DURHAM – A new wearable tech device designed specifically for endurance athletes is working to make preventable injury a thing of the past.

Enter Fathom AI, a Durham-based startup founded by two former Duke athletes, Ivonna Dumanyan, 24, and Gabrielle Levac, 27.

The duo recently released their three-sensor wearable and proprietary app. Billed as “the first of its kind,” it uses artificial intelligence (AI) and the athlete’s biodata to build a customized prep and recovery routine and prevent sports injuries.

The new Fathom AI sensors. Source: Fathom AI

“We’re really hoping to make a big difference in the lives of the people we serve,” Dumanyan told WRAL TechWire.

“Many people don’t realize that the most effective injury prevention may start with just 10 or 15 minutes daily of data-driven prep and recovery to keep small things from becoming serious injuries.”

Three specialized sensors

Dumanyan says the technology is easy to use.

The system comes in a pack of three specialized sensors that are slim and light, about the size and weight of a quarter. During training, athletes were the devices near the ankle and lower back like a sticker.

Dumanyan said Fathom’s advanced biosensor analytics identify your unique imbalances, compensations and fatigue throughout your workout, “step by step, metric by metric.”

Fathom AI photo

“We’re actually looking at over 100 different variables,” she said. “We essentially build this massive model on how you move that is unique to you. From that, we create a hyper- personalized exercise plan to balance the stresses on your body and correct those imbalances.”

She adds: “As you go season to season, if you’re preparing for a race, if taken a few weeks off, and things have gotten really tight, we recognize that your body is always adopting, always changing. That’s why the Fathom plan adapts and changes with you as we see the body going through those changes.”

Fathom’s sensors and app also sync with Apple Health to incorporate data from Apple Watch, Garmin, and other compatible wearables to enhance fatigue analysis and further improve your plan.

Humble beginnings

The pair met more than six years ago while recovering from injury and surgery as NCAA, Division I athletes at Duke University.

Having both worked in a biomechanics and injury research laboratory, Dumanyan, an engineer, and Levac, a data scientist, together had a vision for how AI and wearable technology could bring a level of precision, personalization and accessibility to athletes.

Fathom AI’s Ivonna Dumanyan and Gabrielle Levac

 

They founded Fathom AI in 2016, working out of Durham’s American Underground, and have since raised around $3.2 million in capital from a number of venture capital groups, including Freestyle Capital and Aspiro Ventures.

For a limited time, Fathom sensors will retail at a launch-only price of $299 and a subscription fee of $29 for monthly access, with discounts for annual commitments.