Rehabit

What it does

Patients only visit the therapist once or twice a week, for just an hour each. For the rest of the week, Rehabit is designed to be their personal therapist, at home.

Your inspiration

I worked with my dad to create Rehabit, to solve the problems he faced daily with his stroke rehabilitation therapy. We noticed how therapy centres did not have proper equipment, relying on makeshift methods such as towels and plastic bags, to allow patients to execute the movement against friction. But these do not work well, as they do not guide the movement, and so a caretaker has to constantly facilitate the exercise. As a designer, I saw the urgent need to create solutions that allowed my dad and other patients to practice these movements at home accurately and effectively, without the need for a facilitator.

How it works

Rehabit currently has 4 products, that focus on upper-limb rehabilitation. Specifically, these are: shoulder inner & outer rotation, forearm pronation & supination, wrist flexion & extension, and finger extension - to combat spasticity and to enable other exercise movements. These exercises were chosen for their effectiveness, and follow the general flow of recovery from the inner-limb to the outer-limb. Each product literally guides the patient by the hand, to execute the movement correctly, safely, and most importantly - independently. A modular phone mount attaches to the handle of Rehabit products, so patients can accurately record range of motion. They can also use these with existing accelerometer-based games, to keep exercises engaging and fun.

Design process

Each product started off with the movement - designed around holding the hand of the patient, we conceptualised the best way to guide the movement along a strict path, removing friction, and providing assistance against gravity. Each product went through many iterations and concepts, to find one that could be used by patients with low control over their limb. We worked with my dad's therapists at multiple therapy centres, to make sure that these solutions are effective and safe. These were then fabricated using 3D-printing and universal components like bearings and phone mounts, to allow my dad to use these as soon as possible.

How it is different

Rehabit's first product was the finger weight-bearing board, which therapy centres were improvising using styrofoam sheets and masking tape, because there is nothing like this available in the market. We worked with feedback from therapists and their user testing with patients, to create a design that works much better, and that patients are proud to use. Rehabit's subsequent products are also the first of their kind - innovative solutions to improve on the makeshift methods that therapists were using, and replace the caregiver's role in guiding movements. Another differentiating factor is that it is designed to be easily fabricated to the specific dimensions of an individual patient. Both in terms of design, and manufacturing method.

Future plans

As of today, Rehabit has products in multiple therapy centres and is sold online. We are working on growing our range of products to not just rehab, but to assist everyday tasks that stroke patients face. Rehabit is also developing a mobile application, to interface with our ecosystem of products, with games that record progress. This would give therapists much more insightful data, for better tailored and more effective weekly sessions.

Awards