BUILDING A BETTER FUTURE

Zen Koh, co-founder, and global CEO at Fourier Intelligence

Building a better future for patients

As co-founder and global CEO of Fourier Intelligence - one of the world’s fastestgrowing and dynamic rehabilitation robotics companies, which is pioneering life-changing solutions for patients to maximise their potential - Zen Koh

continues to build a global profile as a leading tech entrepreneur and visionary.

Here, he reflects on his reasons for founding the business, the potential for Fourier Intelligence and the sector, and what motivates him to achieve further success

What was your ambition in founding Fourier Intelligence?

My primary motivation for co-founding Fourier Intelligence is to create the world's leading medical technology company for physical and cognitive rehabilitation with healthcare robotics and augmented intelligence systems. We aim to do so by integrating robotics, artificial intelligence (AI), Virtual Reality (VR), remote health monitoring, blockchain, and IoT to transform the rehabilitation industry into a transparent, more distributed and user-friendly one. Our goal is to improve and transform lives through technology, education, and empowerment and give back to those who need it most.

How has the rehabilitation robotics sector progressed since that time?

Fourier Intelligence has since become the leading rehabilitation technology brand. We routinely reinvest revenue from our products in research and development to advance our offerings and improve lives everywhere. Our goal is to create an ecosystem that supports everyone, empowering people with disabilities, patients with neurological conditions, or seniors and providing clinicians and caregivers with life-changing tools. Our RehabHub™ has since become a standard service. It has been widely installed and is helping thousands of patients with complex needs in their daily lives. We succeeded by making the tools available and affordable so people can use them to improve their lives. Since our formation, we have established, strengthened and increased partnerships with medical institutions, universities, insurers, and leading professional societies to achieve our mission better. One notable example is the renewal of another five years, after the initial three successful years of collaboration, of research Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab. The Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, formerly the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (RIC), is a not-for-profit nationallyranked physical medicine and rehabilitation (PM&R) research hospital based in Chicago, Illinois. Founded in 1954, the AbilityLab is designed for patient care, education, and research in PM&R. The AbilityLab specialises in rehabilitation for adults and children with the most severe, complex conditions ranging from traumatic brain and spinal cord injury to stroke, amputation and cancer-related impairment.

What is the potential?

Our goal is to create a healthcare technology ecosystem that will empower our users, change lives and improve society. Potentially, Fourier Intelligence's open platform system, EXOPS™ (Exoskeleton & Robotics Open Platform System, http://exops.fftai.com/) enables all suppliers to plug directly into the Fourier ecosystem to provide solutions with better results. This approach provides customers with more choices, better solutions and lower costs. Fourier's and other manufacturers' products are a stepping stone to the platform's real power: our must-have technology is geared towards empowering clinicians and patients during their rehabilitation journey using robotics and AI. Currently, we aim mainly at providing technology to the rehabilitation industry. Our product will set new standards in the field, benefiting patients and providers. We are committed and dedicated to researching and developing future technologies that will enrich everyday life before we consider commercialising them.

What are your highlights to date with Fourier Intelligence?

The Fourier Intelligence platform is designed to be a comprehensive, empowering solution for rehabilitation. It enables clinicians to consolidate what they already have, introduce new technologies and services to enhance their offerings and expand into new clinical offerings. We have since launched the EXOPS™, Group Therapy Concept, and RehabHub™ and completed successful technology transfer from our research joint laboratories. One highlight is the launch of the ArmMotus™ EMU through technology transfer arrangements with the Fourier-UoM (University of Melbourne) Joint Laboratory. The ArmMotus™ EMU is a 3D back-drivable upper limb rehabilitation robot that adopted an innovative cable-driven mechanism combined with a parallel structure of lightweight carbon fibre rods that reduces the device's friction and inertia for higher compliance in human-machine interaction. It has since won four global accolades: the Red Dot Design Award, the iF Design Award, the Medical Design Excellence Award, and the Good Design Award. Another highlight worth mentioning is that Fourier intelligence has successfully raised investment rounds from SoftBank Vision Fund 2, Saudi Aramco P7 Venture Fund, and the Yuanjing Vision Plus Capital. These investments signify endorsement and recognition of our work. The experience and capital that our strategic investors bring to Fourier Intelligence will help us rapidly realise global commercialisation and deliver innovative therapies to as many patients as possible.

What do you hope to achieve, both personally and for Fourier Intelligence?

I believe in creating a new rehabilitation technology world where everyone can access the tools and resources they need to achieve their dreams in supporting the advancement of the rehabilitation profession. My hope for Fourier Intelligence is to bring individuals, institutions, and thinkers together in an open ecosystem to collaborate, productively and efficiently, toward their mutual benefit and harness technology's power to change patients' lives for the better. We want to build a change-maker and are committed to creating a better future of inclusive, sustainable development through healthcare technology.

