Tag Archives: physical therapy

This wearable assistive device designed to help stroke patients relearn muscle movements is modular and adaptable!

Posted on by

Rehap is a wearable, assistive device designed for stroke survivors to exercise mirror movements, and joint exercises during the recovery process and relearning of basic muscle movements.

Rehabilitative and assistive product designs have made some progress in terms of functionality and accessibility in recent years, but the current need for at-home rehabilitative designs cannot be understated. While physical therapy is recommended for anyone who’d like to restore their natural mobility, stroke patients in particular benefit from a tailored rehabilitative program. Rehap from Ka Man Choi is a wearable rehabilitative tool designed to aid stroke survivors in relearning basic muscle movements even in the comfort of their own homes.

During the research period for Rehap, Choi learned that around 1 in 3 stroke survivors experience varying levels of emotional stress following their stroke. During the recovery period, rehabilitative tools and assistive devices help stroke survivors train the affected limb and their own muscle memory to prevent stiffness and maintain circulation.

Choi integrated physical therapeutic exercises in Rehap like mirror movements and joint exercises to help stimulate the muscle memory of stroke patients. Stroke survivors wear Rehap as a sleeve or glove and configure the product’s modular gears with rubber bands to meet their level of recovery. Conceived to make rehabilitation more accessible, Rehap is also a less costly recovery option for stroke patients.

Developed out of a single material for simple production and recyclability, Rehap is a motorless, modular solution that’s easy to reproduce and intuitive by design. Accessible for stroke patients at all levels of recovery, Rehap comes with interchangeable gears that can be swapped out to adapt to three different rehabilitative levels. The needs and progress of the patients change over time and Choi designed Rehap to meet patients where they are in their recovery process.

Designer: Ka Man Choi

Choi designed Rehap to be a sustainable and accessible solution for stroke patients to relearn basic muscle movements. 

Following an involved research period, Choi optimized the design to be adjustable and universal.

“Unlike most of the existing rehabilitation and assistive tools, without any electronics and screws, the single prints of REHAP are easier for recycling the PLA.”

“After research on the target user – stroke patients and discussion with the expert in assistive technologies, I decided to design a rehabilitation tool attached to the human body inspired by the exoskeleton and body coordination.”

This at-home physical therapy system tracks the progress of amputees to help improve recovery, health and fitness!

Posted on by

Physical therapy is a crucial step in the journey towards functional recovery for amputees. Taking place soon after surgery, physical therapy lasts as long as the wound takes to heal, most often somewhere between four and eight weeks, but then it’s up to the patient to keep up with the road towards functional recovery. Learning that at-home physical therapy regimens hold a 10% compliance rate, designer Sydney Lang created Adapt, an in-home physical therapy equipment smart system specifically for amputees.

Physiotherapists who specialize in amputee rehabilitation help patients through general conditioning exercises, inflammation, and compression issues, as well as possible endurance routines. Following their time spent with the physiotherapists, patients are expected to continue with their workout regimens at home, which Adapt makes easier. Just before leaving the physical therapy office, patients can have their physiotherapists program their Adapt recovery plan so they can move forward with their at-home rehabilitation.

Following in-depth interviews and comprehensive research, Lang learned that guidance, transparency, consistency, and structure are some of the most important factors when it comes to following through with at-home physical therapy. In designing Adapt, Lang understood that the most important parts of functional recovery ranged from motivation and range of motion to strength and alignment. To help with patients’ motivation levels, Adapt includes a motion-tracking camera that visually monitors the progress of patients. To ensure that range of motion exercises are still worked on, the interactive, digital foot mat conditions the patient’s lower body through stepping patterns that simulate the uncertainty of daily movement.

Comprising three essential components, the physical product includes an interactive foot mat, motion-tracking camera, and versatile support bar in order to facilitate familiar physical therapy at home. In addition to the physical product, Adapt has an app compatible with smart devices that introduces Adapt users to a larger community of those on the road towards functional recovery, allowing users to organize, store, and monitor their personal recovery on a public digital domain.

Designer: Sydney Lang

Adapt includes an interactive digital foot mat, support bar, mirror, and motion-tracking camera.

Following patient’s physical therapy sessions, their PTs can program Adapt to continue on towards functional recovery.

