Neofect: "Digitization enabled us to gamify rehabilitation"

Mr. Kim, for which patients and areas of application are your therapy devices particularly well suited?

Scott Kim: Neofect’s rehabilitation devices use games to help people recover use of their hands, arms and legs. Most of our solutions are intended for patients living with or recovering from stroke and traumatic brain injury. This includes the Smart Glove, our flagship device, as well as the Smart Board and Smart Pegboard. The Smart Glove and Smart Kids also aid in the rehabilitation of patients with cerebral palsy, and Neofect Cognition is designed for people with dementia or other cognitive impairments. For patients who no longer have function in their hands due to spinal cord or other injuries, we also offer the NeoMano robotic glove, a functionally assistive device.

Illness, aging, and accidents are part of life. We want to inspire hope in patients and support them in their rehabilitation journey.

To what extent can rehabilitation benefit from the trend of digitization?

Kim: Digitization is making rehabilitation and recovery more trackable and measurable than ever before. Whereas previously, the barometer of success was whether or not a patient completed an exercise, we now have quantifiable data to show patients and their physicians how much better and stronger they’re getting. Our rehabilitation solutions assess active range and accuracy of motion, monitor activities completed, and track time spent "playing" to ensure progress in line with patient goals.

Digitization has also enabled us to gamify rehabilitation, a historically arduous and tedious process. Repetition is the key to neurorehabilitation – establishing the brain-body connection – but it’s also boring. Putting traditional rehabilitation exercises to games encourages patients to exercise more often and for longer. They’re focused on beating their high score rather than simply completing the task – similar to the leaderboard in the live streaming and on-demand Peloton Bike classes. The more patients practice, the better changes they have at recovering their mobility and hand, arm or leg function.

Digitization also allows patients to continue their rehabilitation at home. Our software is designed for home use (as well as a clinical version) so that patients can stay on track with their recovery while still under the guidance of their physician.

As an exhibitor in 2019, what insights could you gain for the further development of your products?

Kim: We always receive great feedback from patients and healthcare professionals while exhibiting at REHACARE. Through our interactions with visitors last year, we learned the digital health market is growing rapidly, and there’s a healthy demand in the European market. Neofect has offices in Korea, the US, and Germany and we’re seeing the congruent emergence of the technologies in physical and occupational therapies.

Events like REHACARE provide a venue and platform where we can gain deeper knowledge about the healthcare system and understand how to better serve our patients and those in need.

What does inclusion mean to you?

Kim: Inclusion is about creating equal opportunities, no matter the circumstance. I think everyone should have the same chances, compete at the same level, and engage on the same playing field.

There’s a difference between assuming someone isn’t able to perform a task because of physical restrictions, and giving them the opportunity to say no. The world would be a better place if we accepted everyone and treated each other as equals.