Training equipment that guides the patient through the exercise

The task

FREI medical builds medical training equipment for physiotherapy and rehabilitation. The FREI GUIDE training control software was to be redeveloped from the ground up.

Everything was rebuilt: the Linux drivers in the board support package, the entire software architecture including the backend services, and the design of the user interface. Particular attention went to extensibility, so that there is room for future requirements.

The solution

The basis is an individually configured Buildroot. The user interface was built with the Qt framework, and its configuration options let FREI medical use the FREI GUIDE system on almost all of its own training machines.

On the touch display, large buttons and symbols guide even inexperienced users through the program. Video animations show the machine settings required before training. Using Myfair technology (a chip card or wristband with an RFID tag), the display recognises the user and starts their preset program. Anyone who wants to start straight away uses the quick start mode.

During training, real-time feedback shows how well the movement is being performed, both quantitatively and qualitatively. Therapists and trainers can adjust the parameters on the display at any time without scrolling through menus.

Security and regulatory approval

Data transfer, configuration and firmware updates are protected against unauthorised access and tampering. For regulatory approval, we carried out the software development and the documentation to IEC 62304.