Interview With – Lina Williamson, Co-Founder & Executive Director, Soterya
- Soterya’s vision is to build meaningful robotics products for everyday sleep care. How did this vision come about, and what inspired the focus on sleep health?
Soterya was born from a mission to improve nighttime safety for individuals with serious health concerns. Initially, our focus was on enabling autonomous repositioning during sleep—especially in situations where timely intervention could make a meaningful difference. This vision secured early support from the U.S. government, and we’ve since demonstrated that our prototype can reposition a user into a lateral side position in under 30 seconds.
As the technology evolved, we recognized its potential to support better rest and nighttime care for people with a variety of mobility challenges or sleep disruptions. That’s when Soterya’s broader vision took shape—to create intelligent, meaningful robotics products that promote better rest and greater independence during sleep.
- Korus is described as an intelligent bed that autonomously repositions users to enhance sleep quality and safety. Can you elaborate on the technology behind Korus and how it addresses issues like snoring, sleep apnea, and the risk of SUDEP in epilepsy patients?
Korus combines advanced sensors with intelligent repositioning logic. The system monitors parameters like pressure distribution and movement patterns, and in some versions, additional wellness indicators. Based on these inputs, Korus gently adjusts the user’s position throughout the night to support comfort and mobility—without interrupting sleep.
For users who face challenges related to nighttime movement or who require frequent repositioning, Korus provides an added layer of autonomy and peace of mind. The technology aims to support healthier rest patterns and greater independence, especially for individuals who might otherwise need caregiver assistance during sleep.
- What were the primary challenges faced during the development of Korus, and how did the team overcome them?
The biggest challenge was balancing technical complexity with user comfort. Manual or autonomous repositioning sounds straightforward, but it must feel natural and intuitive. We had to ensure that movements were smooth, silent, and precisely timed so as not to disturb sleep. We also faced challenges in ensuring compatibility with clinical use cases—like epilepsy and spinal cord injuries—while keeping the system adaptable to home care. We are working on overcoming these hurdles by working closely with clinicians, sleep experts, and patients from the very beginning. Their feedback shaped the design iterations, and that co-creation mindset has become central to everything we do.
- How do you envision your leadership influencing Soterya’s growth and the commercialization of its products?
As a leader, I focus on clarity of purpose, executional discipline, and human-centered design. I bring a dual perspective—deep experience in health innovation and a strong understanding of startup dynamics. My goal is to keep the team aligned around impact: every feature we build, every decision we make, must bring us closer to improving real lives. Commercially, I drive partnerships with clinical institutions, patient advocacy groups, and strategic industry players, ensuring we’re not just building tech, but solving real problems in the right markets at the right time.
- How does Soterya plan to position Korus in the market, and what strategies are in place to reach consumers?
In the U.S., we aim to introduce Korus as a wellness-focused repositioning bed designed for long-term care environments, especially those serving older adults with limited nighttime mobility. We are also pursuing medical device clearance pathways for clinical applications, but our first deployments are focused on demonstrating value in improving nighttime comfort and autonomy.
Our prototype is being tested at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (Harvard Medical School), and we are forming partnerships with additional care facilities in Europe and the Middle East. These partnerships will allow us to further evaluate Korus in diverse real-world settings. While our core focus is on institutional settings, we are also exploring direct-to-consumer wellness use in regions where users seek high-quality rest and mobility support at home.
Our long-term strategy is to expand beyond institutional care into home use, always maintaining a focus on evidence-based development and patient-centered design. By building trust through clinical validation, we aim to create a new category of intelligent beds that redefine what long-term care can look like.
- Why is this event crucial for the advancement of the mattress and bedding industry?
This event is a convergence of innovation, care, and technology in the world of sleep. For years, the bedding industry has centered on comfort—but Korus and similar technologies introduce a new paradigm: intelligent systems that support wellness, mobility, and autonomy through the night.
It’s an opportunity to highlight how smart sleep solutions can contribute to better quality rest and a higher standard of nighttime care—especially for people who need more support during sleep.
- What is the story behind Soterya’s concept of Self-Repositioning?
Self-repositioning came from a simple but powerful question: What if a bed could respond like a caregiver? In both care facilities and home environments, frequent repositioning is important for comfort and overall well-being. But it can be labor-intensive and inconsistent. We envisioned a bed that senses when movement is needed—and makes small, gentle adjustments throughout the night to promote greater ease and autonomy.
That idea evolved into “Self-Repositioning”: a new approach to nighttime care that blends robotics with a deep understanding of human comfort.
- How have current technologies like AI and Machine Learning played a role in your product development?
AI and Machine Learning are central to Korus. Over time, the system learns each user’s typical nighttime movement patterns and preferences, allowing it to become more personalized and responsive.
This data-driven intelligence also helps the system adapt to a wide range of nighttime behaviors, enhancing comfort and responsiveness—without user input. The goal is to provide a bed that gets smarter with use and helps individuals rest more comfortably and independently.
- What are your current operations in the Middle East region and what are you hoping to get from participating at the show?
We are actively exploring partnerships in the Middle East, particularly with healthcare providers and innovation hubs that are focused on aging populations and digital transformation. The region is investing heavily in smart health infrastructure, and we believe Korus can align well with those goals—offering both clinical and wellness benefits. From this show, we hope to connect with strategic collaborators, explore distribution opportunities, and gain insight into regional needs that can shape our roadmap and localization strategy