I strive to do so in my multiple roles as Global CEO at Fourier Intelligence, as Executive Director at MotusAcademy, and as the incoming President of IISART (https://iisart.org/). I hope to invite more like-minded, passionate people to join our cause.

Discovering The Robotic Assisted Therapies At Sussex’s Most Exciting New Neuro Rehab Clinic

VIM Health has welcomed its first patients through the doors to experience a holistic high-tech approach to recovery with a focus on intensive rehabilitation and some of the best robotic assisted therapies currently available in the UK.

The innovative care model at VIM is made unique by the addition of an onsite accessible gym and a continuous approach to a patient’s entire recovery journey. Blending technology with hands-on therapy, the multi-disciplined team (MDT) at VIM provides end to end care for people recovering from neurological illness or injury. Founder and Clinical Director, Tom Taverner has a special interest in utilising technology to supplement hands on therapy and improve the outcomes and experience of patients. His understanding of how powerful the recovery environment can be, and the desire to create an accessible gym, pay tribute to how truly unique the rehabilitation space and service is at Vim.

High Tech Intensive Rehab

“From the inception of VIM, we knew our focus would be robotic assisted therapies and intensive rehabilitation packages,” says Tom. “Several studies have shown that for many conditions, such as Stroke, high-intensity rehabilitation training is the most effective way to promote recovery.” “At VIM, our intensive rehabilitation packages are intertwined with the use of robotics as it is the most effective way to achieve the high intensity needed for positive neuroplasticity to take place,” continues Tom. “Our intensive recovery clients are accommodated locally so we can ensure they receive therapy at the right frequency, in high doses. The robotics and techniques we use are also designed to help patients carry out meaningful tasks that reflect their desired recovery outcome.”

The rehabilitation journey for patients at VIM begins with a detailed assessment by a specialist. From there, an intensive package is tailored to meet needs and recovery goals. For most people, this will include a combination of one-to-one therapy and intensive training with innovative technology, including robotic, sensor-based, and virtual reality devices. The tech at the clinic is impressive with some of the pieces of kit looking as though they have arrived straight from a NASA training centre! From a REX hands-free robotic exoskeleton to a range of equipment from the leading brand, Thera, VIM has technologies to help a wide range of people with neurological issues. From relearning how to walk, to being able to pick up a drink, VIM has invested in equipment that covers a wide range of functions.

Recovery Continuity

VIM clients do not only benefit from intensive packages and robotic assisted therapies, but the comprehensive approach at the clinic also means patients have access to a wider range of therapies than traditionally offered at rehabilitation clinics. From robotics to soft tissue therapy, mental health support and the use of an accessible gym, VIM understands the value of continuous care. “Once a client is medically stable, they come through our doors and have access to everything they need to make excellent recovery progress.” Says Tom. “Being able to come through one space for all treatment, working with the same therapists, is invaluable to patients. No information is lost going between different locations and we accurately chart progress which further encourages patients.” Where VIM does work with partners outside the business, such as orthotics and prosthetics specialists, Blatchford, the service is facilitated by VIM to ensure a continuous experience. This approach in continuity is even taken home by patients with access to a telerehabilitation service to encourage further exercises that can be undertaken in between clinic visits.

Healing Spaces

Just looking around the interiors of the clinic, it’s clear that VIM has set out to achieve not just a service that is conducive to recovery but an environment that is, too. “It has long been known that our environment can have a significant effect on our overall well being,” says Tom, “and a study published by Taylor and Francis online proves this to be especially true in healthcare facilities.” This theory is apparent inside the 250 square metre VIM clinic, which doesn’t feel like a typical healthcare facility. You are greeted with soft light, warm yet calming colours, mirrors, and an abundance of indoor greenery to help purify the air and bring a touch of nature to the exercise spaces. The high-tech robotic equipment on display contrasts with the light interiors of the clinic, but it all works together to form a cohesive, calming environment.

A New Type Of Gym

The look and feel of the main clinic are carried through to the gym too. Although the gym does operate on the familiar subscription model used by gyms throughout the UK, that is about where the similarities end. VIM has created what they are calling a new type of gym, one founded in the desire to create truly accessible access to health and fitness. Tom, who is a keen gym goer himself, wanted to create a gym with several key elements; inclusivity and a sense of community. Operating under the tagline ‘your health, your way’, the gym features adaptive equipment and is supported by clinicians so that people with disabilities or mobility issues have access to a safe space to work on their health whilst only paying standard membership fees. The gym is used by VIM patients and integrated into treatment programmes but is also available on a monthly membership basis for anybody else that wants to join, opening the facilities up to a much wider range of people seeking a gym that operates a little bit differently. Tom wants the newly opened gym to eventually provide more than an inclusive space to work out. Believing the healing power of exercise will bring together a like-minded community of people that will take advantage of the comfortable surroundings inside the gym, which includes spaces for mental health care and an honesty bar where proceeds are donated to relevant charities.