Harmonic Bionics to Demonstrate Upper-Extremity Exoskeleton at Rehab Facilities

Harmonic Bionics Inc. this week said that it has begun scheduling appointments for in-person demonstrations of Harmony SHR, a new bilateral, upper extremity exoskeleton. Starting later this summer, the company's team will be traveling around the U.S. to showcase the robotic system to the rehabilitation community at different hospitals, clinics, and inpatient rehabilitation facilities that have expressed interest in the technology.

Founded in 2016, Harmonic Bionics said it designs intelligent, wearable technology that facilitates data-driven treatment for neurological and musculoskeletal movement impairments. The Harmony SHR exoskeleton is intended to provide value in three areas of healthcare practice: neuroscience and movement science research, movement disorder assessment, and rehabilitation.

"We intend to optimize upper extremity therapy with Harmony SHR by enabling early intervention, increasing functional repetition, and employing patient-specific intent-based therapy through novel exercises," said the Austin, Texas-based company.

Harmonic Bionics said Harmony SHR works with a patient’s scapulohumeral rhythm (SHR) to enable natural, comprehensive therapy for both arms. "When combined with Harmony’s Weight Support mode, this unique shoulder design may allow for earlier initiation of post-stroke therapy, as Harmony can support a partial dislocation or subluxation of the shoulder prior to initiating traditional therapy exercises," it said.

Harmony's Preprogrammed Exercises can promote functional treatment through patient-specific movements that can enable an increased number of repetitions per session without placing a larger physical burden on therapists. Harmonic Bionics claimed that its system is the only rehabilitation exoskeleton with Bilateral Sync Therapy (BST).

"Harmony enables intent-based therapy by registering healthy arm movements and synchronizing that motion onto the stroke-affected side to help re-establish neural pathways," it said.

Harmonic Bionics expands Harmony SHR demos

In May, Harmonic Bionics announced the close of a $7 million Series A round of funding and began one of the first clinical studies with Harmony SHR to test safety and usability at a major hospital in Austin. The team was also able to perform a few of the first hands-on demonstrations at facilities in their home state of Texas.

“We have performed close to 150 virtual demonstrations over the past year, and there is a lot of excitement around Harmony SHR, so we are ready to provide caregivers hands-on demonstrations of the system,” stated Christopher Prentice, CEO of Harmonic Bionics. “These first few demonstrations have confirmed that Harmony SHR’s unique design can augment a therapist’s ability to provide upper body assessment and rehabilitation for patients with movement disorders.”

To request an in-person demonstration of Harmony SHR, visit the company's Web site. Virtual demonstrations will continue to be held through August.