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Industry and health collaboration at work

Posted By:
HIRANI (Health Innovation Alliance Northern Ireland)

22nd Oct 2025

The potential to reduce waiting lists, improve equity of access and support sustainable delivery.
eXRt Intelligent Healthcare is a NI-based digital health company specialising in extended reality (XR) and AI-driven neurorehabilitation technologies. Founded by Dr. Dominic Holmes, eXRt aims to make rehabilitation more engaging, data-driven, and accessible for patients recovering from stroke and other neurological conditions.

 

Emma Dunn, who works as an advanced practitioner level two occupational therapist at the acute stroke ward unit at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast, had been exploring the use of VR for stroke rehab and had purchased headsets to investigate some of the commercial gamification on the market. She was introduced to Dominic and eXRt Intelligent Health, a leader in rehabilitation technology who had spun out from Ulster University, and had just announced the launch of Resynk, a virtual reality platform designed to help stroke therapists deliver intensive rehabilitation in line with updated clinical guidelines.

“The use of virtual reality in stroke rehabilitation has had a significant and positive impact on patient engagement and outcomes. It introduces a motivating and enjoyable element to occupational therapy rehabilitation sessions, which is particularly valuable given that stroke rehabilitation often requires patients to train with the intensity of athletes—something not everyone is naturally inclined towards,” said Emma.

Resynk enables therapists to increase therapy intensity while managing larger caseloads more efficiently. The platform combines immersive VR environments with automated data tracking, allowing patients to perform therapeutic exercises at home, in the community, or in clinical settings.

“As a person who has seen family members struggle following a stroke. I decided to build Resynk to solve a very real problem. Most stroke survivors simply don’t receive enough therapy for effective recovery, and therapists are trying their hardest, but the strain is too challenging. Resynk is co-designed by therapists and stroke survivors to deliver the right product to maximise recovery and optimise therapy workloads.” said Dominic.

So how is it benefitting patients?
“For neuroplastic change to occur in the brain, our therapy must involve a high volume of repetitive, task-oriented movements. VR enables us to dramatically increase the intensity of treatment sessions—by approximately 200–500% compared to conventional approaches—while maintaining patient interest and participation. This enhanced intensity supports more effective rehabilitation and potentially faster recovery,” explained Emma.

Resynk brings together immersive VR environments and intelligent automation to make rehabilitation more engaging and accessible. Patients wear a lightweight headset and interact with therapeutic games designed by clinicians to mirror real-world movements—from reaching and grasping to fine motor control. Each session is automatically logged and analyzed, giving therapists detailed insight into recovery trends without manual data entry.

“HIRANI has played a pivotal role in supporting eXRt Intelligent Healthcare’s journey, providing invaluable guidance, funding, and connections that have accelerated our growth,”

Dr Dominic Holmes, CEO and Founder eXRT Intelligent Healthcare
It also has strong potential for system level benefits that have yet to be explored: “Some examples where I see potential impact are on cost efficiency- one therapist supervising 2 patients simultaneously. Reducing demand for care packages- by delivering high intensity OT rehab needed to accelerate upper limb recovery. This could potentially reduce the long term need for support with daily activities such as washing/dressing and grooming. Improved access to OT rehab is another area as remote monitoring could mean that patients in rural or hard to reach areas who may only see an OT once or twice a week could engage in more frequent and consistent rehab without the need to travel. These factors combined could help reduce waiting lists, improve equity of access and support more sustainable delivery,” said Emma.

The platform supports multiple evidence-based therapy techniques including mirror therapy, constraint-induced movement therapy (CIMT), bilateral therapy, and cognitive rehabilitation. Therapists manage and monitor patient progress through a web-based dashboard accessible from any device.

Resynk makes therapy available anytime, anywhere, and removes traditional barriers such as therapist availability, travel, and limited clinical resources. The result is a more scalable model of care — empowering patients, reducing therapist strain, and improving recovery outcomes for conditions such as stroke, traumatic brain injury, Parkinson’s disease, and long-term neurological or musculoskeletal disorders.

“HIRANI has played a pivotal role in supporting eXRt Intelligent Healthcare’s journey, providing invaluable guidance, funding, and connections that have accelerated our growth. Through the Launchpad NI programme, backed by Innovate UK, we received critical financial support to advance our innovation and scale our impact in digital neurorehabilitation.

“HIRANI’s mentorship and network introductions have been instrumental in navigating the complex health innovation landscape, enabling us to achieve key milestones such as CE marking and regulatory approval for our Resynk platform. Their continued support has been essential in helping us translate cutting-edge research into real-world clinical solutions that transform patient recovery,” said Dr Holmes.

Resynk is currently being used in NHS trusts across England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and in private practices around the UK. It’s also currently being used in the best hospitals for stroke rehab in Ireland including St James hospital in Dublin.

The benefits reported include:

For patients

Accessible therapy anywhere: Portable VR headsets enable therapy at home, in the community, or at bedside
Increased practice intensity: Patients can perform significantly more repetitions compared to standard care
Real-world function focus: Activities of Daily Living (ADL)-focused exercises help restore independence
Higher engagement: Clinical trial data shows stroke survivors demonstrate 13 times greater adherence with VR therapy
Progress visibility: Patients can track their own improvements, building motivation and accountability
And for therapists

Comprehensive exercise library: Extensive upper limb exercises targeting grasp, supination, reach, and other functional movements
Remote and in-person delivery: Conduct virtual appointments with real-time supervision and progress monitoring
Automated data collection: Generate objective performance data and export reports for patient records
Efficient group therapy: Treat multiple patients simultaneously with a single therapist
Guidelines alignment: Supports delivery of evidence-based stroke rehabilitation recommendations
Resynk has also been evaluated in multiple health systems, including national NHS pilots and large EU-funded clinical trials in the NHS and Europe. It also directly supports the NHS Long Term Plan (10-Year Plan) and supports staff to deliver improved care for future national stroke auditing by enabling:

Digitally transformed services with scalable, data-driven tools.
Improved workforce productivity, reducing therapist strain.
Community and home-based rehab models, easing hospital pressures.
Better prevention of long-term disability, reducing readmissions and costs.
If you want to use this with your stroke patients, request a demo at https://www.exrt.io or email info@exrt.io to find out if Resynk is suitable for your needs or if you have a partnership or investment opportunity.