image: Kessler Foundation researchers Amanda Krantz, BS, Oluwaseun Ibironke, BS, Rakesh Pilkar, PhD, (director), Naphtaly Ehrenberg, MS, and Akhila Veerubhotla, PhD , with the newly installed equipment. The hunova will be used in ongoing studies in stroke and brain injury research. view more
Credit: Kessler Foundation
East Hanover, NJ, September 1, 2020 - Kessler Foundation has partnered with Movendo Technology to explore potential applications for Movendo's robotic platform hunova© in rehabilitation research in populations with balance deficits caused by neurological illness or injury and aging
At Kessler Foundation, the hunova© is being integrated into on-going clinical trials in brain injury and stroke, according to research scientist Rakesh Pilkar, PhD, in the Center for Mobility and Rehabilitation Engineering Research. Dr. Pilkar directs the Center's Balance Assessment and Training Laboratory. The hunova© is a programmable robotic medical device consisting of two independent electromechanical movable platforms, one at foot level and one at seat level. The device, which can deliver more than 200 exercises for postural control, balance, core stability and proprioception, operates in active, passive, and assistive modes.
"Balance is a key element of our lives, playing a fundamental role in our ability to safely perform activities of daily living," explained Dr. Pilkar. "When balance is impaired, quality of life declines as individuals lose their independence and their risk for injury, including falls, increases, " he noted. "This greatly increases costs of care and caregiver burden. Incorporating the hunova in our mobility research will help us better understand the spectrum of balance dysfunction across populations with neuromuscular disabilities, and develop new interventions to help restore balance function, toward the goal of improving mobility and enhancing quality of life."
Foundation scientists will also use Movendo's Silver Index©, a 20-minute evaluation that provides an objective assessment of fall risk and suggests exercise protocols for mitigating risk.
"Establishing this long-term collaboration with Kessler Foundation is an important step toward improving outcomes for individuals whose rehabilitation is complicated by balance dysfunction," said Frank Menzler, Executive VP and General Manager North America of Movendo. "The hunova has already been adopted by more than 100 facilities as a compact system for both objective balance assessments and functional therapy," said Menzler. "We are confident that integrating hunova into the Foundation's mobility research will lead to data-driven solutions that will accelerate recovery, benefiting hospitals, clinics, and patients. The scope of the Foundation's research provides opportunities for testing protocols for restoring and maintaining balance function in a broad spectrum of populations including stroke, brain injury, multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injury, musculoskeletal disorders, and aging."
###
About Movendo Technology
Movendo was established as a spin-off of the world renowned Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT) in 2017. Headquartered in Genoa, Italy with subsidiaries in Boston, MA, and Munich, Germany, Movendo develops, manufactures and markets the robotic hunova© device for objective, functional assessment and physical therapy to a wide range of global health care facilities and private practitioners.
For additional information, visit http://www.movendo.technology
About Kessler Foundation
Kessler Foundation, a major nonprofit organization in the field of disability, is a global leader in rehabilitation research seeking to improve cognition, mobility, and long-term outcomes including employment for people with neurological disabilities caused by diseases and injuries of the brain and spinal cord. Kessler Foundation leads the nation in funding innovative programs that expand employment opportunities for people with disabilities.
For more information on Kessler Foundation's research, visit KesslerFoundation.org
Contact: CMurphy@KesslerFoundation.org; 973-324-8382