SBIR Phase I: Development of a Novel, Cost-Effective Gait Training Device Utilized at Home for the Neurological Patient Population

这项小企业创新（SBIR）第一阶段项目的更广泛影响/商业潜力将是开发一种神经康复技术，总目标市场为540亿美元，并有机会为美国520万瘫痪患者和每年经历极端神经损伤或诊断可能导致严重步态障碍的130万人提供高级护理。这项技术将鼓励积极主动的护理方法，消除临床医生在康复过程中的实际存在的需要，并引入软件解决方案来增加积极性和连接性。在临床上，如果成功，这项技术可以显著减少继发性并发症，帮助人们重新获得行走能力，并最终降低与神经学诊断相关的费用。这项小企业创新研究（SBIR）的第一阶段是开发一种家用步态训练器，用于神经损伤或神经疾病患者的康复和物理治疗，采用以患者为中心的方法。该项目将家庭先进医疗技术与远程医疗物理治疗相结合。这将使持续的康复和物理治疗没有临床监督通过培训视频。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

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.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.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.