May 27, 2009 10:35 ET
GTX Corp and Aetrex Worldwide, Inc. Enter Platform Test Agreement to Bring GPS Shoes to Senior Market
Patented GPS Shoe Offers Caretakers Simple Solution to Locate "Wandering" Seniors Using 2-Way GPS Technology
LOS ANGELES, CA--(Marketwire - May 27, 2009) - GTX
Corp (OTCBB: GTXO), a leader in customizable, patented 2-way GPS
Personal Location Services (PLS) solutions, and Aetrex Worldwide, Inc., a
global leader in pedorthic footwear and foot orthotics, have entered into a
platform test agreement. The companies will collaborate on the development
and mechanical engineering of GTX Corp's patented PLS 2-way transceivers
and software systems to monitor the locations of "wandering" seniors
afflicted with dementia by embedding its technology in Aetrex footwear.
"There are a growing number of seniors suffering from dementia and we know
over 50% 'wander' without anyone's knowledge of where they are and where
they are heading," said Chris Walsh, an
ex Nike executive and current COO of GTX Corp. "The shoe we intend on
developing with Aetrex should help authorized family members, friends, or
caretakers reduce their stress and anguish by enabling them to locate their
loved ones instantly with the click of mouse from any desktop computer or
mobile phone with internet access."
"Five million Americans are afflicted with Alzheimer's and this is
estimated to grow to more than twenty million as the Boomer population
ages," states GTX Advisor Andrew Carle. Carle is an internationally
recognized expert in technology for seniors and Director of the nation's
only program in Senior
Housing Administration at George Mason University. "Up to 60% of these
individuals will become lost at least once and nearly half may die if not
located within 24 hours. The volume of lost persons also threatens to
overwhelm police, fire, and rescue systems -- so this is life saving as
well as a resource critical technology."
Aetrex manufactures and distributes footwear that includes styles designed
specifically for the senior medicinal market and has pioneered the iStep, a
patented technological innovation for footwear and orthotics available to
both the retail and medical communities. Its existing integration of
footwear and technology made Aetrex an ideal fit for GTX Corp that also
possesses an extensive intellectual property portfolio centered on its PLS
technological innovations. GTX Corp was awarded U.S. Patent No. 7,474,206
B2 entitled "Footwear with Embedded Tracking Device and Method of
Manufacture" and U.S. Patent No. 6,788,200 entitled "GPS Footwear" with
seven additional GPS footwear patents pending.
"We're excited to partner with GTX to develop a line of shoes incorporating
their PLS systems. Working together we are confident that we can create an
innovative product that addresses the needs of a growing population and the
families that are affected," said Evan Schwartz, President of Aetrex
Worldwide Inc.
Development should begin immediately with actual product testing projected
to commence by Q4 of 2009.
About GTX Corp
Committed to pioneering, creating and delivering customized personal
location solutions empowering the global community, GTX Corp develops
miniaturized Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) tracking and
location-transmitting technology for integration into branded licensee
consumer products. The company's Personal Location Services (PLS) platform
consists of a location-reporting module that utilizes GTX Corp's
"always-on" Assisted-GPS tracking capabilities. At the convergence of
technology, media and telecommunications the gpVector™ system uses
cellular transmission provided by our wireless carrier partner, AT&T, to
deliver real-time geographic coordinates, rendered on Google Maps, to
subscribers via secure internet connections. The company is headquartered
in Los Angeles, California, with an R&D facility in Palo Alto California.
www.gtxcorp.com
About Aetrex
Founded in 1946, Aetrex is a $60 million dollar family-owned corporation
widely recognized as the global leader in pedorthic footwear and foot
orthotics. Originally known for the landmark development of arch supports
and medically-oriented footcare products, followed by numerous innovations
in the over-the-counter insole market, Aetrex is now on the fast track
toward major industry and consumer recognition in the U.S. and throughout
the world. The company's innovative new lines of fashion-forward high
performance sport, dress and casual footwear for men and women, are
creating a high level of industry "buzz" and have arrived just in time to
appeal to a massive, aging Baby Boomer generation that will no longer
settle for "your grandfather's footwear." Aetrex also owns and maintains
the world's most popular foot health website, www.Foot.com.