FlexBeam – A Light Therapy Device that Makes NASA-developed Technology Accessible to the Masses KellyOnTech

Today I will introduce a project that makes a technology developed by NASA for astronauts to recover better and faster, accessible to all. FlexBeam is the world’s first targeted, wearable, portable infrared light therapy device developed by Recharge Health in Norway. It is easy to use anytime, anywhere.

Product and Technology Introduction

Recharge Health has redesigned red light technology, making this an innovative therapeutic health technology for everyone. The main principle is that red and near-infrared wavelengths stimulate the energy generators of the cell — the mitochondria — to produce more energy. The technology is proven to reduce pain, repair muscle and tissue damage and promote improved recovery.

The team has created the world’s first targeted infrared therapy device, which is a truly effective disruptive non-drug innovation. They launched with crowdfunding (Indiegogo) in October 2020, and have since sold over 13,000 devices through their e-commerce platform. Now they are ready to scale, expand the market and develop its next product.

Beam 2 will pivot to software and feature digital tools including an app. FlexBeam’s edge in the marketplace is that it’s designed for the human body to offer a more effective and targeted treatment than any other light therapy. Its flexible and ergonomic design enables light to penetrate deeply into hard-to-reach body parts — such as the knee and shoulder joints — which is not possible with flat light panels.

Because the FlexBeam is designed to be worn on the skin, each treatment produces a consistent dose and is not dependent on distance from the light source. This means that less electricity is required to deliver energy directly to the affected area. In turn, this reduces treatment time, allowing a single placement to deliver the targeted therapeutic dose within 10 minutes.

How Effective Is FlexBeam?

In a delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) study, subjects who received daily red light therapy experienced significant reductions in muscle soreness, muscle strength loss and ROM injury after 10 weeks of rigorous training for up to 96 hours. More than 500 human trials and 4,000 laboratory studies have demonstrated the efficacy of red light therapy.

After being approached by the team last year, I decided to try the device out for myself. For me, the shoulder and neck area is quite tight due to long hours of desk work. Before going to bed at night, I will do a treatment for 10 minutes. After the treatment, I feel that my muscles are quite relaxed and I can easily fall asleep.

Founder Story

Recharge Health co-founder Bjørn Ekeberg has a knack for good storytelling and has worked on major TV series for NRK and Netflix, among others. NRK, the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation, is the largest Norwegian radio and television public broadcaster.

Leading the company’s brand, marketing and communication, Bjørn has confessed he stumbled into a new world, which may be his toughest challenge yet: convincing the public that an infrared device can relieve pain and improve healing, even to the point that “grandma can start climbing stairs again”.

Fortunately, the company has succeeded in attracting elite clientele and has become adopted by top athletes. Martin Ødegaard, captain of Arsenal, currently the best football team in England, joined one of the top-ranked tennis players in the world, Casper Ruud, and NHL ice hockey star Mats Zuccarello to invest in the company after having used FlexBeam extensively for themselves.

This latest development opens up to a new and exciting growth phase for the company, helping them achieve their mission of bringing a new and powerful healing technology to more people around the world.

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