STATEMENT OF PROBLEM
Children and adults with severe motor disabilities, particularly those with neurological scoliosis, are often unable to maintain an upright or seated position unaided. This makes it nearly impossible to obtain reliable standing or sitting full-spine X-rays to monitor spinal deformity progression. Current practice frequently requires a caregiver to physically hold the patient during the radiographic procedure, introducing variability in posture, compromising the accuracy of results, and exposing the caregiver to unnecessary radiation.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PRODUCT OR TECHNOLOGY
The Xray Sitting Device (XSD) is an innovative radiolucent seating system designed to safely immobilize individuals with complex postural needs during radiographic procedures. Constructed entirely from radiotransparent materials, the XSD integrates adjustable supports and multiple fixation points at the head, thorax, pelvis, knees and feet. Its modular design accommodates children aged four through adulthood, allowing clinicians to achieve reproducible alignment without metallic artefacts or manual assistance.

FINDINGS TO DATE
The XSD prototype was implemented during a 2024 multicentre study involving 30 children with neuromuscular scoliosis. It enabled consistent positioning without caregiver intervention, reduced radiation exposure risk, and improved image reproducibility and diagnostic reliability. Clinicians reported enhanced workflow improvements and reduced procedural stress for both staff and families.

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS
The XSD provides a safe, reproducible, and independent method for spinal imaging in individuals unable to sit unsupported. Its adaptable design holds promise for widespread adoption in radiology departments, rehabilitation centres, and research facilities seeking standardised imaging and enhancing patient safety and comfort.

Statement of Problem
Current technology-based therapy approaches for youth with cerebral palsy (CP) often utilize a "one-size-fits-all" methodology that fails to address the heterogeneous nature of CP. Additionally, existing interventions in children with CP sometimes lack engaging solutions that promote motor learning. There is a need for personalized therapeutic tools that adjust to each child's unique abilities and are based on evidence-based motor learning principles.

Description of the Product or Technology
Astrosurfer is a self-contained, fully immersive VR-based rhythm game designed to improve postural and upper limb control through motor learning principles. Game mechanics involve avoiding obstacles and punching blocks that approach the player at variable speeds and positions, requiring lateral weight transfers and crouching. Calibration ensures gameplay elements are tuned to individual capabilities, providing appropriate engagement while applying evidence-based motor learning principles.

Findings to Date
The game has been developed as a proof-of-concept to demonstrate the feasibility of customizing parameters expected to influence motor learning, including feedback modalities (e.g., hand visibility, auditory feedback), variability in block positions, and difficulty adjustments (e.g., block speed and distance). These features allow individualized challenge progression. Preliminary testing with 2 children with CP (aged 8 and 9 years) confirmed that young users can engage with the game mechanics and complete calibration procedures successfully.

Practical Applications
This technology provides clinicians and families with an engaging, home-compatible therapeutic tool for postural and upper limb control training. The system's adaptability enables personalized therapy for various childhood-onset disabilities, with potential applications for other populations experiencing motor control deficits.

Statement of the problem
In paediatric upper limb rehabilitation, therapists use both home-based and in-clinic videos to assess motor function for diagnosis and treatment planning. While essential, this process is time consuming. Considering the increasing load on the healthcare system, we propose HERO: Hand and arm Evaluation for Rehabilitation by computer-guided Observation.

Description of the technology
HERO enables video-based analysis of upper limb movements by combining markerless pose estimation with AI-based upper limb movement recognition. It identifies movement types (reaching, grasping, holding, releasing and pro-supination) and evaluates their quality.
Using the open-source algorithm Mediapipe as pose estimator, anatomical landmarks of the wrist, elbow, shoulders and hips are first identified. Subsequently, relevant movement characteristics (position, movement speed, joint angles etc.) are extracted. These features form distinct patterns for each upper limb movement type. The AI model was trained to recognize reaching patterns using expert-annotations as the ground truth, based on video recordings of 18 children aged 8-18 years with neuromotor disorders performing upper limb exercises. A total of 36 minutes of video was used, containing 1343 reaching movements.

Findings to date
Initial results showed an accuracy of 86% in detecting reaching movements with a false positive rate of 0.08 and a false negative rate of 0.24 for the individual frames.

Practical applications
Initial results indicate that HERO can accurately identify reaching movements and extract clinical relevant parameters. This highlights the potential to accelerate video analysis in both clinical and home settings, reducing therapist workload and improving efficiency.

Statement of problem. Motor disabilities can significantly impact a child’s everyday activities, participation and well-being. Therapy can help but is hard to access. Sustaining motivation and adherence to home-based exercise programs is also a challenge for both children and their caregivers.

Technology Description. Bootle Blast is a mixed reality, movement-tracking video game co-designed with clinicians, kids media specialists, children and their families that engages kids in gross and fine motor skills development. Bootle Blast can be configured to each child’s abilities and therapy goals while offering popular elements of entertainment games (e.g., narrative, multiplayer modes).

