Explore Tech at Par-Con 2026

Scott McLeod is the founder and director of StrydAR. He founded the company in 2019 with his friend and co-founder Dave Powney, who is a neurophysiotherapist. The idea started over a coffee.

I was telling Dave about some augmented reality projects I’d been working on with a global drinks company when he brought up visual cueing. He showed me a video of a man with Parkinson’s walking with a stooped posture and short, shuffling steps. Pieces of paper were then placed on the floor like stepping stones, and the change in his walking was remarkable. He became more upright and his steps looked much more fluid and natural.

How does your technology improve life for people with Parkinson’s?

Visual cueing has been used in Parkinson’s rehabilitation for decades. Something as simple as lines or markers on the floor can help some people take longer steps, reduce shuffling and manage freezing.

The challenge is making that practical in everyday life.

That’s where StrydAR works differently. The glasses display a thin horizontal digital line in the upper peripheral vision of the right eye. When someone responds positively, a more upright posture is often the first change we observe. We believe that can have a knock-on effect, supporting better balance, a better walking pattern and more fluid movement. Those changes may then help the person move with greater confidence.

What are the potential risks and rewards?

The potential reward is greater confidence and independence when a technology suits the person. A wearable cueing device can make support available during everyday activities, and a discreet design may make it easier to fit into a normal routine.

But we need to be honest about the risks too. These include unrealistic expectations, and spending money on something that may not help enough. Feeling more confident doesn’t mean that the risk of falling has gone away. That’s why we encourage people to start in a safe environment, with appropriate support.

For me, it comes back to helping someone make an informed choice. We want to explain the possibilities and limitations honestly, support them while they try the glasses, and help them assess whether any benefit makes a worthwhile difference to their everyday life.

The positive stories mean a lot to us, but we also need to hear from people who notice little or no benefit. Those experiences help us improve the product, understand its limitations and identify the questions that further research needs to answer.

What have you learned about Parkinson’s by making your product?

We’ve learned how individual Parkinson’s is. People with the same diagnosis can have very different movement difficulties, priorities and responses to a visual cue. What helps one person may make little difference to another, and someone’s experience can change throughout the day.

We’ve also learned how much confidence matters. People talk to us about the worry of getting stuck, being watched or losing their independence. A meaningful improvement can be something as personal as feeling able to walk into a café or enjoy going out with a partner.

Another thing people have made clear is that they don’t necessarily want a mobility aid that draws attention to their Parkinson’s. They want support they feel comfortable using in everyday life. So, after how well the glasses work, making them discreet is one of our biggest priorities. How someone feels wearing the device matters too.