Trentino Sviluppo

Raise your hand if you are the type who easily gets bored on an exercise bike. Speak up if you are able to resist running or walking on a treadmill for more than 10 minutes while staring at the door of the wardrobe in your living-room.

«I’ve played football for many years and I’ve had my share of injuries - explains David Tacconi, 35 years, from Firenze - and every time I started physical rehabilitation, the experience soon turned into an ordeal: tough exercises that I had to do against my will and, therefore, almost useless».

This is why David came to think about Riablo, a system designed to provide a «comfortable experience» during rehabilitation. The device was developed in collaboration with Andrea Cappelletti, Roberto Tomasi and Vittorio Dusini.

CoRehab wins the title of best European ICT startup

Is there a way to make rehabilitation both entertaining and efficient? David Tacconi started looking for an answer to this question already a couple of years ago and, in the end, it brought him on a journey that allowed him to raise more than one million euros in funds and to win the award for best European ICT startup at the EIT Awards 2013 held in Budapest and the «UniCredit Start Lab 2014» award in the Italian competition «Start Up dell’Anno».
CoRehab is the developer of Riablo, a device for orthopedic rehabilitation that allows patients to play video games while performing the exercises recommended by their physiotherapist.
The gaming modality and monitoring function provided by high-precision sensors allow patients to focus on their movements, forget about the pain, keep a high level of motivation and, thanks to the measurements provided by the device, avoid the most common mistakes made in specific rehabilitation exercises.

The secret lies in the sensors… And in the video games!

Riablo uses elastic belts equipped with inertial sensors to measure the movements of the body. A web app helps the physiotherapist in planning the exercises and monitoring the patient through a series of reports, while a series of therapeutic video games are available to keep the patient motivated and under control.

«Riablo offers a good number of exercises - says David Tacconi - and it provides the physiotherapist with the possibility of creating a customized rehabilitation plan. The reports are quite detailed, since the sensors have been approved with a gold standard by the Movement Analysis Laboratory of the Rizzoli Orthopedic Institute».

CoRehab has patented its device in Europe and it applied also for an international patent in the US, Canada, and China.

The device is available in two versions: Riablo Pro, specifically designed for the use in rehabilitation centers, and Riablo Light, a product designed for rehabilitation treatments at home. Riablo is the only device currently available on the market that has a specific product targeting the orthopedic rehabilitation at home.

Trentino Invest bets on CoRehab

The year 2014 represents a crucial year for CoRehab: Riablo was launched on the global market and the enterprise started configuring itself. David Tacconi took on the role of CEO, while Andrea Cappelletti became chairmen, Roberto Tomasi CTO and Vittorio Dusini CFO.

Furthermore, CoRehab counted also on an important external support. It was the first company funded by Trentino Invest, the public-private partnership company established in 2012 by Trentino Sviluppo, Finanziaria Trentina, ISA, and Fincoop. CoRehab was also supported by Trentino Sviluppo during its promotion and marketing events.

«Never stop» is the mantra

The start-up company is learning how to stand on its own legs. It works in synergy with different research centers and it is actively trying to attract new private investors in order to industrialize the product, increase the pace of software development, and establish a selling network and coordinated marketing strategy.

The core market of CoRehab is composed by rehabilitation centers, hospitals, and clinics all over Europe and North America. According to the results of an internal market survey, in the countries involved in the study there are more than 100,000 small-medium rehabilitation centers, 10,000 hospitals and orthopedic clinics, and more than 200,000 physiotherapists recognized by their national professional associations. CoRehab set itself the goal of reaching a 2% share of this market by 2019.