Physical rehabilitation is a long-term, energy-sapping and often demotivating endeavor. But a company called Neofect hopes to change that with its Rapael line of rehabilitation products, which use a biofeedback gaming system to empower patients through their therapy.
Neofecto’s flagship product is the Rapael Smart Glove, a Bluetooth glove packed with sensors to measure finger and wrist movements. During rehabilitation sessions, patients are encouraged to perform simple movements, such as extending their fingers or rotating their wrist, to perform basic in-game tasks such as navigating a submarine or flipping a fried egg. Movements are based on commonly used clinical therapies, and a learning scheduling algorithm helps adjust difficulty to optimize challenge and motivation.
“Elements of gamification and user interface motivate the patient throughout the rehabilitation process,” Hoyoung Ban, CEO of Neofecta, tells Digital Trends. “Helps induce neuroplasticity for hand operation in brain-damaged patients while patients play games, see and hear game sounds.”
Rapael’s method was shown to be more effective than conventional rehabilitation therapy in a study published in the journal NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation. The smart glove also earned Neofect an honorable mention at the CES 2017 Innovation Awards. It can be rented at home for $99 per month or purchased for a hospital or clinic for about $15,000.
NEOFECT RAPAEL Smart Rehab Solution – Exercise games for rehabilitation
Although the Smart Glove is the company’s flagship product, the Neofect team has begun developing other products for patients with different conditions. Rapael Smart Kids and Rapael Smart Board, expected to launch in April 2017, are specially designed for children with nervous system disorders and patients who need upper limb exercise.
The company also partnered with researchers at Seoul National University to develop the Exo-Glove Poly, a wearable polymer robotic glove designed specifically to rehabilitate patients with C5 and C7 spinal cord injuries. Equipped with an actuator unit, wires and a control button, the glove helps patients grasp objects that would otherwise be too difficult for them to hold.
Correction: Neofect previously incorrectly listed the price of the Rapael Smart Glove as $1,500 for a hospital or clinic. The exact price is $15,000.
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Source: newstars.edu.vn