What Is EKKO
Our product “EKKO-A Wave Therapeutic Device” proposes a new solution for cognitive rehabilitation using vibrational waves. EKKO is a portable device which uses vibrational waves to treat neurological disorders based on Neurotransmission Cognitive Theory Vibrational waves have been found to be effective in the fast recovery of muscles because of their resonance with the natural frequencies of the muscle fibers and are already used in the medical industry. Our product uses vibration waves for cognitive rehabilitation based on neurotransmission cognitive theory. The proposed product includes vibration wave therapy device and an intelligent assistant software with cloud services. This product can be used at home by parents of special children and also at special education centers for rehabilitation of special children.
Two major modules are:-
-
- Therapy Device: This is based on neurotransmission cognitive theory. It is portable and is capable of producing vibration waves of different frequencies. Based on the type and nature of disability, the time of application, triggering points and frequency for each point are set. The device has two modes of operations i.e. manual and using intelligent software application
- Intelligent software application: The second module of our product is application which is based in artificial intelligence. This module is at the very core of the working of the entire system and this will be totally based on research work. It consists of gathering data from multiple sources and using that to build a knowledge base on top of which there is decision support system which enables self-rehab for the patients. The individual components of the module are Survey / Documents, Key Words, Clinical Results, Patient and Doctor Feedback, Knowledge Base, Decision Support System and Trend Analysis.
The Need for EKKO
Rehabilitation is the action of restoring someone to healthy and normal life through training and therapy after some illness so that he/she may attain a useful and constructive place in society. Many diseases affect children in the modern day in their childhood and some at birth. Diseases, which affect children at birth, are usually caused by premature birth, complications during birth or due to complications during the development of the fetus. These diseases include behavioral, neural and physical disorders. Some of the prominent disorders include Sensory Dysfunction Disorder (SDD), Stereotypic Movement Disorder (SMD), Cerebral Palsy (CP), Muscle Atrophy/Local Atrophy, Tongue Neuropathy, Squint (strabismus), Childhood apraxia of speech (CAS) and Dysarthria. Cerebral palsy alone affects nearly 500,000 children in the US and 318,392 people in Pakistan while squint affects 4,389,604 people in Pakistan.
The diseases mentioned above have various treatments but the most commonly advised is Electroconvulsive therapy, which involves giving the child mild electric shocks under anesthesia. Giving electric shocks to children and adults has potential side effects such as: trigger small seizures, confusion / memory loss, muscle soreness / muscle twitching, cardiovascular side effects, minor effect on brain structure, potential fetal harm, facial nerve damage if used on face, headache, inability to eat, difficulty learning new information and apathy / loss of emotional response.
Features
Cognitive rehabilitation is quite old subject and a number of different therapies and medications are available in the market for their treatment. The use of vibrational waves is totally neglected in this area. Existing therapy devices uses vibrations waves but only for physical rehabilitation. There is no single device available in the market which is for cognitive rehabilitation. This market is totally untapped.
Another uniqueness in our product is Neurotransmission cognitive theory with following features
- A shock experienced by the brain could not always be elaborated as a brain death.
- The affected brain cells may stay alive with reduced blood supply.
- Mal/ defective cognitive maps can be developed through neurons lying ineffective.
- At preliminary stage, natural pathways can be reactivated through vibration waves gadgets.
- Simple mechanical vibrational waves are the source of stimulation.
The product’s primary goal is to make disabled children and those with treatable neural disorders, such as speech and movement disorders, a respected member of society by providing a rehabilitation method that is simple, accessible and has no side effects.