SWORD · Project

AI-Powered Home Rehabilitation Platform That Cuts Stroke Recovery Costs and Time

healthPilotedTRL 7

Imagine recovering from a stroke and needing months of physical therapy — but there aren't enough therapists, sessions are expensive, and you can only train a few hours a week at the clinic. SWORD built a system where patients wear smart garments at home, follow exercises on a mobile app, and their progress is tracked automatically. The therapist watches everything remotely through a web dashboard with advanced analytics, so one specialist can monitor many patients at once instead of sitting with each one individually. It's like having a personal rehab coach at home that also sends detailed reports to your doctor.

By the numbers

16 million

people worldwide suffer a stroke annually

6.5 million

stroke survivors left with physical impairment requiring rehabilitation

EUR 919,975

EU contribution for development

demo deliverables: mobile app, web console, wearable garment prototype

total project deliverables completed

The business problem

What needed solving

Stroke rehabilitation requires long-term intensive physical therapy, but specialized therapists are scarce and expensive. With 6.5 million stroke survivors needing motor rehabilitation each year, clinics cannot meet demand using traditional one-on-one supervised sessions. This bottleneck means patients recover slower, clinics leave revenue on the table, and insurers pay more than necessary.

The solution

What was built

SWORD delivered three concrete products: a mobile app for patients to perform guided rehabilitation exercises at home, a web console giving clinicians real-time analytics and team coordination tools, and a prototype of wearable garments with motion sensors for tracking exercise quality. The system includes data mining algorithms that generate actionable insights from patient rehabilitation data across a network of users.

Audience

Who needs this

Rehabilitation clinic chains looking to scale patient throughput without hiring more therapistsHealth insurers seeking to reduce long-term stroke rehabilitation costsHospital networks wanting to extend post-discharge care into patients' homesElderly care facility operators managing stroke recovery programsMedical device distributors looking for digital health products to add to their portfolio

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Rehabilitation and Physical Therapy

any

Target: Rehabilitation clinics and physical therapy centers

If you are a rehabilitation clinic struggling with therapist shortages and limited patient throughput — this project developed a wearable sensor system with a mobile app and web console that lets your therapists remotely supervise multiple stroke patients simultaneously. With 16 million new stroke cases annually and 6.5 million requiring long-term motor rehabilitation, demand far exceeds capacity. SWORD's system allows higher profit margin per therapy unit through more efficient allocation of your specialized staff.

Health Insurance and Managed Care

enterprise

Target: Health insurance companies and managed care organizations

If you are a health insurer dealing with the rising costs of long-term stroke rehabilitation — this project developed an analytics platform that accelerates patient recovery through more intensive home-based therapy. The system generates continuous data on patient progress, helping reduce time to achieve functional outcomes. With 6.5 million stroke survivors needing rehabilitation worldwide each year, shifting care from expensive clinic sessions to monitored home exercise represents significant cost savings.

Hospital and Healthcare Systems

enterprise

Target: Hospital networks with neurology and rehabilitation departments

If you are a hospital system trying to extend rehabilitation services beyond your walls — this project built a mobile app and wearable garments that empower patients to do supervised exercises at home. The web console gives your clinical teams advanced analytics and data mining tools to coordinate care across departments. For hospitals serving part of the 16 million annual stroke patients, this extends your therapeutic footprint without hiring additional specialists.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What does the system actually cost to implement?

The project was funded with EUR 919,975 under the SME Instrument Phase 2, which typically covers close-to-market development. Based on available project data, specific per-unit pricing or licensing fees are not disclosed. Contact SWORD Health SA directly for current commercial pricing.

Can this scale to serve large patient populations?

The system was specifically designed for scalability — it allows patients to train at home with little or no supervision while therapists monitor multiple patients remotely via the web console. This one-to-many model means each specialist can oversee significantly more patients than traditional one-on-one therapy sessions. The analytics platform processes data from a large network of patients simultaneously.

What is the IP situation and can we license this technology?

SWORD Health SA is the sole partner and a Portuguese SME that owns the technology. With 100% industry consortium and no university partners, IP ownership is straightforward. Based on available project data, licensing terms would need to be discussed directly with SWORD Health SA.

Is this clinically validated or still experimental?

The project delivered working prototypes including a mobile app, web console, and wearable garments. The system incorporates data mining algorithms designed with clinical input to accelerate recovery and reduce time to functional outcomes. The SME Instrument Phase 2 funding scheme specifically targets innovations close to market deployment.

How does this integrate with existing hospital IT systems?

The system consists of three components: wearable garments for motion tracking, a mobile app for patient-side exercises, and a web console for clinician-side analytics and team coordination. Based on available project data, specific integration protocols with existing Electronic Health Records or hospital systems are not detailed in the deliverables.

What regulatory approvals does the device have?

Based on available project data, specific medical device certifications (CE marking, FDA clearance) are not detailed in the deliverable descriptions. As a wearable health device operating in the EU, it would need to comply with the Medical Devices Regulation. Contact SWORD Health SA for current regulatory status.

Consortium

Who built it

This is a single-company project: SWORD Health SA, a Portuguese SME that received the full EUR 919,975 under the SME Instrument Phase 2. With 100% industry ratio and no university or research partners, all intellectual property sits with one commercial entity — which simplifies licensing conversations significantly. The SME Instrument Phase 2 is one of the EU's most competitive funding schemes, specifically designed for high-potential SMEs with near-market innovations. Being selected signals strong commercial viability. The absence of academic partners means this was built for the market from day one, not adapted from a lab project.

How to reach the team

SWORD Health SA is a Portuguese SME. Contact their business development team via swordhealth.com for partnership or licensing inquiries.

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Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want an introduction to the SWORD Health team? SciTransfer can arrange a direct meeting to discuss licensing, integration, or distribution partnerships. Contact us for a tailored brief.

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