PATHway · Project

Home Sensor Platform That Delivers Cardiac Rehab to Patients' Living Rooms

healthTestedTRL 6

After a heart attack, doctors tell you to do rehab exercises — but only about 11% of people actually stick with community programs. The reasons are painfully simple: no nearby programs, awkward schedules, and feeling self-conscious exercising with strangers. PATHway built a sensor-equipped home system that lets heart patients do supervised rehab exercises from their living room, either alone or in small virtual groups. Think of it as a personal cardiac coach on your TV screen that tracks your movements and adjusts the workout to your condition.

By the numbers

EUR 196 billion

Annual cost of CVD to the EU economy

~11%

Uptake rate of community-based cardiac rehabilitation across EU member states

EUR 4,899,080

EU funding for the project

Consortium partners across 7 countries

Total project deliverables produced

The business problem

What needed solving

Cardiovascular disease kills more Europeans prematurely than any other condition and costs the EU economy almost EUR 196 billion per year. The proven fix — cardiac rehabilitation programs — reaches only about 11% of patients because programs are scarce, inconvenient, and socially uncomfortable. Healthcare providers and insurers are paying for repeated hospitalizations because patients cannot access or stick with the rehab that would keep them healthy.

The solution

What was built

The project built a sensor-based home exercise platform for cardiac rehabilitation, progressing from a first prototype to a full system prototype. It also delivered a Health Data Management System with documented APIs (version 2), enabling data integration with healthcare systems. A total of 24 deliverables were produced across the project.

Audience

Who needs this

Digital health companies building remote patient monitoring platformsHealth insurers looking to reduce cardiovascular rehab and readmission costsHospital networks seeking to extend cardiac rehabilitation beyond their facilitiesConnected fitness companies wanting to add clinical-grade health capabilitiesCardiac rehabilitation clinic chains looking to offer home-based programs

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Digital Health & Telemedicine

SME

Target: Digital health platform or telemedicine provider

If you are a telemedicine company looking to expand into chronic disease management — this project developed a full sensor-based home exercise platform with health data management APIs that can be integrated into remote patient monitoring offerings. The system was designed to replace or supplement community-based cardiac rehab programs, which currently reach only approximately 11% of eligible patients across EU member states. With CVD costing the EU economy almost EUR 196 billion a year, the addressable market for remote cardiac rehab is substantial.

Health Insurance

enterprise

Target: Health insurance company or managed care organization

If you are an insurer struggling with the costs of cardiovascular disease — this project built and tested a prototype platform that moves cardiac rehabilitation into the home, reducing facility costs and improving patient adherence. CVD is the leading cause of premature death and disability in Europe, costing almost EUR 196 billion annually. A proven remote rehab system could significantly cut your claims spending on repeated hospital admissions and extended facility-based programs.

Fitness Technology

mid-size

Target: Connected fitness or wearable technology company

If you are a fitness tech company wanting to enter the clinical-grade health market — this project developed motion analysis and sensor-based exercise monitoring specifically validated for cardiac patients. The system includes individualized rehab programs covering exercise, nutrition, and stress management. With 10 consortium partners across 7 countries already testing the technology, you could license the platform to add medically supervised exercise capabilities to your existing product line.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What would it cost to license or adopt this technology?

The project was funded with EUR 4,899,080 in EU contribution across 10 partners. Specific licensing terms are not publicly available. Interested companies should contact the coordinator at Dublin City University to discuss commercial arrangements and IP access.

Can this scale to serve thousands of patients simultaneously?

The system was designed as an internet-enabled, sensor-based home platform supporting remote participation in exercise programs. The architecture includes a Health Data Management System with documented APIs (version 2 delivered), suggesting it was built with scalability in mind. However, the project reached full system prototype stage, so large-scale deployment would require further engineering.

Who owns the intellectual property?

IP from this Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Action is typically shared among consortium partners under the grant agreement. Dublin City University coordinated the project, with 3 industry partners (including 2 SMEs) in the consortium. Commercial licensing would need to be negotiated with the relevant IP holders.

Does this meet healthcare regulatory requirements?

The project developed prototypes within an EU-funded research context. Based on available project data, there is no explicit mention of CE marking or medical device certification. Any commercial deployment would likely require regulatory clearance as a medical device or digital health tool depending on the target market.

How long would it take to integrate this into an existing platform?

The project delivered a Health Data Management System with API documentation (version 2), indicating structured integration capabilities. The full system prototype was completed by project end in September 2018. Integration timeline would depend on your existing infrastructure, but the documented APIs suggest the system was designed for interoperability.

What evidence exists that patients actually use it?

The project specifically targeted the problem of low adherence to cardiac rehabilitation — only approximately 11% uptake in community-based programs. The system was designed to remove key barriers: travel time, scheduling conflicts, and social discomfort. Based on available project data, the full system prototype was built and tested, though long-term adherence data from large-scale trials is not detailed in the deliverable descriptions.

What is the competitive advantage over existing telehealth solutions?

PATHway combines motion analysis sensors with individualized rehab programs covering exercise, nutrition, smoking, stress, and alcohol management — not just video consultations. The sensor-based approach provides real-time feedback on exercise technique, which is a key differentiator from generic telehealth platforms that lack physical activity monitoring.

Consortium

Who built it

The PATHway consortium brings together 10 partners from 7 countries (Belgium, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, UK), with a 30% industry ratio — 3 industry partners including 2 SMEs alongside 5 universities and 1 research organization. Coordinated by Dublin City University in Ireland, this is a research-heavy consortium typical of health technology projects that need strong clinical and technical validation before commercialization. The presence of 2 SMEs signals some commercial intent, but the university-dominant composition means a business partner would likely need to drive productization and market entry. The multi-country spread across 7 EU nations is useful for understanding different healthcare systems and regulatory environments.

DUBLIN CITY UNIVERSITYCoordinator · IE
ETHNIKO KENTRO EREVNAS KAI TECHNOLOGIKIS ANAPTYXISparticipant · EL
NUROGAMES GMBHparticipant · DE
UNIVERSITY OF LIMERICKparticipant · IE
ENGINEERING - INGEGNERIA INFORMATICA SPAparticipant · IT
UNIVERSITY OF GLASGOWparticipant · UK
MATER MISERICORDIAE UNIVERSITY HOSPITALparticipant · IE
KATHOLIEKE UNIVERSITEIT LEUVENparticipant · BE
UNIVERSITY OF ULSTERparticipant · UK

How to reach the team

Dublin City University, Ireland — reach out to the School of Health and Human Performance or Computing departments for the project lead.

Order a report on this consortium See DUBLIN CITY UNIVERSITY profile →

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want an introduction to the PATHway team? SciTransfer can connect you with the right people and provide a detailed technology brief tailored to your business case.

Order a report on this topic More in Health & Biomedical