We believe rehabilitation technology should be grounded in science, shaped by clinicians, and validated by data. This page brings together the research, thought leadership, and evidence that inform how we build — and how the field is evolving.
““The next revolution is not a smarter device. It is a system that perceives, adapts, and continues learning across the full recovery journey.”
The Research Thesis
The engineering problems are largely solved. The frontier has shifted to whether Physical AI — embodied intelligence, adaptive software, and clinical oversight in one loop — can deliver recovery at home, at scale.
Platform Architecture
Most rehabilitation technology picks one lane. Heroes integrates both.
Two-way AI communication between intelligent physical devices and a digital health platform. Movement becomes data. Data drives adaptation. The device learns the person — not just the session.
An adaptive user model that builds a longitudinal clinical profile across the full recovery arc — tracking trajectory, predicting plateaus, and flagging divergence from expected recovery patterns.
Neither hardware alone nor software alone closes the gap. The integration of physical devices, adaptive AI, specialist therapy programs, and continuous clinical oversight generates compounding value no isolated component produces.
Two-way device–platform communication. Session-by-session adaptation. Remote clinician control.
One longitudinal profile merging device data, therapy records, and patient outcomes. AI surfaces the best recommendation at every stage.
Layer 1 generates physical evidence. Layer 2 interprets it in clinical context. Together they form a closed-loop system. Neither works without the other.
Four modalities. One unified profile.
Motor recovery, gait retraining, strength and balance. Closed-loop with Heroes OS device data. Adaptive to each session's performance.
Functional independence, upper limb and fine motor recovery. Informed by HandVivante and wearable device data.
AI-guided therapy for post-stroke aphasia and dysarthria. Session-by-session adaptation. Clinician-reviewed throughout.
Depression affects 30–50% of stroke survivors. Heroes integrates mental health as a core programme — using the same longitudinal profile to identify emotional signals early.
Research Leadership
Founded by people who spent careers inside the science. Full bios on the About page.
Sit-to-stand assistance, autonomous navigation, fall prevention, medication dispensing, emergency call. Developed with SDSU, DSU, and USD. US Patent 2021.
Sensor-rich autonomous walker with AI-guided gait assistance and caregiver alerts. Deployed across 5 EU countries. Prince Friso Award nominee. LiveWIRE Award 2015.
“Two founders built the same robot on opposite sides of the world before they met. ROSE in South Dakota. LEA in Delft. Both proved the same thesis: Physical AI belongs at home.”
Research & Industry Collaboration
Global academic and industry partners at the intersection of Physical AI, mobility science, and healthcare.
Wearable robotics for home stroke & Parkinson's recovery
Biologically inspired engineering for rehabilitation
Dept of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation · Spaulding
Harvard Medical School · BioRobotics & Motion Analysis Lab
Newman Lab for Biomechanics & Human Rehabilitation
Faboratory · Soft robotics · wearable sensors
Autonomous navigation & safety for intelligent mobility hardware
Boston's global robotics hub · assistive tech commercialisation
Human-centred design & engineering for rehabilitation hardware
AI-powered gait analysis & clinical movement analytics
AI-powered movement coaching & sensor-guided rehabilitation
DoD-aligned federal health innovation · VA procurement network
Field Evidence
Peer-reviewed studies and meta-analyses defining the current state of Physical AI and neurorehabilitation.
AI-powered robotics provide precise, adaptive assistance across the rehabilitation continuum. AI-assisted rehabilitation demonstrably more personalised and cost-effective than conventional methods.
Read →Significant FMA-UE score improvements with robotic-assisted therapy across RCTs. Combination of VR and rehabilitation robots yields the strongest outcomes.
Read →Critical gap in formal clinical validation of digital health applications despite promising results for diagnostic accuracy and treatment efficacy.
Read →Very few studies used behaviour change frameworks despite digital tools showing promise. Future development must operationalise what drives adherence.
Read →Watch & Listen
Michael Bankowski alongside Spaulding Rehabilitation & Harvard Move Lab
Watch →Neurotech, geopolitics and the next frontier of human rehabilitation
Watch →DLC Talks · AI and robotics transforming rehabilitation medicine globally
Watch →We are actively building the evidence base and looking for clinical and research partners.
Post-stroke or Parkinson's rehabilitation programs. VA networks. Neurology departments seeking real-world outcome data.
Academic groups studying home rehabilitation, adherence, or behaviour change. Access to longitudinal data no single trial has generated.
Hardware manufacturers, digital health platforms, and care system integrators building in the Physical AI rehabilitation space.