SABLE is a smart compression sleeve that monitors muscle activity overnight and delivers personalised insights to help alleviate nocturnal leg cramps.  

SABLE: Ending the Guesswork Around Nocturnal Leg Cramps

This project addresses a condition that affects one in three adults over 60 and has, until now, been largely overlooked. Nocturnal leg cramps are disruptive, distressing, and persistently difficult to treat, not because solutions don’t exist, but because there has been no reliable way to determine which solution works for each individual. SABLE addresses this with a smart compression sleeve that monitors muscle activity throughout the night and transforms that data into clear, personalised guidance on what genuinely reduces symptoms. 

The Hackstarter Journey

Hackstarter provided the push to move from a compelling concept into a functional prototype in a short space of time. The outcome was a compression sleeve with live sensor data, a working detection algorithm and a user interface that presents results. The pace was demanding, but the time constraint also encouraged rapid decision-making and accelerated learning, resulting in a tangible product ready for real-world testing. 
 

Learning, Building and Looking Ahead

The process of building SABLE – integrating sensors, refining detection logic and designing for a user who is asleep – introduced unique technical and design challenges. Tackling these problems has been one of the most valuable aspects of the Hackstarter experience.  

Next, the team plans to run clinical trials with older adults to validate and refine the algorithm, while continuing to enhance the hardware for comfort and scalability. Long term, their ambition is for SABLE to become a standard tool for managing nocturnal leg cramps – not by replacing clinical care, but by giving patients clearer insight into their bodies and the ability to achieve restful sleep.  

Hackstarter gave us the support and momentum to turn SABLE into a working prototype, helping us build something we’re genuinely excited to take forward.