2304278
Cooperative Agreement
Overview
Grant Description
Sbir Phase II: An Immersive Virtual Reality Platform for Remote Physical Therapy and Monitoring -The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project concerns greater affordability, accessibility, and accuracy of physical therapy for patients and therapists. The product to be commercialized will contribute to developing innovation around immersive telehealth experiences, exploring the future of work for physical rehabilitation in the metaverse, establishing standards in embodied telehealth, and grounding novel scientific research methods within VR for healthcare from a California-based startup with the goal of increasing access to care.
Establishing a remote immersive virtual platform will provide a means for in-patient success metrics and full-body virtual guidance. Patient throughput potentially could be doubled through remote visits in virtual environments and automated physical health documentation. The platform will be designed with accessibility in mind with patients from medical deserts, where patient care is significantly limited by hospital capacity, physical distance, doctors per population, and cost.
Remote physical rehabilitation tools and predictive physical therapy analytics will benefit patients without adequate insurance coverage. This technology could lower hospital visits, enable clinics to remain open during future pandemic periods, decrease costs for patients and clinics alike, and begin detecting physical health needs earlier to help manage the pace of recovery. The proposed project aims to expand a novel physical rehabilitation telehealth solution through the continued research of an instrumented and gamified immersive virtual reality platform for physical therapy and healthcare monitoring.
This technology addresses the shortcomings of widely used telehealth platforms (often videoconferencing) where therapists find it difficult to perform common evaluations such as movement abilities and balance coordination tests. The solution will expand upon an embodied telehealth platform with 3D virtual avatars and predictive AI tools to assess user biomechanics in real-time extending to full-body assessment while providing normative assessment metrics, creating a goal standard for remote physical therapy care. The development method will continue to utilize user-centered design with a panel of therapists to ensure accessibility and usability of the prototype systems by their relevant stakeholders.
Such research will incorporate predictive biomechanical analysis to increase the reliability and repeatability of physical therapy measures and exercise programs for remote monitoring at the clinic or the patient?s home. Iterative prototyping with user experience will be conducted to establish in-patient success metrics and full-body virtual assessment. This innovation will enable greater affordability, usability, and effectiveness of physical therapy for patients and therapists. 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.- Subawards are planned for this award.
Establishing a remote immersive virtual platform will provide a means for in-patient success metrics and full-body virtual guidance. Patient throughput potentially could be doubled through remote visits in virtual environments and automated physical health documentation. The platform will be designed with accessibility in mind with patients from medical deserts, where patient care is significantly limited by hospital capacity, physical distance, doctors per population, and cost.
Remote physical rehabilitation tools and predictive physical therapy analytics will benefit patients without adequate insurance coverage. This technology could lower hospital visits, enable clinics to remain open during future pandemic periods, decrease costs for patients and clinics alike, and begin detecting physical health needs earlier to help manage the pace of recovery. The proposed project aims to expand a novel physical rehabilitation telehealth solution through the continued research of an instrumented and gamified immersive virtual reality platform for physical therapy and healthcare monitoring.
This technology addresses the shortcomings of widely used telehealth platforms (often videoconferencing) where therapists find it difficult to perform common evaluations such as movement abilities and balance coordination tests. The solution will expand upon an embodied telehealth platform with 3D virtual avatars and predictive AI tools to assess user biomechanics in real-time extending to full-body assessment while providing normative assessment metrics, creating a goal standard for remote physical therapy care. The development method will continue to utilize user-centered design with a panel of therapists to ensure accessibility and usability of the prototype systems by their relevant stakeholders.
Such research will incorporate predictive biomechanical analysis to increase the reliability and repeatability of physical therapy measures and exercise programs for remote monitoring at the clinic or the patient?s home. Iterative prototyping with user experience will be conducted to establish in-patient success metrics and full-body virtual assessment. This innovation will enable greater affordability, usability, and effectiveness of physical therapy for patients and therapists. 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.- Subawards are planned for this award.
