Nina

Project Description

A smart wearable to help injured athletes through knee rehab

Problem

How might we help athletes rehabilitate knee injuries while quarantining at home and staying in shape? When the pandemic hit, several classmates and I used the extra time at home to up our fitness regimens. It didn’t take long before we collectively experienced an onslaught of stress-induced injuries - tightened backs, shin splints, and aching knees. We funneled our frustrations into Nina - an AI-enabled wearable to help quarantining athletes stay in shape while managing and healing knee pain.

Insights

The most common injuries that require physical therapy are pulled muscles and runner’s knee. At-home PT is surprisingly effective - almost all exercises can be completed with structures found around the house, like walls and doorjambs. By measuring the field between two magnets, a knee wearable can collect data on knee flexion to help athletes better understand the causes of their injuries. Our device needs to attach to an existing knee brace, because two straps aren’t enough to hold it in place during exercise.

Solutions

Nina is a knee wearable and mobile app that tracks knee flexion data. The wearable (and smart watch) invite users to log their ‘pain events’, allowing a cross-comparison analysis to avoid future pain. The app also offers exercise advice with follow-along videos.