Physical therapy is integral in helping people on their journey to recovery, but for kids, it can also be painfully boring. So, how can we make physical therapy more approachable for the young ones?
For Cleveland-based startup Augment Therapy, it’s through augmented reality.
Augment Therapy was founded in 2017 by Lindsay Watson, an entrepreneur and physical therapist. She found inspiration from her daughter, Piper, who underwent physical therapy after an emergency leg surgery. Lindsay noticed Piper’s lack of enthusiasm to do the exercises.
“It was a very difficult experience not only for my daughter, but for me as well. She was in a lot of pain, resisting the therapist and refusing what she needed to do to get better,” Lindsay told Fox 8 News.
“The old way where you do things, where you bring your child to the clinic twice a week for ten years at a time to get your therapy, is just too difficult to maintain.”
One day, Lindsay went home with an augmented reality software and the rest, they say, is history. From then on, Piper started to enjoy doing physical therapy.
How Augment Therapy Works
Loosely inspired by the mobile phenomenon Pokemon Go, Augment Therapy works by using a 3D depth-sensing camera on a television and a partner software. From this software, the child can choose from several games that incorporate physical therapy exercises.
The camera acts as the conduit that tracks the child’s movements. It also collects the relevant data, which will be compiled and then sent to the child’s therapist.
For now, Piper is only one of the few kids who can test Augment Therapy. Once it is available, the software will require a $30 monthly subscription fee. Families also need to shell out an additional $250 (a one-time fee) for the processing unit and the special camera itself.
A Matter of Funding
Lindsay and the rest of the team (which is just the company’s CTO, Steve Blake) at the startup hope to release the software to the market within the year. It’s all on the hands of funding, partnerships, and investments.
According to Cleveland.com, Lindsay and Blake has so far collected $150,000, but Augment Therapy still has a long way to go. In order to hit the market, the company needs $750,000.
Things are looking up for Augment Therapy. They are one of the 12 startups (and the only one from Cleveland) chosen by Plug and Play, one of the biggest early-stage investors in the country. Augment Therapy will undergo an extensive 12-week program where they can meet potential investors and start partnerships that will take the company to the next level.
Plug and Play has high hopes for Augment Therapy. “It’s a potential technology that could be very disruptive,” Chantel Moody, Plug and Play Cleveland’s platform director, told Cleveland.com. If they’re successful, Augment Therapy would become the very first product of its kind in the market.
It seems that Plug and Play is not alone in seeing Augment Therapy’s potential. Just recently, the company also received significant grants from Great Lakes Innovation and Development Enterprise (GLIDE), a business incubator.
Are you interested in Augment Therapy as a potential customer or investor? Visit their official website to sign up for their newsletter or contact Lindsay at info(at)augmenttherapy(dotted)com.
Lindsay Watson is just one of the many Chagrin Falls locals who are eager to give back to the community, and this spirit is one of the reasons why I love this village.
Here are seven other reasons why you’d love Chagrin Falls. If you’d like to learn more about the community and find homes for sale in Chagrin Falls, OH, contact me today at [email protected] or 440-823-2448.