Device allows patients to work remotely with physiotherapist from comfort of home

When Virgilio Bento’s hermit had to go to Cuba 20 years ago to accept inexpensive physiotherapy as he recovered from a life-threatening automobile pile-up behind home in Portugal, he did not know it would enthuse an innovation.

Now, after building record that uses physique sensors and synthetic comprehension for his doctorate in electronic engineering, Bento aims to renovate a approach victims of strokes and accidents physically recover.

https://www.swordhealth.com/#/‘I suspicion to myself ‘OK, this is a outrageous plea that nobody is looking at, nobody is perplexing to solve, we will try to solve it’
– Virgilio Bento, Sword Health

The device, shortly to hurl out in a U.S., has a intensity to revoke costs for physiotherapy by charity support remotely to patients in their homes.

The Stroke Wearable Operative Rehabilitation Device (SWORD) provides an practice program on a inscription computer, that gives instructions to a patient, whose movements are monitored by sensors strapped to a body.

‘It’s simple’

Progress reports are sent by a cloud to a remote physiotherapist, who can change a exercises by promulgation instructions behind to a inscription for a studious to see.

“It’s not magic, it’s simple,” pronounced Bento, explaining how his complement could symbol a sea change by dramatically shortening a cost of earthy reconstruction and creation it affordable to millions.

Portugese businessman Virgilio Bento invented a Stroke Wearable Operative Rehabilitation Device. (YouTube)

“I saw initial palm really vividly a hurdles that my relatives faced to yield complete earthy rehabilitation,” he said. “I suspicion to myself ‘OK, this is a outrageous plea that nobody is looking at, nobody is perplexing to solve, we will try to solve it’.”

The marketplace for medical record is exploding, though few solutions have been designed to assist a complete physiotherapy compulsory for critical conditions like stroke. Alternatives, like robotics, are vastly some-more expensive.

“There aren’t adequate therapists and a numbers [who need them] are usually going to go adult [as populations age],” pronounced Tom Paprocki, handling executive of a creation and record core during Direct Supply, a heading provider of apparatus and services to comparison homes in a U.S.

“This kind of record will assistance overpass that gap.” Paprocki has vetted 1,400 record start-ups in a zone and says Bento’s complement is in a tip five.

Bento’s thought is elementary — to offer patients physical, interactive reconstruction in a comfort of their possess home by removing absolved of a need for formidable and costly visits to a physiotherapist during a clinic.

Sensor record and cloud computing

It has taken years to labour and adapt, relying on singular sensor record and a latest advances in cloud computing. Initial formula uncover 93 per cent of patients softened their engine opening regulating a exercises supposing by a system.

The yearly estimated cost of treating and caring for cadence survivors — where Bento has strong his investigate — is 30 billion euros ($43 billion Cdn) in Europe and 57 billion euros in a U.S., according to a news supposing by Bento’s association to a European Commission.

Bento says his system, that gives patients evident feedback and a measure on a series of right and wrong movements they perform, will cost one tenth of physiotherapy.

“At a finish of any practice a formula appear, how many times we did a movements, how many medals we won,” pronounced Alvaro, 56, who has used a complement after hip surgery. “There is practical remuneration if we do a exercises well, it’s kind of fun and ends adult being a bit of a diversion as well.”

Bento won a growth extend of €1 million ($1.4 million) from a European Union in 2014 underneath a program for record models earnest to “ultimately interrupt existent markets.”

He has lifted $1.4 million from private investors and is now rising another financing turn of $4.3 million as he rolls out SWORD in a U.S. market.

Article source: http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/sword-physiotherapy-device-1.4022692?cmp=rss