FLINT REHABILITATION DEVICES, LLC — Department of Health and Human Services SBIR Phase I: NICHD

Description

Overof theindividuals who survive a stroke each year have persistent movement impairmentsIntensive rehabilitation could reduce their impairmentsbut access to such therapy is limitedHome therapy could supplement time with a therapistbut the current standard of care is simply providing individuals printed sheets of exercisesan approach that is not motivating and often not effectiveTechnological solutions do existbut none provide an effective means for individuals to directly practice activities of daily living in a motivating way on their own at homeThe goal of this Fast Track SBIR is to develop and test FitMi Plusan improved version of Flint Rehab s commercially successful FitMi system for motivating at home therapeutic exerciseThe original FitMi system consists of two wireless input devices called Pucks that each contain an array of sensors and connect to a software application that detects when simple exercises are completedFitMi Plus will expand the capabilities of FitMi to detect the completion of activities of daily living by coupling common objects to the Pucks via distinct Functional ModulesThis approach has the key advantage of allowing the most expensive and complex components of the system to be reused with each Functional Modulethus minimizing cost and maximizing system flexibilityWe hypothesize that home therapy with FitMi Plus will be feasible for individuals with motor impairment due to stroke and more motivating and effective than the current standard of practiceprinted sheets of exercisesThe aims of this Fast Track project are toEstablish the feasibility of FitMi Plus by pilot testing an initial set ofFunctional Modules that can detect turning a doorknobzipping a zipperturning on a light switchand pouring liquid into a glassExpand the library of Functional Modules based on feedback from PTs and OTsandCompare the efficacy of homebased functional training with FitMi Plus to non functional exercise in a randomized controlled trial with individuals with chronic strokeWe hypothesize that individuals who exercise with FitMi Plus will have significantly greater increases in functional ability than individuals who do not perform functional exercises during their home therapyIf successfulthis project will result in a commercially readyclinically validated home therapy tool that could become widely adopted in actual practicethus improving long term functional recovery after stroke This research is relevant to public health because it will increase the accessibilitylower the costsand improve the outcomes of rehabilitation therapyThis will provide a pathway to a better life for millions of U S citizens suffering from motor impairment after stroke and other neurologic injuriesNot only does rehabilitation therapy reduce the likelihood of devastating complicationsit also improves functional abilityincreasing the standard of living of individuals with impairment and reducing the burden on society caused by disability