a diagnosis coming years after the first signs are noticed. 

The seeds of MEI Micro were planted in the early 2000s, when Ross – a former investment strategist and industry analyst – saw an opportunity to push MEMS sensor performance to a new level that was far beyond the established consumer-grade sensors that would eventually become widespread in such consumer electronics as smart phones and wearables by the early 2010s. Drawing from his global experience in finance as an intellectual property creation and strategy, R&D, and emerging tech analysis, Ross recruited CTO Robert Mark Boysel, a former Texas Instruments engineer who had spent decades advancing MEMs device design, managing MEMs manufacturing facilities, and supporting the commercialization of MEMs technology. Early in his career, this included building the famed Digital Light Processing (DLP) chip with inventor Larry Hornbeck. The DLP, now in most movie and overhead projectors, among other products, was the first MEMs R&D project to be funded by the U.S. Government through DARPA’s new MEMs technology program.

In 2018, after five years of stealth R&D in an incubator office located in Old Montreal, Canada, MEI Micro officially launched in the US. The strategic use of Canadian R&D credits and the invention of a new production process allowed the team to reach key milestones with minimal capital, and their early work yielded a breakthrough: the industry’s first tactical to navigation-grade, MEMS combo inertial sensor chip which included both multi-axis accelerometers and gyros, wafer level packaged for the first time. The success at developing what they refer to as their 3DS Platform Technology was even more significant since it was the first time a MEMs inertial sensor was built with such accuracy at a large, open commercial MEMs foundry which was capable of very large volume. Up until then, such high-accuracy devices were mostly aerospace/military grade, very large, expensive, and built in usually one “captive” (owned by one company) production facility. 

From aerospace to life sciences, Ross and Boysel knew their technology could impact countless industries – but health, particularly neurodegenerative disease and injury prevention, became a very personal goal and objective to the founder who noticed the world wide proliferation of Alzheimer’s cases. Ross has had family affected by Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia including FTD. Ross attended Aliquippa High School and led the football team as a senior starting quarterback to the WPIAL AAA state championship in 1985. That year, Coach Mike Ditka, another Aliquippa native who played on the school’s first championship team, led the Chicago Bears to a Super Bowl win.

HBO also released a documentary, “Disposable Heroes: The Other Side of Football,” which highlighted the fact that each year one million kids play football in high school, 40,000 in college, and 1,600 make it to the NFL. 74% never receive their degree, and most will suffer injuries for the rest of their lives. The plight of these players who were heroes to Ross growing up in a big high school football town, had a big impact on him as he noticed years later a number of his teammates who had medical problems after suffering injuries when they played in high school and during their college careers. Ditka went on to champion the rights of former NFL players who had to deal with lifelong medical conditions lobbying for more support from the league. Ross’s first startup, which specialized in multi-axis consumer grade MEMs inertial sensors, developed the first three axis accelerometer enabled mouthpiece to be used for concussion detection for the Cleveland Clinic in the late 2000s. The awareness of CTE and concussion injuries became more of a concern during this time as the technology became available to help detect it with the key enabling technology being MEMs inertial sensors.

MEI Micro’s breakthrough is in building ultra-precise, multi-axis inertial sensors – accelerometers and gyroscopes – that match or exceed the accuracy of much more expensive (up to $15k-$20k) aerospace and defense-grade devices, but at a fraction of the size and cost. These sensors can be embedded in wearables, surgical instruments, implants, and mouthguards for impact detection. MEI’s sensors will be 80x-100x more accurate than any sensor currently being used in wearables, including those being used in university and research institute biomechanics labs.

The company’s 3DS Technology Platform is enabled by MEMs, aka “microsystems,” a specialized type of semiconductor. This technology includes MEMs production process, advanced semiconductor packaging, individual MEMs device and applications related technologies. “Sensor fusion” software is then applied, and greatly enhanced by the use of AI and ML. That means high-performance data collection for real-time monitoring of movement, balance, impact, and orientation – across sectors as diverse as orthopedic surgery, Alzheimer’s research, space medicine, and sports performance.

MEI Micro’s collaboration with the world-renowned Steadman Clinic and Steadman Philippon Research Institute (SPRI) puts its tech into action, developing smart surgical tools, wearable systems for athletes, and digital diagnostics for neurodegenerative conditions. The collaboration with SPRI allows the company to utilize one of the best biomechanics and research labs in the country. Some of the best orthopedic surgeons in the world work at SPRI, taking care of the majority of the US Olympic team and some of the world’s top amateur and professional athletes. 

The next major milestone for MEI Micro is the commercial rollout of its first product: a navigation-grade, three axis chip-scale MEMS accelerometer. With demand already outpacing supply, the company is focused on scaling production and selectively partnering with institutions that share its vision.

Looking ahead, MEI Micro aims to redefine what’s possible in remote care, clinical trials, and proactive health monitoring. By democratizing access to high-accuracy motion data, they’re making AI-driven health insights more accurate, personalized, and accessible – whether it’s detecting Alzheimer’s earlier, reducing surgical errors, or helping athletes avoid long-term injury. MEI Micro is even building a fund to invest in and partner with other companies pushing this technology forward.

As a member of the StartUp Health Alzheimer’s and Brain Health Moonshot Community, Louis Ross is not just building smarter sensors at MEI Micro – he’s fueling a new era of precision health.

If you're a founder, funder, or health system leader, join the community to connect with Health Transformers like Ross, collaborate on the problems you're both solving, and share your own health moonshot story.