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Smarter rehab
Technology such as VR, robotics, apps and brain implants, adopted where it helps.
Tech & industry7 SepA new AI algorithm to improve brain stimulation devices to treat disease is being developed by Google Research and Mayo Clinic.
Tech & industry1 SepAI can be used to give stroke patients a personalised and more accurate risk for suffering a recurrence, a study suggests. Experts believe the study will help to identify the most important factors for preventing stroke recurrence and has the potential to help prevent many thousands of strokes a year in Europe, and in doing [...]
Neuropsychology16 AugCould gaming really detect depression, anxiety or Alzheimer's Disease? We meet Emilia Molimpakis from Thymia who are working with clinicians on games to diagnose your mental health.
Case management5 AugA University of Southampton student has launched a new AI-driven health analytics platform. The platform aims to make it faster, simpler and safer for patients who need chronic care.
CareIQ will save time and money for clinicians while improving patients' daily lives while making them feel more in control. It will help them to find better solutions for their needs. It is just one of eight promising start-ups from the University of Southampton aimed at making the world smarter, safer and more unsustainable. The start-ups were unveiled at the Future Worlds Virtual Demo Day. It pitched the platform to several investors to help launch the idea into the global market.
Brain injury30 JulA new VR platform for brain injury rehabilitation has been created by a team of medical professionals, whose commitment to the use of technology in rehab is helping to advance thinking in the area nationally.
Brain Recovery Zone provides the resources for brain injury survivors to support their own recovery from an early stage, and increase their capability to manage fatigue, improve speech and mood and stabilise their emotions from their own home. The platform offers a safe virtual space for people to practice the habits that aid recovery in an immersive environment, of which there are 11 to choose from, ranging from the Northern Lights to the Hundred Acre Wood of Winnie the Pooh fame. Mindfulness and meditation experiences are also offered.
Tech & industry29 JulRehabilitation robotics unicorn Fourier Intelligence is set to take its ongoing global expansion to the next level after securing funding from Saudi Aramco, becoming the first rehab tech company in the world to gain financial backing from a major player in the international investment market.
Fourier is now targeting global market expansion - with the United States and EU being key targets for the near future - ongoing development of its world-leading technology, and adding further to its international team through the C+ financing round, which the company’s co-founder Zen Koh described as being of “humongous” significance. The business, a pioneer in the global rehab tech market, is already on an unrelenting path of growth, expanding into 54 countries to date from its native Singapore, including the UK, with more than 1,000 uses of its technology in 30 of them.
Tech & industry15 JulA revolutionary AI-led approach to detecting pre-dementia symptoms is to form part of a new NHS clinic dedicated to driving improvements in early-stage dementia diagnosis.
Cognetivity’s technology is to be deployed within a new remote Brain Health Clinic at South London and Maudsley (SLaM) NHS Foundation Trust. Among the first of its kind in the world, the clinic will provide in-depth subtyping of patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), followed by periodic, remote assessment of those who are expected to progress to Alzheimer's dementia. The Integrated Cognitive Assessment (ICA) devised by Cognetivity will play a key role in the clinic’s aim of enhancing early diagnosis of patients with Alzheimer’s disease and provide timely access to treatment. Cognetivity’s iPad-based test also supports the clinic's focus on remote medical assessment, the importance of which has been reinforced by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Tech & industry9 JulGlobal rehabilitation technology business Fourier Intelligence is collaborating with the internationally-recognised University Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC) in advancing research in the fast-developing field.
The collaboration, the latest pioneering research partnership to be formed by Fourier and academia, will further develop current solutions to be more effective and versatile within the rehabilitation technology industry. The MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) signing event with Fourier aligns UMMC’s mission towards driving excellence in clinical research, empowering human capital, and uplifting healthcare-related institutions. Both parties said that though this new joint effort, more innovative solutions will be developed in rehab tech.
Brain injury2 JulA pioneering telerehabilitation initiative which enabled people recovering from acquired brain injury to continue their therapies during the pandemic has reported significant progress for participants during the programme.
The evaluation of Neuro-Rehabilitation OnLine (N-ROL) and the fact participants “significantly improved on the two planned quantitative outcome measures” provides further academic analysis to support the hugely positive anecdotal evidence about the impact of telerehabilitation, which has grown exponentially in its use during the past year.
Spinal injury30 JunA newly-developed device which can be implanted into the spinal column to treat severe pain could also be a potential treatment for paralysis.
The ultra-thin inflatable invention, which is about the width of a human hair, can be rolled up into a tiny cylinder, inserted into a needle, and implanted into the epidural space of the spinal column - the same area where injections are administered to control pain during childbirth. Once correctly positioned, the device - developed by engineers and clinicians at the University of Cambridge - is inflated with water or air so it unrolls like a tiny air mattress, covering a large section of the spinal cord. When connected to a pulse generator, the ultra-thin electrodes start sending small electrical currents to the spinal cord, which disrupt pain signals.
