ExoHeal

ExoHeal provides accessible, affordable and faster rehabilitation to paralysed patients by combining robots with neuroscience.

The specific problem that we are trying to solve is the lack of accessibility to advanced rehabilitation for stroke survivors suffering from paralysis. The scale of this problem is significant, as there are more than 61 million hand-paralyzed patients with hemiplegia or monoplegia across the globe, with 1.6 million people in Germany alone. The major contributing factors to this problem are the limited availability of advanced robot rehabilitation devices and the high cost of these technologies. This results in long waiting lists and limited access to therapy, particularly in rural areas.

The consequences of this problem are significant, as early treatment is crucial for the recovery of paralysis patients. The lack of accessible rehabilitation can lead to a slower recovery and increased dependence on friends and family members, which can result in mental health issues and depression. Furthermore, the average cost of recovery for incomplete motor function during the first year is $340,787, and $41,393 in each year thereafter. This financial burden can be overwhelming for households with lower incomes.

The broader impact of the problem of limited accessibility to advanced rehabilitation for stroke survivors suffering from paralysis is also significant. The high cost of recovery and lack of accessible rehabilitation can result in a significant burden on healthcare systems, both in terms of the cost of treatment and the strain on resources. Furthermore, it can limit the ability of stroke survivors to fully participate in society and the workforce, which can result in decreased productivity and reduced economic growth. Additionally, the burden of care for stroke survivors can fall on friends and family members, which can have a negative impact on their mental and physical health, and also on their ability to participate in the workforce.

The problem of limited accessibility to advanced rehabilitation for stroke survivors suffering from paralysis is a significant issue that affects not only the individuals affected by the condition, but also society as a whole. Therefore, it is essential to develop effective solutions that can improve accessibility and reduce costs, to improve the quality of life for stroke survivors, and also to reduce the burden on healthcare systems and the economy. By developing portable, accessible, and affordable robotic exoskeletons, we hope to address this problem and make rehabilitation more accessible for stroke survivors suffering from paralysis.

We aim to address this problem by developing portable, accessible, and affordable robotic exoskeletons that can be used in rehabilitation centers and at home. Our devices will be designed to be used with minimal manual interaction, which will reduce costs and increase accessibility for patients living in rural areas. Additionally, the devices will be designed to provide faster rehabilitation, which will be beneficial for patients in the early stages of recovery.

ExoHeal is an innovative solution that addresses the problem of limited accessibility to advanced rehabilitation for stroke survivors suffering from hand paralysis. Our solution is a robotic exoskeleton divided into two parts: a sensory glove worn by the patient on their functional hand, and an exoskeletal hand connected to a user-friendly mobile app.

The sensory glove is designed to detect and mirror the movements of the patient's functional hand, which has been scientifically proven to accelerate recovery by helping the brain form new neural pathways. The patient can then use the exoskeletal hand to perform exercises assigned by their doctor, which are guided by the mobile app. The app also measures the patient's movements and sensations, records their progress over time, and shares that data with their doctor for analysis.

The modular design of the exoskeleton allows it to be customized to fit the different hand shapes and sizes of diverse patients. Additionally, our portable and wireless design allows patients to comfortably participate in routine tasks while undergoing recovery.

To increase accessibility, we use a companion mobile app that provides remote rehabilitation to patients via their smartphones. Utilizing Azure IoT technology, our machine-learning model analyzes the patient's sensory data and provides real-time adaptive assistance, enabling patients to put in the right amount of effort and recover faster.

In order to motivate patients to rehab regularly, we have incorporated gamification elements into the ExoHeal app. By breaking down the exercises into small challenges and adding points, levels, badges, and rewards, the app makes therapy more approachable and forms a psychological link in the patient's brain between recovery and rewards.

With ExoHeal, we bring the price down to $3000.

ExoHeal is a solution that aims to improve the lives of individuals who live with motor disabilities, specifically those who have hand or upper limb motor disabilities. According to the Christopher Reeves Foundation, there are over 200 million patients worldwide who live with motor disabilities, of which 61 million are diagnosed with hand or upper limb motor disability.

