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National Winner

EzyGain – Walking rehabilitation by weight lightening

Destined for people with loss of autonomy and the elderly, EzyGain is a walking rehabilitation treadmill with a pelvis weight lightening process. Compact and easy to use, it has been thought to be integrated in small structures.

  • EzyGain tested in a retirement home

  • EzyGain's specifications

  • How to use EzyGain

  • A long research process

  • One step closer to autonomy

What it does

Destined for people with loss of autonomy and the elderly, EzyGain is a walking rehabilitation treadmill with a pelvis weight lightening process. Compact and easy to use, it has been thought to be integrated in small structures.


Your inspiration

EzyGain was born from a meeting with a doctor from a physical rehabilitation center who wanted to develop an innovative walking rehabilitation device adapted to small structures. Then, he assembled a team to brainstorm about this important topic. During our discussions, I discovered that 4.25 million French people have walking troubles but do not always have the necessary care according to their situation and the saturated medical centers. At this point, I understood the importance of the challenge: EzyGain would give the opportunity to recover walking abilities better in more accessible places!


How it works

EzyGain's commitment lies in its simplicity of use and its ability to be integrated anywhere, hence its simple and compact design going straight to the basics. In order to allow the patient to walk properly, a principle of weight lightening at the level of the pelvis has been developed. The user wears a panty harness that can be put on even when sitting on a wheelchair. Thanks to the access ramp, the patient in the wheelchair is advanced on the treadmill. From the side frame of the device hang two straps connected to a motor. These straps are hooked to the patient's harness by a carabiner, the user is then verticalized thanks to the motor without any effort of the healthcare professional. Once standing safely in the harness, without the risk of falling, the professional adjusts the weight lightened from 0 to 100% by actuating the motor again. The training session starts, the patient can walk independently without any risk of falling.


Design process

To develop EzyGain, we initially held focus groups with elderly people in retirement homes and exits from hospitals. These discussions helped us to clarify which elements were most relevant and important to our interlocutors. Once our concept was clarified, we carried out a qualitative study with clients, specifically directors of nursing homes, liberal physiotherapists, distributors of medical equipment, directors of hospitals as well as individuals. Our project was well received and appreciated. With these progressive validations, we were able to finalize the manufacture of a first prototype that we tested in two retirement homes and two french hospitals. These feedback allowed us to validate our weight lightening innovation by the pelvis. We then developed a second prototype, improved and closer to reality, which allowed us to carry out a 30-days pilot test in a Parisian retirement home owned by the french group Humanis (February 2017). This test was a real success, demonstrating the interest of the device for residents/patients and caregivers.


How it is different

EzyGain is distinguished on several points. For example, its fast and simple installation of the patient. The caregiver does not provide any physical effort to put the patient in a standing position, the installation is done in just 5 minutes against 20 minutes for the existing rehabilitation devices. About the weight lightening by the pelvis, it allows the patient to have a more natural gait in contrast to the systems of weight reduction by the torso, which hinder the movements of the upper body (rehabilitation is then only focusing on the lower limbs, neglecting the pattern of the walk). As a result, the device is space-saving because it does not require any installation at height. The innovation is also in the harness which guarantees the safety of the patient. In case of difficulty or fragility, the user finds himself in a sitting position and avoids any risk of fall.


Future plans

With EzyGain, we aim to revolutionize walking rehabilitation. We are currently developing playful content and serious games on an app connected to the treadmill sensors. This app could offers many entertaining and motivating activities, helping the user improving his walk and his progress. The ambition to 5 years is to design a second product in the same logic of simplification of the work of the professional, while bringing high technology to the patient. We also want to bring our solution abroad, because aging and the development of chronic, disabling diseases are global issues.


Awards

-Laureate of "Handicap et Innovation" - BPI -Winner of Switch Up Challenge - Cisco -Laureate of "Jeune Ingénieur Créateur" - Norbert Ségard --Call for projects "Dispositif de soutien aux innovations techniques à destination des retraités fragilisés" - CNAV -Winner of Start Up Idol - Paris Saclay


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