Smart Rehab, Seamless Recovery: Articulate Labs is Turning Everyday Movement into Therapy
Rebuilding strength after an injury is tough. Physical therapy works, but many people struggle to attend regular sessions because of work, family, cost, or even fear of making their pain worse. Articulate Labs is tackling this challenge by bringing therapy to people wherever they are.
A Personal Story That Sparked Innovation
Articulate Labs was founded because of a real-life struggle. CEO Josh Rabinowitz watched his co-founder, Herbie Kirn, who lost his right leg in a motorcycle accident, struggle with pain and weakness in his remaining leg as he wore out the cartilage. Physical therapy helped, but keeping up with it was hard.
“He was not able to make it to all the physical therapy sessions that were required in large part because of work and family commitments,” Josh explained. “That is what got us started on the idea of trying to take elements of physical therapy and bring them to the patient when the patient cannot come to physical therapy.”
What started as a solution for one muscle group became something much bigger. The goal became helping people rebuild strength and reduce pain in a way that fits into their daily lives.
A Smarter and More Convenient Solution
Articulate Labs’ device uses neuromuscular electrical stimulation to activate muscles and rebuild strength. This type of therapy is already used in rehab, but most devices require people to stay still while using them. That is where Articulate Labs is different.
“Our devices can augment everyday activity. They turn movements like walking up and down stairs, shopping for groceries, or walking your dog into strengthening and retraining repetitions outside of a physical therapy clinic or gym,” Josh shared.
The device also tracks movement and progress, giving both patients and doctors valuable insights. This way, people know their efforts are working, and healthcare providers can guide treatment even from a distance.
Big Progress on a Small Budget
Despite having less money than large medical companies, Articulate Labs has achieved major milestones.They built a working prototype with 99 percent accuracy in muscle stimulation. They earned four U.S. patents covering their core technology and have been awarded a AFWERX Phase I STTR grant. They started a clinical study with West Point Cadets recovering from ACL surgery. They also found that most doctors and potential users are excited about the product.
“Our technology was developed for less than twenty five thousand dollars. That is something companies with multimillion dollar research and development budgets have not been able to achieve or even copy successfully,” Josh said.
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