A group led by Cambridge Bio-Augmentation Systems (CBAS) have been awarded a £865,000 grant by Innovate UK to develop an advanced artificial intelligence (AI) platform that analyses physical movements of patients on a daily basis.

The solution will apply to a wide range of conditions and help clinicians make data-informed decisions about patient progress and wellbeing, with the aim for improving care and providing greater insight for the patients and their families

CBAS has developed the AI platform and will be trialling it with Andiamo’s 3D printed orthoses and CUSH Health’s smart device for elderly patients at risk of falls. The project begins in October 2018 and will continue for 15 months. Groups of patients will be selected to trial wearable devices on their orthoses and devices in their daily lives over a few months and the readings analysed by the AI platform will then be validated by Queen Mary’s Human Performance.

The Human Performance Lab in addition to validating test results from the AI analysis, which so far has been shown to be 96% accurate, will explore how to apply the novel technology to movement measurements.

Oliver Armitage, Co-Founder and CSO of CBAS said: “We are so pleased to be taking our AI platform to the next stage and trying it with real patients in the field. Having the support and validation of Innovate UK shows the appetite for AI solutions in healthcare, and the enthusiasm of our partners shows the willingness of the industry to begin incorporating these types of solutions into their products.”

The partners in the consortium led by CBAS include: Andiamo, which makes user-centred children’s orthotics; CUSH Health, which makes smart devices for elderly patients; and the Human Performance Lab at Queen Mary University of London.

The Human Performance Lab in addition to validating test results from the AI analysis, which so far has been shown to be 96% accurate, will explore how to apply the novel technology to movement measurements. The ultimate aim for a finished product is to help clinicians deliver better care as well as add greater insight and support for their patients and their families.

Dr Aleksandra Birn-Jeffery, Lecturer in Bioengineering, from Queen Mary University of London said: “Not only is it an exciting opportunity to validate new technology that could make such a difference to patient care pathways, but we will be working alongside some incredible companies that are all striving to improve healthcare. This grant also provides the chance to start delving into understanding how we can define whether an individual’s movement pattern is improving to potentially, in the future, further improve patient gait assessment.”