“Adapt enables users to take control of their recovery once the structure of physical therapy ends, by tracking progress, and visualizing the road ahead.”

“The digitally interactive mat more effectively prepares amputees with the ability to create randomized patterns which more accurately simulate the uncertainty of daily life.”

“The patient is able to review their exercise plan for the day by watching a tutorial ahead of time to help prevent distractions and mistakes later.”

A motion-tracking camera records the progress of patients to help them, monitor their improvements and trouble spots.

“Through the use of custom plans for each patient, users are able to focus on problem areas in their recovery, bringing recovery times down and more noticeable improvements.”

“The user is able to visualize where their body is in space by focusing on their movements in the mirror while their phone is off to the side.”

Visualizers help to keep patients on track towards functional recovery.

Lang learned that guidance, transparency, consistency, and structure were some important aspects of continuing with at-home physical therapy.

This portable massage device takes the shape of a lacrosse ball for pinpointed muscle therapy at home!

Posted on by

For those who’ve had to use one, lacrosse balls can be lifesavers. Whether it’s plantar fasciitis or general muscle soreness, using lacrosse balls for targeted massage therapy hosts an array of benefits for relieving muscle pain. Merging all that works about using a lacrosse ball for self-massage therapy with the efficiency of smart technology, designers at Therabody, a health and wellness brand, created the Wave Solo, a pinpointed and ultra-portable therapeutic device.

Wave Solo takes the shape and density of an average-sized lacrosse ball for ergonomic use and to deliver pinpointed muscle therapy. Fused with smart technology, Wave Solo releases three powerful vibrational frequencies to focused areas of muscle tension to help promote self-myofascial release, a form of alternative muscle therapy that can be applied to your own body.

While the vibrations are sent to targeted parts of your body, QuietRoll Technology mutes the vibration’s reverberations so that each massage session can maintain an air of meditation and quietude. Compatible with Bluetooth, Wave Solo can be connected to external smart devices so users can control each device from their own smartphones. Equipped with 120-minute battery life, Wave Solo can keep on digging into those trouble spots for as long as they’re trouble.

When it comes to massage therapy, people choose lacrosse balls for their dense and solid structure to relieve muscle soreness and increase blood flow through self-myofascial release. The designers behind Wave Solo took the shape and density of lacrosse balls to promote pinpointed therapy that targets even the tightest of muscles.

Designer: Therabody
Click Here to Buy Now!

Wave Solo comes customizable with three different vibration frequencies.

Low-surface area pinpoints pressure for targeted muscle therapy.

Each device comes with a charging cable and carrying case.

Wave Solo is also compatible with other smart devices for phone-controlled treatment.

Wave Solo dons a wavelike texture that’s meant to deliver optimal traction.

Wave Solo can be applied to any part of the body that could benefit from some muscle therapy.

This portable physical therapy device offers both heat and cold relief for on-the-go pain relief!

Posted on by

I was the furthest thing from athletic before I started running. When I was younger, just running around my block was enough to keep me horizontal for a week. Getting good at running took some years, gallons of water, and a lot of injuries. Runner’s knee, shin splints, plantar fasciitis, to name a few. Injuries come with the hustle though and they’re expected in every sport, so tending to them is essential for a long athletic career. Achyut Shanbhag designed ICEHEAL, a portable, hot-and-cold physical therapy device, to provide athletes with immediate relief and support a speedy recovery period.

ICEHEAL allows users to choose either hot or cold therapy based on a built-in electronic system. Shanbhag utilized the Peltier effect to create a dual-temperature physical therapy device. The Peltier device is essentially a thermoelectric heat pump with a voltage at its core that creates an electric current, transferring heat energy between two electrical junctions, to be either absorbed for cooling or emitted for heating. Layered inside ICEHEAL, Shanbhag integrated a heating coil for heat conversion, a heat sink for cooling, and a copper plate for even heat distribution. These components work to either absorb or emit heat, offering cooling or heating for various sports injuries, and can be adjusted using the temperature control knob. In order to ensure immediate pain relief for athletes, Shanbhag equipped ICEHEAL with a 12V lithium polymer rechargeable battery, enhancing the product’s portability as well. ICEHEAL’s compact shape and mobile reliability let athletes bring it with them on-the-go to the weekend’s big home game or just for a long, solo trail run. Opting for an ergonomic shape and feel, Shanbhag ultimately decided on giving ICEHEAL a circular shape, a liquid gel surface for soft application, and an attached cotton belt for compression.

