Wearable Health Monitoring
A Pine smartwatch records movement minutes, heart rate, activity-related energy expenditure, and sedentary patterns (total time, bouts, and breaks).
Research-Driven mHealth Platform
Wheelability
Personalized Health Management for Wheelchair Users
An AI powered tool developed through clinical research and participatory design to reduce secondary complications and improve everyday health for wheelchair users.
About the Project
Built from clinical evidence, designed with users.
Wheelability is a research-driven mobile health application designed for individuals who are wheelchair dependent due to neurological conditions such as spinal cord injury (SCI). The app integrates wearable sensor data, self-reported symptoms, and AI-generated insights to support day-to-day health decision making.
Research and Participatory Design
Powered by evidence from more than 650 physiological measurements and participatory design, Wheelability translates complex health data into clear, actionable feedback.
Developed in Collaboration
Wheelability is developed in close collaboration between Karolinska Institutet, University of Gothenburg (Appademin), and Ryggmärgsskadecentrum in Stockholm.
The Problem We Aim to Solve
Secondary complications often develop between clinic visits.
Living with SCI or similar neurological conditions can involve loss of sensory feedback, lower activity levels, and fragmented follow-up routines. Together, these factors can reduce independence, quality of life, and increase healthcare utilization.
Everyday Challenges
- Loss of sensory feedback: reduced ability to detect pain, pressure, temperature, and bladder or bowel cues.
- Sedentary lifestyle due to paralysis, fatigue, and equipment limitations.
- Difficulty maintaining physical activity and understanding energy expenditure.
- Fragmented follow-up routines and limited clinical time.
Common Secondary Complications
- Pressure ulcers
- Urinary infections
- Bowel dysfunction
- Neuropathic and musculoskeletal pain
- Spasticity
Our Solution
Three connected pillars for proactive health support.
Wheelability enables continuous health monitoring and proactive intervention outside the clinic, in everyday life.
Self-Reported Health Modules
Inside the app, users can log pain (nociceptive and neuropathic), pressure relief routines, bladder and bowel management, spasticity episodes, and skin checks.
AI-Powered Feedback
Generative AI analyzes holistic data to provide personalized recommendations, early warning signals, clear explanations, and behavior-linked insights such as sedentary time plus low pressure relief increasing ulcer risk.
The Wheelability Team
An interdisciplinary collaboration across research and care.
Wheelability combines expertise in SCI rehabilitation, human-computer interaction, AI, behavior change, and participatory design, shaped continuously with end users and clinicians.
Lead Researcher
Tobias Holmlund, PhD, Assistant Professor, Karolinska Institutet - SCI rehabilitation, energy expenditure research, clinical integration.
Co-Applicants and Senior Collaborators
Prof. Alexandra Weilenmann (University of Gothenburg) - Interaction design, mobile and wearable technology research.
Mattias Rost, PhD (University of Gothenburg) - Human-centered AI, interaction design.
Dr. Swen Gaudl (University of Gothenburg) - AI, computational systems, wearable technology.
Engineering and Behavior Design
Sebastian Andreasson, Research Engineer - App development and prototyping.
Dr. Vasiliki Mylonopoulou (University of Gothenburg) - Behavior change, participatory design, and technology evaluation for chronic conditions.
Clinical and End-User Partners
Ryggmärgsskadecentrum, Stockholm - Clinical expertise and end user involvement, with a central role in founding the project.
Plus SCI clinicians, physiotherapists, and participating end users shaping the app through co-design workshops.
Contact
Collaboration, clinical interest, and pilot participation.
We welcome collaboration and questions from rehabilitation centers, clinicians, researchers, and potential pilot participants.
Project Lead
Tobias Holmlund, PhD
Assistant Professor, Karolinska Institutet
Email: tobias.holmlund@ki.se
Phone: +46852488820
Additional contacts:
Mattias Rost, PhD - University of Gothenburg (Human-centered AI, interaction design)
Dr. Swen Gaudl - University of Gothenburg (AI, computational systems, wearable technology)
Sebastian Andreasson - Research Engineer (App development and prototyping)