Findings to date. Clinical observations have shown that Bootle Blast successfully delivers key motor learning strategies. Research trials in both Canada and rural regions of Costa Rica showed that Bootle Blast positively impacts access to therapy, motivation, and family experience of home-based therapy with clinically significant improvements on outcomes related to activities of daily living for children with cerebral palsy (CP).

Practical applications. Outside of research, Bootle Blast has been translated to 28 clinics worldwide and is used for motor learning, strengthening, range of motion, grasp/release, and trunk stability with children with CP, acquired brain injuries, and spinal cord injuries. It has been integrated in a library program to support more equitable access. In clinic or at home, Bootle Blast offers a family-centred approach to accessible and playful therapy. In the words of a caregiver: “you get the therapy while you’re playing. So it’s double thing that you get… I really love that.”

Statement of Problem
Adults with cerebral palsy (CP) experience barriers to accessing physiotherapy and exercise, including limited transport, inaccessible facilities, and a shortage of clinicians with CP-specific expertise. As people with CP age, pain, fatigue, and mobility decline often increase, yet few tailored exercise and education resources address these lifelong challenges. Innovative, accessible, and scalable solutions are needed to support participation and self-management.

Description of the Product or Technology
CP-EXCEL is an 8-week, physiotherapist-led online programme that combines live group exercise with interactive education sessions on topics such as fatigue, pain, bone health, mental wellbeing, sleep, and ageing with CP. The educational component was co-developed with adults with lived experience of CP, physiotherapists, and an expert clinical advisory group, informed by international literature and best-practice guidelines. Sessions are interactive and accessible across GMFCS levels I–V, supported by individualised risk and environmental assessments.

Findings to Date
Preliminary results from the feasibility trial (n=60) indicate strong demand and high engagement, with 85% completing ≥75% of sessions. No serious adverse events have occurred. Participants report improved motivation, confidence, and understanding of how to manage ageing-related changes in CP.

Practical Applications
CP-EXCEL demonstrates a feasible, low-cost digital model for lifelong physiotherapy and education. Its co-designed structure ensures relevance, accessibility, and scalability, offering a practical framework for community and rehabilitation services to deliver specialist, remote support for adults with CP worldwide.

Stories convey wisdom, deepen understanding, and create meaningful human connection. Digital storytelling, first developed in the 1980s, has since gained prominence in health and wellness research for its ability to foster communication, empathy, and empowerment. Within paediatric healthcare, it has become an especially valuable approach for strengthening patient and family engagement.

Patient and family engagement is foundational to high-quality paediatric care and research, ensuring that children and families experience compassionate, comprehensive, and family-centred care. By inviting lived experience into clinical and research settings, digital storytelling enhances individual care experiences while contributing to a more empathetic and responsive healthcare environment.

A key challenge in fostering authentic patient and family engagement is recognizing who is present and who is missing. Digital storytelling offers a way to honour voices that have been marginalized or historically excluded, supporting individuals to share their experiences in their own words and on their own terms. It also broadens community awareness by reaching audiences beyond traditional clinical interactions.

This pitch draws from digital stories co-created through the Increasing Capacity for Maternal and Paediatric Clinical Trials (IMPaCT) Training Network and CanChild’s Family Engagement in Research (FER) Program. These stories helped to anchor a new online curriculum designed to build understanding of patient and family engagement in maternal and paediatric clinical trials. Listeners will have the opportunity to learn how digital storytelling can inform, inspire, and transform partnership in health research.

Statement of problem
Transitions from paediatric to adult health care services and from school to adult settings, are critical periods marked by increased stress and vulnerability, especially for young adults with child-onset situations such as Spina Bifida and Cerebral Palsy. Existing literature highlights the challenges during these transitions, where complex systems and the lack of information about the process can lead to negative health outcomes or harmful coping strategies.
Description of the product
Young Heros is an engaging, dialogue-driven game developed together with young people with lived experiences. The game incorporates scenarios that mirror real-life hurdles faced during transition, prompting young people and their families to discuss and strategize how to overcome these challenges, thereby strengthening their problem-solving skills and emotional resilience The adaptability and applicability of this free-resource game make it a versatile tool for various settings and populations in a multi-disciplinary approach.
Findings to date
The game was designed and first used in Scotland for and with people with Spina Bifeda to prepare for the transition from paediatric to adult healthcare. It was then translated an adapted for Japan, where through the game, participants discussed the life events, challenges and concerns. The game was also adapted to a special education setting, and translated to Hebrew, with a group of final year students with child-onset conditions.
Practical applications
Young Heros is a free-resource, cross-cultural and multi-setting fun game, that can be played by a diverse population of adolescents with child onset condition to help them transition to adult settings.