PRESS RELEASE: AN INNOVATIVE NEW VIRTUAL REALITY REHABILITATION THERAPY SYSTEM AVAILABLE FOR STROKE AND BRAIN INJURY SURVIVORS

An Australian-developed, innovative and cost-effective virtual reality (VR) based rehabilitation therapy system is now available for stroke and brain injury survivors with an upper limb motor impairment.
Around 56,000 Australians suffer from stroke each year and around 80 per cent of these people require upper limb rehabilitation therapy to regain lost independence and quality of life.
The VR rehabilitation system called Ulysses has been developed by Neuromersiv, an Australian medtech company founded by Anshul Dayal and Oliver Morton-Evans.
The founders, who have years of combined experience in the media, entertainment and immersive technology industries identified a gap in the availability of engaging and motivating rehabilitation therapies focused on the upper-limb.
Ulysses is a culmination of several years of clinical validation with inputs from some of Australia’s leading rehabilitation industry academics, key opinion leaders and allied health professionals. The product was recently also registered as a medical device with the TGA and UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).
CEO Anshul Dayal said that Neuromersiv wanted to create an impactful solution that was engaging, highly accessible and supported the work of clinicians.
“Ulysses offers a unique combination of immersive, realistic VR environments with gamified practical tasks based on Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) and a clear focus on skill reacquisition.” Dayal said.
“Upper-limb modalities can be highly repetitive and unengaging that often leads to poor therapy compliance and outcomes. Ulysses has been designed using research-led game design principles to enhance engagement with patients and improve likelihood of their compliance with clinician programs,” said Dayal.
Ulysses is offered with an industry-leading VR headset that is completely wirelessly, highly portable and requires minimal setup allowing for seamless use in clinics and home-based environments with minimal supervision.
An independent clinical research study of the system was recently concluded in Tamworth in partnership with University of Newcastle with a small group of stroke survivors from regional NSW using the Ulysses therapy system continuously for six weeks, three times a week adjunct to their routine therapy.
The outcomes from the study demonstrated a level of improvement in 80 per cent of participants, with all participants reporting a high level of acceptance, enjoyment and a desire to continue using the system if given the opportunity.
“The results from the study combined with several years of existing clinical literature confirms that immersive VR can positively impact rehabilitation outcomes and with extended use, that results can potentially be life-changing for stroke patients,” said Dayal.
The product has already gained early traction in the United Kingdom with rehabilitation providers and stroke patients. Askham Rehab, a Cambridgeshire, UK based aged care facility has been using Ulysses for over six months with several of its residents.
“What Ulysses offers on top of the functional learning elements, is to use gamified therapy to engage and motivate the patient to continue to practice while engaging them in both physical and cognitive rehabilitation,” said Sara Neaves, the Clinical Services Lead at Askham.
Sydney-based rehabilitation clinic, Enable Exercise, recently completed a pilot of the Ulysses therapy system.
Kwan Leung, CEO of Enable Exercise said, “Using the Ulysses system with our clients, we have been able to witness a remarkable level of client engagement using virtual reality-based rehabilitation.”
“The innovative approach has effectively challenged our clients’ functional capacity, and developed promising outcomes in their rehabilitation journey,” added Leung.
Stroke survivor, Vaughan Massey has been using Ulysses for just over three months having suffered a stroke approximately 18 months ago.
“I have seen an increase in the movement of my left hand since beginning with Ulysses. I find my left thumb and forefinger starting to respond and move as I use my right hand to perform tasks and play games using Ulysses,” said Massey.
“We’ve been mindful of affordability to both end users and rehabilitation providers through the development of Ulysses. As such, we have set a reasonable price point and also offer a flexible monthly leasing option that makes the system favourable for reimbursement through NDIS, iCare and aged care disability packages.” said Dayal.
Clinicians, stroke survivors and carers can find out more and request a demonstration of Ulysses via https://www.neuromersiv.com/

ENDS

For media enquiries:
Tara Crowe
Fireside Agency
+61 4 90136615

Neuromersiv CEO, Anshul Dayal
Email: [email protected]
Phone: +61 415 142 313