ACCESS: Understanding movement – ​​improving health – researching together

ACCESS: Understanding Movement – ​​Improving Health – Collaborative Research How Digital Technologies, Citizen Science, and AI are Rethinking Rehabilitation for Knee Osteoarthritis Knee osteoarthritis affects many people and poses a significant challenge for both patients and healthcare facilities. While classic 3D gait analysis, used for diagnosis and therapy, is precise, it is expensive, time-consuming, and can only be performed in specialized laboratories. The ACCESS project is breaking new ground: Using cost-effective, markerless 3D motion analysis via smartphones, artificial intelligence, and cloud technology, motion capture becomes mobile, simple, and accessible to many. The goal is to collect biomechanical health data directly in the field and link it to the health status of patients with knee osteoarthritis – reliably, efficiently, and practically. Digitalization Meets Health: A New Model for Research and Practice ACCESS combines digital health, data science, and citizen science into an innovative research approach. Physiotherapists from all over Austria are collecting movement data together with their patients – directly in their practices, where it's actually needed. This will generate new insights into how movement, mental health, and physical function change over the course of rehabilitation. The technology is based on OpenCap, an open-source solution for markerless 3D motion analysis that can be used on any smartphone – without the need for a high-end lab. This brings research from the laboratory into everyday life – a true breakthrough for preventive and personalized healthcare. Why ACCESS is important for digital transformation in Lower Austria The House of Digitalization supports SMEs in Lower Austria in their digital transformation. ACCESS impressively demonstrates how new technologies can make medical research and care smarter, more cost-efficient, and more patient-centered. Physiotherapy practices and rehabilitation centers – many of them SMEs – benefit from easy-to-use tools and can provide better care for their patients. At the same time, the project strengthens the active participation of citizens in research: In workshops, interactive stations, and through direct exchange, patients and therapists can contribute, provide feedback, and help shape the project's progress—a strong sign of participatory innovation in the healthcare sector. ACCESS stands for digital, people-centered access to rehabilitation and health research—and for how smart technologies can sustainably improve quality of life. Project Management: Brain Horsek Project Partners: CDHSI – Center for Digital Health and Social Innovation, Institute of Health Sciences (IGW) Funded as part of the Lower Austria 2027 R&D Strategy by the Lower Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FTI23-C-005) Image Credits: All photos © Florian Stix | St. Pölten University of Applied Sciences Exception: Photo with Brain Horsek on screen © Helene Sorger | St. Pölten University of Applied Sciences