Shepherd Center Partners with Kemtai to Assess and Improve Posture in People with Brain Injuries

Woman wearing prism glasses and boxing as part of therapy.

Shepherd Center, a world-renowned hospital in Atlanta, Georgia, ranked among the top rehabilitation hospitals in the United States, has selected Kemtai as its partner to bring computer vision AI assessments and exercises to its patients. The two organizations will launch the partnership with a co-development project for people with brain injuries and plan to expand to additional injuries and conditions in the future, including spinal cord injury and multiple sclerosis.

Kemtai is a computer vision AI exercise and assessment platform that provides real-time feedback and corrective guidance for physical therapy and rehabilitation. This includes AI-guided exercising, range of motion assessments, and functional assessments that patients can perform with clinicians or at home without clinicians. Shepherd Center, known for bringing innovative techniques and technology to clinical care, is partnering with Kemtai to co-develop postural assessments aimed at increasing efficiency in the clinic while providing objective measures of posture for patients at varying levels of function. Because Kemtai has the market’s leading computer vision technology that precisely tracks 111 points on the body, it can support exercises and assessments for myriad conditions. While Kemtai focuses primarily on adult musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions, it has expanded its use cases to include a variety of other conditions. International projects with other healthcare providers include rehabilitation for persons with traumatic injuries, sports injuries, strokes, and pediatric MSK conditions. Shepherd Center and Kemtai are excited to explore how their partnership can improve clinical care, patient outcomes, and quality of life.

“We are constantly looking for ways to integrate innovative technology into our research and clinical care that can improve the experience, rehabilitation, and independence for people living with complex injuries and conditions,” said Deborah Backus, PT, PhD, FACRM, vice president of research and innovation at Shepherd Center. “With our diverse patient population, we anticipate that our partnership with Kemtai will grow to improve many lives.”

When patients are admitted for brain injury rehabilitation at Shepherd Center, their occupational therapists complete comprehensive vision screens and make referrals to neuro-optometry as needed. For patients experiencing loss of balance related to visual and perceptual deficits, they may be prescribed prism eyeglasses to shift the visual field and improve their balance. Using Kemtai CARE, Kemtai’s standalone web application, Shepherd and Kemtai will begin their work together by co-developing assessments tailored for individuals experiencing pusher syndrome after a brain injury. This is a condition in which a person experiences an impaired perception of their body in space, resulting in their body pushing them towards their weaker side and causing a loss of balance.

The co-developed assessments will improve the accuracy and efficiency of postural assessments inside the clinic and enhance the re-evaluation of posture with prism use. Kemtai and Shepherd also aim to co-develop rehabilitation exercise content for these patients.

“We hope that this initial project marks the start of a longstanding partnership with Shepherd Center,” said Mor Amitai, Kemtai’s chief executive officer. “Shepherd is one of the most renowned rehabilitation hospitals in the country, and we’re proud to have developed computer vision technology that is advanced and accurate enough to support care for their diverse patients. Being personally involved in this collaboration, I am impressed and grateful to see how diligent, professional, and efficient the Shepherd team is. This combination is not ubiquitous, and, thus, Shepherd is exactly the type of organization that we strive to partner with as we continue to expand in the US market.