Providence, Rhode Island (PRWEB) November 19, 2016
Timocco, an online skills development therapeutic gaming environment for children with special needs using motion-based technology to track movements, is expanding its ability to support more complex hand and wrist movements. The overall investment in the platform development is estimated over $2M, partially supported by the BIRD Foundation, an organization that promotes research and development in industries that mutually benefit Israel and the United States.
The grant, awarded in 2014, has allowed Hasbro Children’s Hospital, Brown University, and Meeting Street to work together to develop and research Timocco’s new cost-effective, web-based therapeutic game platform for children with physical challenges, including those in wheelchairs and with spastic cerebral palsy or other motor and cognitive disabilities.
The new platform motivates the patient to practice and develop supination and pronation while playing, the first of its kind for a therapeutic web-based platform. Supination and pronation is the rotation of the forearm around its longitudinal axis, which is an important motion because it allows the hand to be oriented. These movements are critical for tasks such as like eating with utensils, performing personal hygiene, and other real-life independent living skills.
The supination and pronation platform is a significant add-on to Timocco’s more than 50 games available on the online platform, which promotes users to develop motor, cognitive, and communication skills through play. Timocco’s object tracking technology allows for an adaptable range of motion, giving users of varying abilities the opportunity to modify the program to best suit their capabilities, thus ensuring the benefit of the game’s intended therapeutic activity focus.
Meeting Street, whose staff and students played a pivotal role in the creation and testing of the new technology, hosted a launch event at its Providence, Rhode Island campus, located at 1000 Eddy Street at 11 a.m. on Friday November 18th in the cafeteria.
Several key members of this research project spoke to the importance of this new platform.
- J.J. Trey Crisco PhD — The Henry Frederick Lippitt Professor of Orthopedic Research, Director Bioengineering Laboratory, Department of Orthopedics, The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University and Rhode Island Hospital
- Eran Arden — CEO, Timocco Inc.
- Andrea Yonah — BIRD Foundation
- John Kelly — President, Meeting Street
"This is another step toward realizing our dream to make Timocco accessible to millions of children with special needs worldwide who can benefit from these games as an affordable therapeutic supplement," said Timocco's CEO, Eran Arden. "Timocco's games mean children can develop vitally important core skills at home, saving time, money and effort for families; already overstretched healthcare providers."
About Timocco
Founded in 2009, Timocco is an international company developed by an OT in Israel (Sarit Tresser) that has successfully commercialized an educational/therapeutic online gaming platform overseas. Timocco opened U.S. operations in Akron, Ohio in 2015. Based on patented technology that integrates the child’s movements with 50+ on-screen games, Timocco helps thousands of children worldwide develop motor, cognitive and communication skills via a cutting-edge gaming environment. In addition, Timocco offers a handwriting tool using similar technology. Customers include school districts (classroom and clinical use), private occupational/physical/speech therapists, hospitals and parents. Bolstered by evidence-based research, we are the new “hot product” at trade shows and have quickly generated an enthusiastic customer base. For more information, or to find out about free trials, go to http://www.Timocco.com, and follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Twitter.
About Meeting Street
Founded in 1946, Meeting Street compassionately and innovatively empowers children and their families to thrive by fostering the development of the whole child. Meeting Street’s vision is to be a national leader in child development, education, research and training. Today, Meeting Street works with more than 4,000 children and families annually through its core programs: Early Intervention, Early Head Start, Olneyville Initiative, Healthy Families America, The Early Learning Center, The Grace School, The Carter School, and The Schwartz Center. For more information, visit http://www.MeetingStreet.org.
