24 Feb Moving with Clynx
Not everyone has the opportunity or desire to travel to a physiotherapist for physiotherapy. Some things are nicer or more convenient at home. But professional guidance when moving at home would be good! The Dutch Pharaon pilot has recently started working with a company in Portugal called Clynx who responded to Pharaon’s first open call. Clynx offers digital physiotherapy for older people through a technology called ‘Motiphy+’. The University of Twente is testing this technology for the first time in the Netherlands with people from Twente.
Technology as a coach
Motiphy+ uses software connected to a camera. The camera is mounted in a place where it can clearly see the person standing. To do physiotherapy exercises, the person stands in front of the camera that tracks movements. The software supports a person doing the exercises in a motivating and correct way. There is no one watching the person doing the exercises through the camera, but the camera and the software do that themselves. The technology becomes the coach.
Almost lifelike testing
In Enschede, Netherlands, two experiments with this technology have been carried out with which Clynx to improve Motiphy+. The first experiment took place in a so-called Living Lab (living laboratory) of the University of Twente. A lifelike apartment with living room, kitchen, bedroom and bathroom was used to test what people thought of Motiphy+. They were first allowed to use the system for an hour and were then interviewed by David, among others. David: “What struck me was that we still had quite a lot to explain. The instructions could be a bit better and sometimes there was something in Portuguese instead of Dutch. That is now being improved.”
The real test: does it work at home?
For the second experiment, the University of Twente brought the technology to people’s homes! The instructions were improved and the language problems solved. Nine people from Enschede and the surrounding area used the technology at home for a week. Angelique, Dutch Pilot Coordinator: ‘The participants got to work enthusiastically and gave a lot of valuable feedback. For example, some exercises require a clearer demonstration of movements and more unambiguous feedback. In the coming period we will dive deeper into the results of these fun and educational experiments!’