Orthelligent

Sensor-supported orthopaedic aftercare

Orthelligent is a system to support outpatient rehabilitation following knee injuries. It consists of two apps and a cloud environment. The Orthelligent Knee smartphone app (Android and iOS) uses a motion sensor to measure movements of the lower extremity. This allows a patient to carry out movement tests at home, whose results are processed and subsequently displayed. The patient’s recovery progress can be easily monitored and controlled graphically and with the help of a so-called “fit index”, which shows the performance of the injured leg in relation to the healthy leg. In addition, the Orthelligent Knee app offers the patient the opportunity to record his general condition on a daily basis. If the sensor is connected to the app, it transmits the movement data to the app even when the tests are not in progress, so that the patient has an overview of his activities throughout the day. The Orthelligent Pro tablet app (Android and iOS) is the Orthelligent solution for physiotherapists and doctors.

Practices can use the Orthelligent Pro app and link it to a central account to track the recovery of all their patients with sensor-supported motion tests across the therapy sessions. Both apps therefore allow conclusions to be drawn about the development of certain motor skills (range of movement, coordination and speed/power) and the effectiveness of the therapy methods employed. The Orthelligent Cloud solution is also available to Orthelligent Pro users. Physiotherapy and medical practices can manage their patients in a web-based system and produce a variety of evaluations in line with various criteria. The system offers different account types with different functionalities. “Professional” account users can also export their patients’ measurement data to other systems for further processing.

Challenges

This project’s key challenge was the implementation and visualisation of various motion tests through a Bluetooth connection to a proprietary sensor. One goal was to create user interfaces that were as easy to use and understand as possible for all application components in order to lower usage barriers.

With the expansion of the system, from a single user to use in a practice, the technical support of different account types with different functionalities for Orthelligent Pro and Cloud was another challenge. This involved the calculation and display of complex, multiple parameterisable and configurable evaluations on the basis of large amounts of data with the additional option of comparative displays. In addition, the system had to be implemented as a medical device and was thus governed by the applicable regulations.

Resolution method

The apps were developed as native iOS and Android apps using a uniform BLE protocol specified jointly with the hardware manufacturers. The user interfaces of all system components were professionally designed and secured in functional and practical tests with medical professionals. All apps access a central data backend with a REST interface.

The Orthelligent Cloud web application was also designed and created specifically to meet both customer and practice requirements. The evaluation component was developed based on Linova’s own analysis framework.