Offtext: Games in a virtual reality environment could make the daily work of physical therapists easier, as they allow patients to perform exercises more independently. The playful aspect of VR motivates patients and helps them stay on track with their exercises.
Thomas Saur: Using CUREO on patients is very simple. The therapist has a tablet. The patient puts on virtual reality glasses and is immersed in a virtual world. We have various therapy modules. The therapists use the tablet to put together an individualized program for each patient, like a playlist in iTunes. And the therapy programs are tailored to each patient in terms of difficulty and therapeutic needs. In the group, in the presence of a therapist, of course, the patients can then use their programs individually.
Stefan Arand: From the outset, it was very important to us, because we are very familiar with everyday life in clinics, that the technological effort and installation costs for the clinics would be very, very low. We offer a turnkey system that basically just needs to be switched on. A Wi-Fi router needs to be plugged into a power outlet, a tablet needs to be switched on, and a headset needs to be switched on, and then the therapy can begin.
Offtext: The CUREO software is a certified medical product. It primarily helps patients in occupational and physiotherapy and in the aftercare of orthopaedic operations.
Thomas Saur: The system is primarily designed to reduce the workload for therapists and automate repetitive tasks for patients. At the same time, the system offers a wide range of new motivational options in a simple and efficient way, making therapy more enjoyable and motivating for patients and encouraging them to participate more readily. The second advantage is that individualized group therapy allows therapists to provide personalized care to several patients at the same time.
When we visit a clinic and meet therapists who have not yet had any experience with virtual reality therapy, we often encounter skeptical reactions. If someone has been practicing conventional therapy for decades, they may initially view a VR system as just a gadget, or they may have reservations about the technology. In this case, we put the glasses on the therapists and let them perform the exercises themselves. This usually breaks the ice, and in most cases, the therapists then come up with ideas about which therapy application is suitable for which patient. Therapy schools are interested in new solutions because smart, digital, modern therapy is also much more attractive to the next generation.
Offtext: It should be easy to use. The virtual experience should feel as natural as possible. That was the goal of the developers at CUREO. In particular, motion sickness was to be avoided. This form of nausea can occur when virtual worlds are programmed incompletely.
Stefan Arand: Our latest studies have shown that 95 percent of all users could be treated with our system without any side effects.
Offtext: In the future, artificial intelligence will enhance CUREO and help to make better diagnoses.
Stefan Arand: We use AI technologies in our applications. And in the future, we plan to produce large AI applications ourselves. Patient data and movement data can be correlated with each other to arrive at diagnostic results.
Offtext: The startup's main goal is to make the application usable at home. The team has already successfully laid the groundwork for this.
Thomas Saur: Over 95% of participants at the St. Mauritius Therapy Clinic with damage to the central nervous system stated that they would like to continue the therapy. Over 93 percent of therapists see added value in the therapy in terms of motivation. Increase for the patient.
