# Development of a novel, cost-effective gait training device utilized at home for the neurological patient population

> **NIH NIH R44** · HEALING INNOVATIONS INC · 2024 · $1,032,031

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
In the U.S. over 5 million people are living with paralysis at an annual cost of over $200B to the healthcare
industry, over half of which is due to stroke patients. It has been reported that over 25% of stroke patients
identify as “non-community walkers” and almost 66% have ongoing issues with mobility in the five years
following their stroke. The American Stroke Association recommends exercise therapy and gait training for
stroke survivors, as the inability to walk can contribute to secondary health complications such as muscular
atrophy, increased incidence of urinary tract infections, skin sores, falls, decreased bone density, presence of
muscle spasticity, impaired lymphatic and vascular circulation, impaired digestive function, and reduced
respiratory and cardiovascular capacities. Unfortunately, adherence to clinic-based exercise programs is poor,
with up to 50% of patients stopping within 1 year, and in-patient costs for stroke rehabilitation can exceed
$70,000 annually. In addition to costs, barriers such as lack of access to rehabilitation centers, limited physical
abilities, and limitations in individualized rehabilitation plans all prevent patients from pursuing gait training.
An in-home solution for exercise therapy and gait training would eliminate many of these barriers, however the
limited options for rehabilitation devices currently on the market all have shortcomings that prevent them from
meeting clinical needs. Exoskeletons are incredibly expensive, don’t offer body weight support to prevent falls
during use, typically require 1-2 assistants for use, and don’t offer high volume gait training. Exoskeletons
instead serve as mobility aids, rather than systems for exercise therapy or gait training. Treadmill and track
systems share many of the same shortcomings. A system that offers overhead support for fall prevention is
prohibitively large and expensive for home use, and 2-4 clinicians are required to facilitate manual ambulation
of the patient’s legs. Additional device offerings such as ellipticals, FES bikes, etc do not provide any body
weight support and thus are only meant for exercise, rather than high-dose gait training.
At Healing Innovations we are developing a novel device whose value proposition is providing high-intensity
gait training in the home to improve patient outcomes. Our Rise&Walk InHome (RWH) brings the benefits of
clinical gait training to the home setting. The RWH offers body weight support during the sit-to-stand transition,
as well as during therapy. The innovative motor and linkage system provides assisted gait training to guide the
patient’s arms and legs during use. All of this is combined with an online platform to foster community
engagement and allow customized therapy plans. Finally, this system is a fraction of the cost of clinical
devices. Through this proposal we will finalize our device and software design through iterative development
before testing the device in a pi...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10919097
- **Project number:** 1R44HD113451-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** HEALING INNOVATIONS INC
- **Principal Investigator:** Julie Hartman
- **Activity code:** R44 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $1,032,031
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-09-17 → 2026-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10919097

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10919097, Development of a novel, cost-effective gait training device utilized at home for the neurological patient population (1R44HD113451-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10919097. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*