Awardee
Funding Goals
THE GOAL OF THIS FUNDING OPPORTUNITY, "NSF SMALL BUSINESS INNOVATION RESEARCH PHASE II (SBIR)/ SMALL BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER (STTR) PROGRAMS PHASE II", IS IDENTIFIED IN THE LINK: HTTPS://WWW.NSF.GOV/PUBLICATIONS/PUB_SUMM.JSP?ODS_KEY=NSF22552
Grant Program (CFDA)
Awarding / Funding Agency
Place of Performance
Santa Cruz,
California
95060-5710
United States
Geographic Scope
Single Zip Code
Related Opportunity
22-552
Immergo Labs was awarded
Cooperative Agreement 2304278
worth $1,000,000
from National Science Foundation in May 2024 with work to be completed primarily in Santa Cruz California United States.
The grant
has a duration of 2 years and
was awarded through assistance program 47.084 NSF Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships.
SBIR Details
Research Type
SBIR Phase II
Title
SBIR Phase II: An immersive virtual reality platform for remote physical therapy and monitoring
Abstract
The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II
project concerns greater affordability, accessibility, and accuracy of physical therapy for patients and
therapists. The product to be commercialized will contribute to developing innovation around immersive
telehealth experiences, exploring the future of work for physical rehabilitation in the metaverse,
establishing standards in embodied telehealth, and grounding novel scientific research methods within VR
for healthcare from a California-based startup with the goal of increasing access to care. Establishing a
remote immersive virtual platform will provide a means for in-patient success metrics and full-body virtual
guidance. Patient throughput potentially could be doubled through remote visits in virtual environments
and automated physical health documentation. The platform will be designed with accessibility in mind
with patients from medical deserts, where patient care is significantly limited by hospital capacity,
physical distance, doctors per population, and cost. Remote physical rehabilitation tools and predictive
physical therapy analytics will benefit patients without adequate insurance coverage. This technology
could lower hospital visits, enable clinics to remain open during future pandemic periods, decrease costs
for patients and clinics alike, and begin detecting physical health needs earlier to help manage the pace
of recovery.
The proposed project aims to expand a novel physical rehabilitation telehealth solution through the
continued research of an instrumented and gamified immersive virtual reality platform for physical therapy
and healthcare monitoring. This technology addresses the shortcomings of widely used telehealth platforms (often videoconferencing) where therapists find it difficult to perform common evaluations
such as movement abilities and balance coordination tests. The solution will expand upon an embodied
telehealth platform with 3D virtual avatars and predictive AI tools to assess user biomechanics in real-time
extending to full-body assessment while providing normative assessment metrics, creating a goal
standard for remote physical therapy care. The development method will continue to utilize user-centered
design with a panel of therapists to ensure accessibility and usability of the prototype systems by their
relevant stakeholders. Such research will incorporate predictive biomechanical analysis to increase the
reliability and repeatability of physical therapy measures and exercise programs for remote monitoring
at the clinic or the patient’s home. Iterative prototyping with user experience will be conducted to
establish in-patient success metrics and full-body virtual assessment. This innovation will enable greater
affordability, usability, and effectiveness of physical therapy for patients and therapists.
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.
Topic Code
DH
Solicitation Number
NSF 22-552
Status
(Ongoing)
Last Modified 4/30/24
Period of Performance
5/1/24
Start Date
4/30/26
End Date
Funding Split
$1.0M
Federal Obligation
$0.0
Non-Federal Obligation
$1.0M
Total Obligated
Activity Timeline
Additional Detail
Award ID FAIN
2304278
SAI Number
None
Award ID URI
SAI EXEMPT
Awardee Classifications
Small Business
Awarding Office
491503 TRANSLATIONAL IMPACTS
Funding Office
491503 TRANSLATIONAL IMPACTS
Awardee UEI
L2LLEWADBLQ3
Awardee CAGE
8MZU2
Performance District
CA-19
Senators
Dianne Feinstein
Alejandro Padilla
Alejandro Padilla
Modified: 4/30/24