When we get injured, either alone in the gym or under stadium lights, our initial response is usually movement – just walk it off. If we’re walking it off all the way to the doctor’s office or just skipping around in place before having another go at it, valuable recovery time is lost. Achyut Shanbhag designed ICEHEAL in order to make use of that time, to provide athletes with in-real-time relief, in order to sustain productive healing, making for a less frustrating recovery period and more time on the trail. Speaking of which, it’s about time I get running.

Designer: Achyut Shanbhag

The New Face of Physical Therapy

Posted on by

By new face… I mean yours! Imagine having an avatar modeled after yourself that would help guide you every step of the way to recover from injuries. That’s the idea behind Spark – a new augmented reality system. Personalized physical therapy programs can be developed by doctors and therapists and assigned to patients based on their injuries or personal goals. Patients can train from the comfort of home or receive a technology-enhanced physical therapy session on location.

The design is comprised of 2 intelligent projectors and an infrared depth sensor that work in tandem to train as well as track movement. The floor projector will guide you through movements while the wall projector will display your personal avatar which simulates human-like movements. Both provide visual feedback to improve and correct your technique. The system will also track your progress over time, track your progress over time, and make suggestions for improvement along the way.

Designers: James Simmons, Gonzalo Gelso, Hwanghah Jeong, Dipali Bajaj, Zhaolin Cai

spark_001

spark_002

spark_003

spark_004

spark_005

The Chiro Coach

Posted on by

Patients who experience back pain from over-sitting are often prescribed fitness bands, exercise balls and other tools to aid in their physical therapy, but because of the lack of accountability, few follow through! PILAR is a novel training device that senses motion and directs, challenges, compliments and encourages the user in real time with audible and tactile feedback! The app-based system integrates with mobile devices via Bluetooth and allows for custom programmed rehabilitation.

Designer: Entwurfreich

-
Yanko Design
Timeless Designs - Explore wonderful concepts from around the world!
Shop CKIE - We are more than just concepts. See what's hot at the CKIE store by Yanko Design!
(The Chiro Coach was originally posted on Yanko Design)

Related posts:

  1. Digi-Coach
  2. Clip Board Gets High-tech For Coach

    






Therapeutic Thin Heater

Posted on by

Leveraging SIMTech’s Printed Heater technology, Heatran is a home-use heat wrap therapy treatment designed to provide relief for anyone suffering from knee pain. It soothes discomfort by rapidly heating and maintaining temperature to promote blood circulation. Even heat distribution is achieved throughout each 30 minute therapeutic session with a rounded heat channel. Velcro fasteners make it super easy to affix to the knee for users with limited mobility.

Designers: Vernon Chen Yi Liang & Benjamin Xue Weilong

Heatran from Vernon Chen on Vimeo.

-
Yanko Design
Timeless Designs - Explore wonderful concepts from around the world!
Shop CKIE - We are more than just concepts. See what's hot at the CKIE store by Yanko Design!
(Therapeutic Thin Heater was originally posted on Yanko Design)

Related posts:

  1. Just 6mm Thin
  2. Thin is Out, Odd is In
  3. Thin is in.

    






Insert Coin semifinalist: Hodu is a ‘zero failure’ physical therapy hardware / software combo

Posted on by

Insert Coin semifinalist Hodu is a 'zero failure' physical therapy hardware software combo

Hodu borrows its name from the Korean word for "walnut," a reference to the culture's use of the nut as an exercise tool in traditional medicine. The barbell-shaped device is a "zero failure" physical therapy tool, aimed at rewarding patients for even the slightest level of feedback. There are on-board pressure sensors and accelerometers for detecting activity and a series of colored LEDs that light up based on feedback levels. The team behind Hodu is also working on proprietary software to help log patients' squeezing and rotational progress.

After the break is a video that should give you a bit of a better idea of precisely what Hodu is capable of.

Check out the full list of Insert Coin: New Challengers semifinalists here -- and don't forget to pick a winner!

Filed under:

Comments