Range-of-motion invention gets
CARRIE KELLY
Bringing a new product to market isn't easy, but two Medicine Hat start-ups have proven you don't have to be a mega- corporation to take an invention from idea to reality.
Ryan Comeau is a practicing chiropractor who, along with business partner David Schnare, has created a new and visionary way to measure a person's range of motion, utilizing a camera originally created for gaming.
The seed for Kinetisense formulated when, during chiropractic school, Comeau was introduced to a goniometer to measure range of motion. The device came into use in the 1500s and it was surprising to him that it was still considered the gold standard in the 21st century.
He started to look into how measuring range of motion in multiple joints could be done more accurately and at the same time, engage the patient. The result is the Kinetisense motion analysis software.
Chiropractors, physiotherapists, pediatricians and personal trainers use the Microsoft Kinect II camera and Kinetisense software to measure 44 movements from eight joints and the neck and back. The program analyzes posture and displays the results using front, side and overhead views.
"It does real time assessments," explained Comeau. "The response we've had has been amazing. We're selling it worldwide
through the Microsoft Store."
Kinetisense creates progress charts to show the patient, allowing them to see the effect of the exercises they've been doing.
A lot of work had to happen to get the product to market and Comeau and Schnare couldn't do it alone. They accessed funding through Alberta Innovates Technology Futures, which exists to help build healthy, sustainable businesses in the province, and found a team in Greece to work out the complicated mathematical equations needed for compound movement assessment. Research was done to validate that the product could be successful in the marketplace.
"The timing has to be right and you need to know your market," Comeau said.
Kinetisense recently won a prize in the Intel RealSense Challenge, where it took home the $50,000 grand prize in the Pioneer Track from the annual development competition.
“There were 8,000 developers worldwide who entered it. To be the top pick out of 8,000 entries was really exciting for a Medicine Hat company," said Comeau.
The goal now is to reinvest the profits to build the sales team and expand the market, as well as add new features to the software in a world where technology is ever evolving.
But no matter how much Kinetisense grows, you can expect to see Comeau continue as a practicing chiropractor.
worldwide attention
Dale Deis, inventor of the Complete Core Conditioner, is shown doing a traditional reverse ab exercise, using a headrest to support the head and neck during the exercise.
Complete Core Conditioner
"I enjoy it and I learn something new with my patients all the time. It helps me stay current," he said.
Like Comeau, Medicine Hatter Dale Deis is also introducing a new product to the marketplace.
There are countless people at the gym trying to transform their abs into a six-pack, but solid abdominals are just one aspect of a strong core. As a physiotherapist, Deis knows that having a strong core helps balance and prevents injuries.
"Your core is everything except your arms, your legs and your head. Everything begins at the core, even getting out of a chair. So
many of us have a weak core because of the amount of time we spend sitting," Deis said.
He has always had an interest in the gym; in fact working at one is how he put himself through school and in his role as a physiotherapist, he has seen a lot of back injuries. He wanted a machine where users could work their core muscles through a full range of motion and discovered that the only way to get exactly what he wanted was to design it himself. The Complete Core Conditioner is the result.
At the gym, Deis saw many people using the Swiss ball, but it can be difficult to
Kinetisense, a computer program that measures a person’s range of motion, was invented by a Medicine Hat resident and won a grand prize in the Pioneer Track in the Intel RealSense Challenge.
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