We are excited to announce that the project “KneeWear – a remotely monitored smart wearable to retrain gait and reduce hospitalization related to knee osteoarthritis” has started! The project is an R&D cooperation between Moveshelf and Elitac Wearables, within the framework of the SME Innovation Stimulus Region and Topsectors (MIT) scheme, supported by the Province of Utrecht.
Within the project, the companies aim to jointly develop and validate a smart wearable that is worn in a home environment by knee osteoarthritis patients. The wearable will measure the motion and angle of the feet of the patient and provide haptic feedback (vibrations) when adaptations to the walking pattern are desired to reduce the loading of the knee (read more in Wouda et al. 2021, as part of the research of Prof. dr. ir. J. Harlaar).
Furthermore, the wearable will enable remote monitoring of the recovery of the patient, continuously and securely streaming relevant information about mobility. Using this system, it is expected that the number of visits to hospitals as well as the number of interventions can be reduced, as well as the associated cost of care.
The KneeWear project is another great example of how gait analysis, direct haptic feedback, and wearables can provide new or alternative therapies and solutions to health related problems, which often do not have a non-invasive solution and therefore are driving the costs of health care up. Smart solutions such as the KneeWear project, but also the BalanceBelt and Gaitkeeper projects, aim to make therapies more convenient, more intuitive, and therefore more (cost) effective and more easily available for a wide range of users.
Interested in this project or what wearables could do for your business? Please get in touch with us!
