NSF Award
2014635
The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation (SBIR) Phase I project would be the development of a neurorehabilitation technology with a total addressable market of $54B and the opportunity to increase access to advanced care for the 5.2 million people in the US living with paralysis and the 1.3 million people each year that experience an extreme neurological injury or diagnosis that can lead to severe gait impairment. This technology will encourage a proactive approach to care, eliminate the need for a clinician to be physically present in the rehabilitation experience, and introduce software solutions to increase motivation and connectivity. Clinically, if successful, this technology could dramatically decrease secondary complications, help people regain the ability to walk, and ultimately reduce costs associated with neurological diagnoses.<br/><br/>This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I is to develop an at-home gait trainer for rehabilitation and physical therapy of individuals with neurological injuries or neurological conditions using a patient-centered approach. This project integrates at-home advanced medical technology with telemedicine physical therapy. This will enable continued rehabilitation and physical therapy without clinical oversight via training videos.<br/><br/>This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