Our target population is the 1.2 million patients suffering from monoplegia, hemiplegia, and diplegia in Germany and the roughly 9 million hands-paralyzed patients in India. These patients are often from low-income families and are unable to afford rehabilitation as insurance doesn’t adequately cover its average cost of $40,000 per year. Additionally, they are underserved as they face difficulties in accessing rehabilitation due to the lack of remote rehabilitation and long waiting lines at hospitals and rehabilitation centres. Moreover, it is even more difficult for patients in rural areas to access rehabilitation. And the patient’s that do gain access go through a cumbersome rehabilitation process that lasts more than 8 months. This can lead to feelings of depression and hopelessness.

ExoHeal addresses these needs by providing an affordable, accessible, and portable hand paralysis rehabilitation system. The solution includes a robotic exoskeleton, a sensory glove, and a user-friendly mobile app. The patient wears the sensory glove on their functional hand and performs exercises assigned by their doctor, which are guided by the mobile app. The app also measures the patient's movements and sensations, records their progress over time, and shares that data with their doctor for analysis. The use of AI in the app allows for real-time adaptive assistance that adjusts according to the patient's rate of recovery. Enabling the patient to put in the right amount of effort. Described by doctors as the fundamental key to faster recovery. We bring the price down to $3,000 thereby making it more affordable to patients.

Additionally, the modular design of the exoskeleton allows for customization to fit the different hand shapes and sizes of diverse patients. The portable and wireless design allows patients to comfortably participate in routine tasks while undergoing recovery. And the use of companion app allows for remote rehabilitation via smartphones, which makes it accessible to patients in rural areas and eliminates waiting time.

CEO - Zain Samdani
Working with amputees and paralyzed patients in 2014. He developed affordable prostheses for amputees in India. He later worked with neuroscientists and physiotherapists to create a rehabilitation system that provides paralyzed patients with 30% faster recovery. Recognized as a Global Finalist at Google Science Fair and crowned as World Champion in Microsoft's Imagine cup

Skilled in robotics, neuroscience, 3D Design, simulation, empathy

COO - Ali Alam
Operations Manager, 5 years of industry experience in scaling SMEs, project management, and process improvement working with firms like Amazon, Merck Pharmaceuticals, and IBEX. Extremely adept at including gamifying techniques learned from his experience in previously leading a consulting start-up that teaches high-achieving teens core values for growth and development.

Skilled in design thinking, project management, operations research, and gamification.

Head of Design - Faria Zubair
Faria combines fashion with STEM technologies to design visually appealing devices. Her expertise enabled her to design a skin-like exoskeletal glove with minimal electronics, a first of its kind in the world. 

Skilled in product design, team building, and STEAM

CTO - Ramin Udash
Application developer, with 2 years of industry experience developing mobile applications. Has ample experience working in a team setting. Crowned as World Champion in Microsoft's Imagine cup.

Skilled in Azure, Firebase, Python, DART, Flutter, and SWIFT.

CFO - Abdullah Anis
Mechatronics Engineer. Founded and scaled 2 disability-based startups. 2 years of professional experience working in research-based robotics projects. 

Skilled in marketing, business development, robotics, and prototyping

Patients Counsellor - Asfia Jabeen Zubair
Worked with paralyzed patients to understand their plights and help them easily navigate through the rehabilitation process. Recognized patterns to help build hope within patients.

Skilled in Empathy, critical thinking, team building and roadmap design. 

Researcher - Mohamed Goda
Software engineer and a passion for developing new technologies to improve people's lives. Co-founded a tech startup to provide marketing, media management, and UI/UX advising.

Skilled in Research, STEM, Business Dev, C/C++, and software quality assurance 

Social Media manager - Anastasiia Skryzhadlovska
Main organizer for Germany's biggest student-led art fest. Highly efficient in building communities. Part of the core college office team at Jacobs University. 

Skilled in empathy, community building, graphics design

Embedded Systems Engineer - Florian Uekermann
Full stack developer, with a focus on computer security, machine learning, embedded and the lower levels of the web & systems programming. PhD in theoretical physics & complex systems research.

