Skip to main content
European Commission logo print header

CRESCENT: Adaptive hands-free controller for people with disabilities

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - CRESCENT (CRESCENT: Adaptive hands-free controller for people with disabilities)

Okres sprawozdawczy: 2019-08-01 do 2020-01-31

From walking to using a computer or a mobile phone, all the activities require motor skills. Motor skills thus are important for leading an independent life. Unfortunately, one in seven people or more than 100 million people in Europe report a basic activity difficulty. In addition, an ever-growing population (over 4.3%) in Europe is disabled by upper limb deficiencies such as congenital defect, carpal tunnel syndrome, stroke-related paralysis, amputation, Parkinson’s Disease, etc. People suffering from loss of motor skills, be it temporary or permanent, have to endure loss of mobility, reduction in leisure pursuits (i.e. spending time with friends), employment impairments (e.g. switch to lower skilled, lower paid jobs) and social discrimination. Current rehabilitation methods are too general and are at times expensive leading to improper recovery or a longer recovery time. 6Degrees has developed MyWay, an AI-driven, 4D motion control technology to improve the rehabilitation process and make it user driven. The MyWay band adapts to a user’s own needs and tracks user’s performance during rehabilitation activities, all in real-time, allowing the therapist to make better decisions and enabling remote patient monitoring. It uses over 240 individual markers to assess a user’s performance and improvement over time during the rehabilitation process. During the Phase 2 innovation project, 6Degrees will further develop the software and hardware of the MyWay bands and will produce a market ready prototype. The company will also work with a CMO to manufacture the bands and undertake clinical validation at a site in Israel and one more site in Europe. The company will also undertake a reimbursement study and apply for CE marking to enable commercialisation.
During the feasibility assessment, 6Degrees has completed a full analysis of the technical and business potential of the MyWay band. Throughout the project, 6Degrees has greatly expanded their knowledge regarding the technical objectives, potential target markets, and regulatory approval required for European market launch.
The key milestones achieved during the feasibility period was the development of the first prototype of the MyWay band and securing of the Chaim Sheba Medical Center in Israel for clinical trials and a regulatory consultant. The company also analysed their production capabilities in conjunction with their scale up targets and decided it was advantageous to outsource the manufacturing of the MyWay bands to a relevant CMO. To it, the company began initial discussions with Flex, which is one of the largest manufacturer of electronic components in the world with manufacturing locations around the world.
6Degrees also analysed in detail the go-to-market strategy to define the approach for accelerated and effective market uptake. It was concluded that initially, the MyWay will be sold to the countries of Israel, Germany and UK before expanding to other European markets. The company expects to achieve revenues of €30M in year 5 and to reach a total of 29 total employees five years after commercialization.
The expected outcome of the project is to successfully execute the clinical validation and demonstrate that the MyWay bands are capable of drastically improving the physical rehabilitation process making the rehabilitation more effective for people suffering from impaired motor skills. The wider adoption of MyWay bands will not only lead improvement in the recovery process for the patients but will also lead to massive cost savings for the healthcare systems and the hospitals. The deployment of the MyWay bands will also boost economic growth as it will allow the people who are suffering from impaired motor skills faster entry back into the workforce and create jobs within both 6Degrees and customer companies.
miri-interns.jpeg
pcb-with-hands.jpeg
stas-testing.jpeg
miri-interns-2.jpeg
whatsapp-image-2020-01-02-at-15-07-45.jpeg