3Q Cosmin Mihaiu member of the Simplex team

How does the medical program developed by Simplex work?

The program we are developing is called MIRA, which stands for Medical Interactive Recovery Assistant. It is an application designed for people who are suffering from a temporary reduction in mobility and must undergo physiotherapy to regain their movement.

With the help of a special camera, called Microsoft Kinect, the program offers applications which take the form of video games, for recovery purposes. Each move made by the user – meaning the patient – is recorded and monitored, which will give the doctor or physiotherapist overseeing the treatment more information about the patient’s progress back to health.

How did you come up with the idea for MIRA?

We wanted to participate in the Imagine Cup competition. The topic of this contest was “Imagine a World Where Technology Helps Solve the Hardest Issues.” To participate, we needed an idea and this came to us right away when one of us was telling the others how, when he was a child, he broke his arm and had to go through a series of boring recovery exercises.

We decided to find a way to make the recovery period shorter, easier and more interactive. The development of the application started in the spring of 2011. Currently, we continue to develop the application and we will complete a Beta version over the coming months with which we will start clinical testing and prove that the program helps people recover.

What feedback have you received on MIRA, both in Romania and abroad?

We have had the opportunity to present the project to several hospitals in Romania and abroad, in Germany and the United States. We received positive feedback and this is also why we are continuing to develop the program to reach a product that we are trying to launch on the market.

At the moment, the application is undergoing testing at a hospital in Bucharest to observe the results and see what improvements need to be made.