Gait analysis has made significant progress in recent years thanks to technological innovations. Tabea Traup, Biomechanics Engineer at OPED Digital Health Solutions (O-DHS), shares her insights and experiences in this exciting field. We look at current developments, methods and the practical application of gait analysis.
Background and motivation
Tabea Traup found her passion for biomechanics through her enthusiasm for sports and technology. Her studies in “Sports Medical Technology” and “Biomechanics, Motor Skills and Movement Analysis” showed her the importance of taking a holistic view of the human body. This inspired her to make her contribution to improving movement analysis and people’s quality of life. She gained her first professional experience in the field of pressure plates and the development of corresponding analysis software, where she quickly realized that her interest lay more in the holistic view of the human body.
Working at O-DHS
Tabea works as a biomechanics specialist at O-DHS and supports the continuous development of the Orthelligent® Vision App. She ensures that the technological solutions are biomechanically sound and is available to answer detailed technical questions during product presentations and customer meetings. A major advantage of the Digital Health Solutions (DHS) team is that all the skills required for software development are combined internally – from AI specialists to software developers and data analysts.
Orthelligent® Vision
Orthelligent® Vision aims to make gait analysis easier, faster and more precise. This AI-powered app enables comprehensive analysis of gait movements and supports professionals such as doctors and physiotherapists in assessing and improving the gait movements of their patients. Due to demographic change, the shortage of skilled workers and increasing documentation requirements, it is necessary to rely on everyday helpers that make work easier. Orthelligent® Vision offers a solution that is used on tablets and enables precise and comprehensive analyses.
Technologies and methods
O-DHS uses state-of-the-art technologies such as AI for image recognition and analyzes space-time parameters and joint angles of the hip, knee and ankle. These methods enable detailed movement profiles that are valuable for diagnostics and therapy. Gait analysis with Orthelligent® Vision automatically delivers a gait analysis report that divides the gait movements into eight phases and thus provides a precise insight into the patient’s biomechanics.
Practical application
An example from Tabea’s own experience shows the practical application: After cruciate ligament surgery, gait analysis helped her to identify imbalances and take targeted training measures. This technology helps patients to track their progress and work specifically on weaknesses. Objective data enables patients to better understand their progress and work specifically on improving their quality of movement.
Interdisciplinary collaboration
Close collaboration with specialists in orthopaedics and physiotherapy as well as cooperation with universities and research institutes are crucial for the further development of the technologies and their practical application. These partnerships make it possible to develop comprehensive and practical solutions that support and improve treatment processes.
Challenges
One of the biggest challenges in biomechanics and gait analysis is to enable precise analysis without having to rely on expensive and complex laboratory environments. O-DHS therefore develops products such as Orthelligent® Vision that overcome these hurdles and provide fast, simple, accurate, mobile and affordable gait analysis.
Advances in biomechanics and gait analysis are making a significant contribution to improving patient care. Thanks to innovative technologies and interdisciplinary collaboration, more precise diagnoses and effective therapies can be developed that sustainably improve patients’ quality of life. The Orthelligent® Vision from O-DHS sets new standards in gait analysis and demonstrates how technological innovation can revolutionize the healthcare industry.