Name of the project: INBALANCE – Clinical trial of a machine based on parallel kinematics for the diagnostic and rehabilitation of the human balance
Reference: PDC2022-133787-I00
Funding: Science and Innovation Ministry, Spanish Government
Period: December 2022 – December 2024
Participating Institutions: COMPMECH Research Group (UPV/EHU)
Main researchers: Francisco Javier Campa y Charles Pinto
Number of participating researchers: 6
The project pursues the following objective: to validate a machine with two independent mobile platforms that aims to objectively measure the degree of functioning of a patient’s balance based on the performance of a series of exercises, so that the treatment can be personalized and it is more effective and faster with the consequent economic savings due to the reduction in the number of therapeutic sessions. The main advance is to have quantifiable parameters or indicators instead of using scales based on exercises in which the physiotherapist’s assessment can be subjective, even more so when, at least in the Basque public health system, depending on the shift, it is not always the same physical therapist who assists the patient. It is, therefore, to eliminate sources of uncertainty in said measurement. The machine to be developed is therefore of great interest. However, as it is a therapeutic product, it is necessary to carry out a Clinical Trial to measure its effectiveness and safety, which is essential if the machine is to end up being used in rehabilitation rooms of the health system. It is therefore necessary to carry out through this project the step from having the prototype verified in the laboratory (TRL 3) to a functional prototype validated in an operational environment such as the Gorliz Hospital (TRL 7). Apart from the Clinical Trial itself, this implies the introduction of a series of improvements and safety systems in the machine.