Groundbreaking research collaboration to develop an advanced, personalised rehabilitation system for muscle and tendon rehabilitation.
[Eindhoven, January 2025] — A €2.5M OPZuid, EU-funded research project brings together the strenghts of ARION, USONO, and Maastricht University, coordinated by Stimulus.
Ineffective joints, muscle and tendon rehabilitation and/or lack of measurable progress in non-invasive interventions may ultimately lead to extended lengthy treatment periods, as well as potentially invasive or, even in extreme cases, surgical intervention for a patient. Invasive and surgical interventions are costly and introduce numerous high impact risks such as potential complications, emotional stress, or lost working days for the patient. Solutions that reduce the treatment time, improve the outcomes of non-invasive treatments, and reduce the frequency of surgical procedures can thereby reduce pressure on the healthcare systems, lower healthcare costs, improve the quality of life and productivity, and reduce the risk of potential complications for patients themselves.

This project aims to develop an advanced, personalised rehabilitation system for muscle and tendon rehabilitation. This system will integrate two innovative technologies from Dutch SME companies ATOGEAR (ARION www.arion.run) and USONO (Probefix www.usono.com/probefix-dynamic). The effectiveness of this system for tendon and muscle rehabilitation will be demonstrated in collaboration with Maastricht University and Sports and Orthopedics Eindhoven and Anna TopSupport.
Several studies show that applying loading that stretches tendons by around 5% is optimal for improving the condition of the loaded tendon. However, there is currently no practical method to determine how much a tendon stretches during a contraction. Research shows that rehabilitation for tendon problems is often ineffective because the tendon is not loaded optimally. The rehabilitation system that is to be developed, tracks various parameters (penation angle, muscle thickness and contraction speed) in the muscle to determine the relationship between the condition of the loaded tendon and the muscle.
Within this project, technology components from both companies will be combined into an innovative product for clinical and rehabilitation applications in collaboration with Maastricht University and Anna TopSupport.


Where technology meets motion

Maastricht University will use the combined technologies from ARION and USONO to take measurements, monitor and provide feedback to users/patients performing rehabilitation exercises. At the same time, this system allows the measurement of underlying tissue deformation, together with estimated biomechanical loading. This can be intuitively used by clinicians to assess exercise effectiveness and quantify and improve changes in muscle and tendon quality over time. The developed rehabilitation system will be integrated into a user-friendly smartphone app and software, allowing patients to use ARION insoles at home whilst performing rehabilitation exercises between appointments. The app will provide real-time feedback and guidance to help patients execute their exercises as effectively as possible to optimally load the muscles and tendons. Ultimately, the goal of the final product is to improve outcomes and reduce rehabiliation time for non-invasive physical rehabilitation treatments.
About ATOGEAR: Based on (scientific) research, ATOGEAR has developed an innovative technology platform called ARION. ARION consists of smart insoles of printed electronic pressure sensors and motion tracking IMU pods, proprietary algorithms and software that enable automated analysis of dynamic human movements. An individual’s personal movement pattern can be digitised and parameterised to provide insight into movement health, function and the estimated biomechanical load on joints and tissues.
About USONO: Founded by graduates of Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e), USONO has developed innovative solutions for applying ultrasound under dynamic conditions. The proprietary design of their Probefix Dynamic product allows for stable and secure attachment of ultrasound devices to the human body during movement, enabling high-quality, non-invasive ultrasound measurements of underlying tissues during exercise and movement. In collaboration with TU/e, they are developing algorithms to process and quantify tissue deformation during dynamic human movements.
