Simultrainer Gets European Grant to Create Fitness Machines for Parkinson’s Patients

Simultrainer, a company specializing in providing hardware and software solutions to the fitness industry, has received a European Grant to develop specialized fitness machines for Parkinson’s disease patients.

Exercise is an important aspect of disease prevention and it helps support brain function, especially as we get older. However, patients suffering from neurological disorders find it particularly hard to start exercising and to maintain a regular workout schedule, even though a steady routine can have a positive effect on their cognitive skills and significantly improve their quality of life. The European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) has approved a € 1,092,895 grant for the development of a project that will help both Parkinson’s disease patients and care providers in this respect.

The ParkinsonNeXt project was launched to help motivate Parkinson’s patients to work out using home fitness equipment and a virtual reality game to keep the exercise more stimulating and enjoyable. Participants will be asked to exercise vigorously three times a week. The goal of the project is to significantly improve the patients’ physical condition and quality of life. The project will also later be implemented to help chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and obese patients as well as those suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.

The aim of ParkinsonNeXt is to use a new generation of digital self-care products to help Parkinson’s patients live at home longer. The provinces of Gelderland and Overijssel have also invested in the project, as the regional institutions specialized in providing care aim to not only improve the patients’ quality of life, but also to cut costs of care. The pilot project for ParkinsonNeXt will initially be launched in the Gelderland region and, once it has proven successful, rollout will follow in other branches of health care, including COPD, multiple sclerosis (MS), and Alzheimer’s disease.

The products used in the project consist of six work packages which include interactive equipment, a self-care portal and database, and an interactive medicine cabinet. Communication and planning are accessed through a special type of tablet, the ID-PATH, and personalized treatment plans will be created for patients based on their data.

The project may eventually open about 40 new jobs in the eastern Netherlands. Thea van Kemenade, the project coordinator for ParkinsonNeXt, said in a release, "With the development of ParkinsonNeXt, Gelderland may establish itself and develop as a healthy region. This could possibly attract more investors and create more business opportunities in health care. This has a positive effect on employment."

The project is being developed in close cooperation with ParkinsonNet, which consists of regional networks of health care providers specializing in the care and treatment of patients suffering from Parkinson’s disease and similar disorders. Van Kemenade says, "This ERDF grant is an incentive to establish a link between the private sector and public care providers. Through this collaboration, we can develop innovative products that really meet the patient’s health needs."

Simultrainer specializes in developing interactive fitness technologies that offer highly engaging workouts, motivating people to exercise more. Their products include software platforms for different kinds of cardio equipment, elliptical machines, bikes, and treadmills, as well as virtual race tracks and games, and their brands include Expresso, Christopeit, and Cybercycle.