Our Innovation Analysts recently looked into emerging technologies and up-and-coming startups working on innovative solutions for the healthcare sector. As there is a large number of startups working on a wide variety of solutions, we want to share our insights with you. This time, you will discover 5 promising startups developing physiotherapy solutions.
Heat Map: 5 Top Physiotherapy Solutions
Using the StartUs Insights Discovery Platform, covering 1.379.000+ startups & scaleups globally, we looked at innovation in the field of physical rehabilitation. For this research, we identified 554 relevant solutions and picked 5 to showcase below. These companies were chosen based on a data-driven startup scouting approach, taking into account factors such as location, founding year, and relevance of technology, among others. Depending on your specific criteria, the top picks might look entirely different.
The Global Startup Heat Map below highlights 5 startups & scaleups developing innovative physiotherapy solutions. Moreover, the Heat Map reveals regions that observe a high startup activity and illustrates the geographic distribution of all 554 companies we analyzed for this specific topic.
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WeAR Technologies – Artificial Intelligence (AI) & Wearables
The healthcare industry significantly benefits from the advent of digital technologies. AI and machine learning (ML) algorithms help hospitals, clinics, and doctors optimize workflows to improve productivity. The Internet of Things (IoT) further enables real-time monitoring of assets and patients. Startups and scaleups integrate AI and wearable solutions for physiotherapy to improve patient engagement and overall treatment outcomes.
Spanish startup WeAR Technologies offers AI-enabled wearables to monitor patients’ physical rehabilitation progress. The startup’s advanced rehabilitation system measures the exercise movements of patients with high accuracy. The startup’s ML algorithms enable therapists to plan the recovery regimen with customized treatments for each patient. This solution is also suitable for conducting remote physical therapy. WeAR’s monitoring system supports therapists to make informed decisions with the help of detailed patient activity reports.
PlayWork – Gamification in Physiotherapy
Permanent movement disorders, such as cerebral palsy, affect a significant number of children globally. Advancements in healthcare technology enable medical professionals to identify genetic markers and take proactive measures when necessary. Further, gamification considerably helps children restrained to a wheelchair, who have comparatively limited exposure to social circumstances. Gamification is being implemented across industries to improve user engagement and startups leverage this approach to develop physiotherapy solutions for all age groups.
Israeli startup PlayWork provides patients with its PLAYBALL, a smart therapy ball for patients suffering from movement disorders, such as cerebral palsy. The startup combines PLAYBALL with PLAYWORK, its interactive gamified physical rehabilitation program. PLAYBALL functions as a measuring tool and also as a video game controller for ball-based exercises. Sensors inside the ball measure both movement and pressure applied.
Physio4D – Vision-Based Physical Therapy
Technology plays a key role in developing novel therapeutic solutions for tackling physical disabilities. Physical therapists use advances in motion tracking to identify discrepancies in the movement of limbs and bodies of patients, and even offer remote monitoring of the same. Startups are working on ways to effectively utilize IoT-based sensors and devices to develop vision-based solutions for physical rehabilitation.
Canadian startup Physio4D delivers its eponymous vision-based assessment tool for physical therapists. Physio4D enables therapists to onboard patients virtually, with the help of motion tracking, and improve patient compliance with the rehabilitation program. Physio4D runs on an ML algorithm-based exercise recommendation portal that assists therapists to quickly prescribe the most appropriate exercises to patients. The startup also offers an interactive therapy compliance tracking application and aims to automate the onboarding, monitoring, and compliance workflows involved in physical therapy.
Augment Therapy – Augmented Reality (AR) in Physical Rehabilitation
Sports injuries, post-operative rehabilitation, and neurological disorders all require different approaches to physical rehabilitation. Augmented reality provides an interactive and immersive platform for all types of patients. Startups develop AR-based physical therapy solutions that also include a layer of gamification to encourage more interaction and engagement.
The US-based startup Augment Therapy develops software solutions that use augmented reality to rehabilitate, motivate, and encourage children affected by disability. The startup’s immersive solution makes children think they are playing a game instead of visiting the therapist or a clinic, thereby easing their rehabilitation process. Additionally, the startup offers telehealth services with trained physiotherapists to engage with, and attend to, more patients through virtual consultations.
Movendo – Robotic Assistance for Physiotherapists
Therapists typically assess patients based on their walking style, gait, form, and posture. However, this approach is not sustainable and has risks involved such as human error. AI algorithms are capable of predicting outcomes accurately and provide much-needed assistance to therapists to plan the exercise regime. Startups and scaleups develop integrated robotic solutions for assisting physical therapists to improve healthcare delivery.
Italian startup Movendo produces physical rehabilitation and diagnostic tools. The startup’s solution includes a sensor-enabled robotic seat as well as an adjustable seat for maximizing patient comfort. The force and position sensors in the seat enable the execution of passive therapy, by mobilizing the body, and active therapy with elastic or fluid resistances, as well as proprioceptive and assistive therapies.
What about the other 549 solutions?
While we believe data is key to creating insights it can be easy to be overwhelmed by it. Our ambition is to create a comprehensive overview and provide actionable innovation intelligence and enable you to achieve your goals faster. The 5 physiotherapy solutions showcased above are promising examples out of 554 we analyzed for this article. To identify the most relevant solutions based on your specific criteria, get in touch.
