CES 2019: Flint Rehab Launches MiGo, a First-of-its-Kind Neurorehab Wearable

Flint Rehab, a neuro-rehabilitation device company, launched MiGo ahead of CES 2019. MiGo is the first commercially available wearable activity tracker specifically designed for stroke survivors. MiGo tracks upper extremity activity—in addition to walking—and is optimized for the movement patterns performed by individuals with stroke. The device is accompanied by a smartphone app that provides motivational support through digital coaching, progressive goal setting, and social networking with other stroke survivors.
 
“Most wearable fitness trackers are designed to help people get into shape. MiGo is a new type of wearable that helps people regain their independence after a stroke,” said Dr. Nizan Friedman, co-founder and CEO of Flint Rehab. “Traditionally, innovation in medical technology has been limited by what insurance companies are willing to cover. As a consumer-level digital health technology, MiGo avoids these constraints, empowering stroke survivors to take their recovery into their own hands.”
 
Stroke is the largest cause of adult disability, affecting over 7 million individuals in the United States alone. Up to 70 percent of stroke survivors experience hemiparesis—or impaired movement on one side of their body—for the rest of their lives. One of the leading causes of this lifelong disability is a phenomenon called “learned non-use,” where stroke survivors neglect to use their impaired arm or leg, causing their brain to lose the ability to control those limbs altogether. Conversely, neuroscience research has shown that if stroke survivors focus on using their impaired limbs every day, they can regain their lost abilities over time, even reaching full recovery.
 
MiGo directly addresses the problem of learned non-use by motivating stroke survivors to use their impaired side as much as possible. Using deep-learning algorithms, MiGo accurately tracks how much the wearer is using their impaired side, providing them with an easy-to-understand rep count throughout the day. MiGo also provides an intelligent activity goal that updates every day based on the wearer’s actual movement ability, ensuring every user stays continuously challenged at the level appropriate for them. Then, the device acts as the wearer’s personal cheerleader, giving them rewards and positive feedback right on their wrist as they work to hit their daily goal.
 
“Suffering a stroke is a traumatic, life-changing event. Many survivors do not have the proper support network to deal with the event, and they may find it difficult to relate with friends and family who don’t understand what they are going through,” said Dan Zondervan, co-founder and vice president of Flint Rehab. “That’s why we went the extra step with MiGo and created the first ever online activity-tracking community made just for stroke survivors. Using the MiGo app, users can join groups to share their activity data and collaborate with other stroke survivors to achieve group goals. Group members can also share their experiences and offer encouraging support to each other—right in the app. Recovering from a stroke is a difficult challenge. With MiGo, survivors don’t have to go through that challenge alone.”
 
MiGo is a natural fit for Flint Rehab’s growing line of clinically validated rehabilitation technologies, all of which were developed with support from the National Institutes of Health. Their first two rehabilitation devices, MusicGlove and FitMi, make at-home therapy more fun and effective. MusicGlove is a sensorized glove that connects to a music-based therapy game to improve finger strength and dexterity. FitMi uses two sensorized pucks that can detect the performance of a wide range of exercises through an at-home therapy app in order to help survivors improve arm, core, and leg mobility. While these tools have clinically proven benefits, they are designed to be used for brief, high-intensity therapy sessions. MiGo completes the at-home recovery paradigm by motivating users to practice using their impaired side throughout the day, in addition to the exercises they perform with MusicGlove and FitMi. In addition, MiGo lets stroke survivors connect with other survivors through the MiGo app to help them deal with isolation.
 
Flint Rehab is a forward-thinking digital health company dedicated to reinventing the way stroke survivors recover. Its experienced team of neuroscientists creates next-gen rehabilitation tools using the latest clinical research and gamification. The company’s most popular products, FitMi and MusicGlove, have empowered thousands of people to increase mobility and regain a positive outlook on life, while our latest product, the MiGo is the first activity tracker designed specifically for rehab. We also provide educational resources and community support to motivate survivors to rebuild a life full of the activities they love.