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HSD > Start-Up ichó in the Final of ‘Ideas from Europe’
HSD / Prize, Research & Transfer, research, Transfer
18.12.2017

Start-Up ichó in the Final of ‘Ideas from Europe’

A great success for research talents from HSD: The start-up ichó developed an interactive ball which can be used to treat people suffering from dementia. The start-up initially evolved from the cross-faculty research project Nutzerwelten (user worlds) for dementia patients and their relatives. The Federal Ministry for Economical Affairs and Energy (BMWi) nominated the start-up to represent Germany, competing in the semi-final of the international contest Ideas for Europe.

The students Eleftherios Efthimiadis, Steffen Preuß and Mario Kascholke presented their interactive ball in Tallinn, Estonia, on 22 November 2017 – and made it to the top ten for the final.
ichó is a technology-enhanced therapy ball supporting perception and psychomotor development using light, movement and sound impulses. It reacts to outside influences like pressure, approaching, stroking or catching. ichó focusses on supporting motor function and cognition and uses colourful lights, vibration, sound or music. The innovative part is that the ball can be adapted to the patient’s individual needs – really quick and simple. This creates a completely new, playful individual therapy experience.

Usually, digital start-ups in health care use apps, tablets and other digital devices. The majority of the people working with them, as well as the patients using them, tend to struggle with complex digital devices. ichó, however, is different. Thanks to its shape of a ball, it is a familiar object, so people do not reject it. But that is not all. The ball itself is just the medium for a step towards digitalisation in health care. In cooperation with therapists, nurses and facilities, they plan to develop comprehensive ichó therapies and support concepts from its basic functions.

Let’s wait and see what kind of ideas these young research talents will come up with for this purpose. But for now, we are looking forward to April 2018, when the Ideas from Europe final will take place in The Hague.

For more information about the ichó ball, click here http://icho-system.com/?lang=en.​
Video of the pitch at the contest in Tallinn: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dd6pIgLZ5cg&feature=youtu.be

Short interview with the founders of the start-up (in German only): http://www.hn-nrw.de/forschung/start-ups-aus-nrw-icho/

Social Media: https://www.facebook.com/ichosocial/

The start-up founders Steffen Preuß (left) and Mario Kascholke (right) with Dr. Bernd Siegfried, the manager of the KfW foundation, and their therapy ball ichó at the award ceremony in Tallinn.
The start-up founders Steffen Preuß (left) and Mario Kascholke (right) with Dr. Bernd Siegfried, the manager of the KfW foundation, and their therapy ball ichó at the award ceremony in Tallinn.
The Ideas from Europe final, in April 2018 – with the young research talents from HSD. Photos (2): private
The Ideas from Europe final, in April 2018 – with the young research talents from HSD. Photos (2): private