3rd June 2014
Hocoma a globally active medical technology company based near Zurich, Switzerland, and the leader in robotic rehabilitation therapy for neurological movement disorders. Hocoma develops innovative therapy solutions working closely with leading clinics and research centers.
Having been active mainly in the clinical and hospital therapy market, Hocoma launched its first consumer product in May 2014 and once again proved to be among the most innovative and technologically advanced companies worldwide.
Their most recent product – Valedo® – offers low back pain therapy by combining the latest Bluetooth Smart Energy with lightweight wearable 360 degree and 3D motion sensors and a state-of-the art software, allowing an innovative serious gaming experience with real-time performance feedback wherever and whenever you want. Hocoma worked closely with Xsens to get access to proven, low power, high performance 3D motion tracking technology and system design and to take Valedo to the mass market.
The idea behind Valedo
In this very moment, up to 40% of the people around us suffer from lower back pain (LBP). Not suprising, if you consider that we tend to spend 80’000 hours sitting in front of a computer throughout our professional life. Additionally, research shows that almost everyone (up to 85 - 90%) suffers or has suffered from LBT at some point in his life.
Many people correctly seek help from doctors, therapists etc. who often recommend exercises to be performed at home or at work. However, these exercises are often not performed because a) without the external expert people lack accurate performance feedback; b) doubt increases about performing the exercises correctly; c) there is no mechanism to prove how often and how well the exercises were performed, but most of all d) these exercises are BORING and repetitive!
Ultimately, people suffer from a lack of motivation to be compliant with their therapy. This is exactly what happened to Hocoma’s CEO, Gery Colombo, who suffered from back pain during his teens and early adult life. This was the spark for the original product idea almost two decades ago. However, it took the technology of today and Hocoma’s ingenuity to finally realize Valedo for home use.
The Valedo technology – “Back Exercising 2.0”
Valedo builds upon the strong foundation of classical exercise therapy, integrating accepted and effective therapeutic movements and exercises, but Valedo reinvents the experience, excitement and interaction with these movements and exercises.
Serious Gaming
Valedo has been designed to target one or a combination of therapeutic goals with 17 unique movements, incorporated into 45 therapeutic exercises (more coming soon), and movement performance algorithms to monitor your accuracy, smoothness and precision.
Safe - all movements are based on proven and certified back treatment programs, transferred into Valedo by movement scientists, therapists, doctors and engineers.
Serious - every product of Hocoma is designed to improve mobility, health and quality of life. All of this clinical experience and design knowledge also flows into Valedo.
Fun & Motivational - Hocoma even takes gaming seriously, but not at the expense of your fun, motivation and personal benefit. Boring movements and counting repetitions are replaced with therapeutic gaming and automatic data collection to track and even to share your performance.
Enabling - progressing from simple to combinational movements enables learning & self-therapy. A continuous flow of movements and feedback allows an analog response from the user to constantly correct themselves and to learn proper movements with small, precise muscle activation.
Easy - exercise anytime and almost anywhere you want, even in normal clothes, in only a few simple and quick steps.
State-of-the art wearable motions sensors combined with an
innovative software
The Valedo system provides the necessary clinical information and visual information to learn proper movements and perform exercises correctly.
Valedo is able to do this due to the combined sophistication and easy use of a specifically designed software and lightweight wireless motion sensors.
The sensors allow a movement detection of full 360 degree movements to under one degree (*) with a 3D gyroscope, a 3D accelerometer and a 3D magnetometer. They connect with the software with latest Bluetooth Smart (low-energy) technology and weigh only as little as 18 grams each, with a battery life of 6 hours (constant use)
By placing one sensor on the chest-bone and the other one on the pelvis with double-sided medical tape, the system can monitor all angular movements of your upper body and pelvis.
In the software your movements control a robot, who flies, swims and jumps through beautiful landscapes. You are challenged in precision, smoothness, rhythm, endurance and more as you collect wealth for your village.
The village itself is the game menu and the more you exercise for the benefit of the houses, the more houses are exposed and the more the village grows in height and appearance.
The software can be downloaded free of charge on the App Store onto your tablet (currently only iPad).
Curious? Go check it out on www.valedotherapy.com and benefit from a time-limited 10% off introductory offer.
Happy gaming!
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