Skilled in RISC-V, RP2040, WebGPU, Vulkan (GPU API), WebAssembly, PostgreSQL, Tensorflow

Mentors:

• George Kosmodis, Microsoft MVP - Germany
• Dr. Ratna, Scientist, K.V. Rao Scientific Society - India
• Dr. Bindu Menon, Stroke Specialist - India
• Lesley Onstott, Director of projects at Not impossible labs. - USA
• Dr. Fawaz Abdulaziz, Consultant Neurologist & stroke subspecialist - Saudi Arabia

Our understanding of the needs of the population we want to serve has been informed by a multi-faceted approach. In addition to the team leader's personal experience with a paralyzed family member, we have also conducted research by visiting rehabilitation centres and speaking directly with patients. This has helped us to gain a deeper understanding of the specific needs, challenges and frustrations faced by paralyzed patients.

To ensure that our solution is informed by the latest scientific understanding of neuroplasticity and its effect on paralysis, we have also collaborated with neuroscientists and sub-stroke specialists. This has helped us to develop an effective approach for post-stroke motor rehabilitation that promotes neuroplasticity via specific doctor-suggested exercises.

We have also engaged potential users in the design and development of our solution by working closely with patients during the development of our first fully functioning prototype. This has allowed us to incorporate feedback and make adjustments to improve performance and comfort. We have also run initial trials with patients and observed an improvement in their rate of rehabilitation.

In order to achieve our impact goals, we will continue to work closely with rehabilitation centres and patients, collaborating with neuroscientists and specialists, and utilizing AI and machine learning to improve our technology. This includes developing a manufacturable prototype and conducting clinical trials to gain even more feedback on the design and execution of our solution. Additionally, we will continue to engage potential users by building a community of paralyzed patients and caregivers through our app and social media.

ExoHeal is an innovative solution that promotes neuroplasticity in stroke patients through specific, doctor-suggested exercises. Our solution is unique in that it uses a robotic exoskeleton connected to a user-friendly mobile app to guide patients through exercises, measure their progress, and share data with their doctor.

Our device is also modular, which allows it to be tailored to the unique needs of each patient. It is also portable and wireless, so patients can comfortably complete therapy while performing their daily tasks.

Additionally, our device utilizes Azure to provide real-time, adaptive assistance to patients based on the data collected.

ExoHeal also incorporates gamification elements to encourage patient engagement and motivation. By breaking down exercises into small challenges and rewards, patients are more likely to adhere to their therapy schedule.

Furthermore, our device is affordable and accessible, making it accessible to patients in rural areas and those from low-income families. With its price being $3,000, it's an affordable alternative to the current treatments that cost $40,000 per year.

Our solution is expected to change the market by providing an affordable and accessible rehabilitation option for paralyzed patients. We expect our device to have a positive impact on patient recovery and overall quality of life. We plan to measure the impact of our solution by conducting clinical trials and gathering feedback from patients, doctors, and rehabilitation centres.

To achieve our impact goals for the next year, we have a comprehensive plan in place. First, we will increase our production capacity to manufacture 500 rehabilitation exoskeletons and work with hospitals and clinics to distribute them to patients in need. Our target population includes 2000 paralyzed patients, with a focus on reaching those living in rural areas who may not have access to rehabilitation services. We will work with these patients to help them regain movement and self-confidence through the use of our device, which has already shown promising results in improving sensation in the paralyzed hand on the first day of therapy.

In addition to providing access to our rehabilitation technology, we also aim to build a community of 10,000 people for paralyzed patients and caregivers through our app and social media. This community will provide a platform for patients to connect and support each other, share their experiences, and access resources and information to help them on their recovery journey.

To achieve these goals, we will continue to work closely with rehabilitation centres and patients to gather feedback and make improvements to our technology. We will also collaborate with neuroscientists and specialists to ensure that our therapy is based on the latest research and best practices. Furthermore, we will utilize AI and machine learning to improve our technology, making it more personalized and effective for each patient.

Overall, our goal is to revolutionize the rehabilitation industry by providing adaptive, remote therapy to a larger number of patients and empowering them to take an active role in their recovery. With this approach, we believe that we can have a transformational impact on the lives of paralyzed patients and their caregivers, helping them to regain their independence and live fulfilling lives.

