FDA clears Kinect-based "videogame" for physical therapy
The US FDA has issued a 501(k) clearance to Reflexion Health for a physical therapy tool, Vera, which uses Microsoft's Kinect bodytracking technology to motivate and coach people recovering from injuries to perform their therapy from home. Data from the tool is uploaded to a therapist who can monitor and alter their therapy programme in real time. 

A digital health company that took part in West Health’s incubator program secured 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for a device designed to help people recovering from injuries do their physical therapy from home, according to a company statement. Reflexion Health’s device also serves as a remote monitoring tool for physical therapists to collect patients’ performance data.

Reflexion Health’s motion tracking physical therapy tool, Vera, uses Microsoft Kinect technology to help patients with rehab. It projects an avatar onto a screen, and uses it to coach and motivate patients to do their exercises at home. It transmits their data to a physical therapist who monitors progress and optimizes therapy in real time.

It works with Cleveland Clinic and the Brooks Rehabilitation Center in Jacksonville, Florida to provide Vera to patients recovering from joint replacement surgery. The company also received a $1 million grant to apply its technology to prevent falls by seniors in San Diego and Fearrington, North Carolina.

Several digital health companies take the view that creating digital health tools using avatars and telemedicine can make PT seem more like a game and less like arduous, painful exercises. It can also help physical therapists keep track of whether patients are doing the prescribed therapy correctly between in-person appointments. But it is also seen as a way to address the risk of missed appointments and improve patient engagement. Among the companies seeking to carve a niche in this space are Force Therapeutics, reponddesign and eWellness. It will be interesting to see how big an impact Reflexion’s FDA clearance has on its market position.

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