Our core technology is an exoskeleton designed to assist paralyzed patients in regaining movement and control of their fingers. This exoskeleton is powered by a linkage-driven mechanism, which provides enough torque to move a paralyzed patient's finger while being lightweight and comfortable enough for long-term use. The exoskeleton is also modular, allowing it to be customized to fit the specific hand shape and size of each patient.

To track progress and provide real-time adaptive assistance, the exoskeleton is fitted with multiple force and flex sensors (variable resistors) that collect movement data and stream it in real-time to the patient's app. The exoskeleton is also 3D printed, which enables us to easily modify and improve the design based on feedback from patients and therapists. Furthermore, we use AI and machine learning to analyze the data from the sensors, to provide personalized therapy and training programs for each patient.

ExoHeal has currently served 50 people through its initial clinical trials and we aim to impact 2000 people by the next year. 

Our main barriers to achieving our goals within the next year include regulatory and compliance challenges. As we are developing a Class II medical device, there is a significant amount of scrutiny and testing that must be completed before we can officially launch in the market. This includes obtaining certifications and approvals from various regulatory bodies, which can be a time-consuming and costly process. To overcome this, we are working closely with industry experts to stay up-to-date with the latest regulations and have developed a strategic plan that allows us to simultaneously launch in multiple countries, such as India and Germany.

Another significant barrier is financial constraints. As mentioned, many of the certifications and approvals required for the launch of our product come at a high cost. To mitigate this, we plan to raise our first funding round after the completion of our clinical trials and continue to reach out to potential partners and investors to secure additional funding. Additionally, we will also be looking into government grants and subsidies to support our efforts.

DFKI
Germany’s foremost robotics research center. We’re currently in discussion to work in tangent on the development of an upper body post-stroke rehabilitation solution. 

Dr. KV Rao Scientific Society
We collaborate with physiotherapists to develop efficient upper limb robotic rehabilitation systems and perform design calculations to optimize the exoskeletal linkage system and ensure optimal performance during therapy.

Dr. Bindu Menon foundation
Provided mentoring and insights from years of working with physiotherapists.

King Khalid University Hospital
Provided mentoring sessions and round table discussions to understand and implement the rehabilitation system from a neuroscience perspective.

Make Real Inc
Configured and operated a 3D printer for prototype testing. Designed 3D models of linkage-driven mechanisms and accomplished the development of an upper limb robotic prosthesis.

Our business model is based on providing a portable, hand robot exoskeleton that can be used in the comfort of patients' homes, and an accompanying app that allows doctors to monitor patients remotely to our key customers and beneficiaries, which include insurance providers and rehabilitation clinics, as well as patients and caregivers. We operate on two main streams:

Firstly, we lease our rehabilitation exoskeletons to insurance providers such as German Social Accidental Insurance and German Occupational Health Insurance for €1000 per year per device. These providers then provide the devices to neurorehabilitation clinics for the use of paralyzed patients. This stream allows us to generate revenue while also ensuring that our devices are made available to a large number of patients.

Secondly, we also sell an assistive version of our device to local medical clinics such as Sanitathauz, which provide it to patients based on prescription. This stream allows us to cater to individual patients and their specific needs. 

We are also considering generating recurring revenue streams through ongoing therapy or maintenance in the near future.

Through this business model, we are able to provide value to these customers by offering an affordable and accessible rehabilitation solution that is more effective than traditional methods, in terms of both speed of recovery and cost while also generating revenue to sustain our operations and continue to improve and innovate our technology.

Our path to financial sustainability involves a combination of different strategies. Initially, we have bootstrapped our company, ExoHeal, and have been able to progress thus far through winnings from competitions and grants. In the short term, we plan to secure investments and participate in accelerator programs to continue funding our research and development efforts. We are currently in talks with Universities to set up a lab and acquire further research grants. 

In the long term, we aim to generate revenue through the sale of our exoskeleton devices and maintenance services to insurance providers and medical clinics. Additionally, we plan to explore other revenue streams such as licensing agreements, partnerships with other organizations, and the commercialization of our technology. By diversifying our revenue streams, we aim to ensure the financial sustainability of our company and continue to provide valuable solutions to paralyzed patients.