Ultra⁺ is a bio-mechatronics system with an arm equipped with sensors developed to promote arm rehabilitation after surgery (shoulder surgery, for example), or after ischemia or a stroke.

Ultra⁺ (acronym for Upper Limb Tracker) looks like an articulated arm with seven degrees of freedom, equipped with sensors, which allows the person a real immersion into a three-dimensional virtual environment, providing a new definition of arm rehabilitation as an interactive and game-based experience.

Early limb movement is always advisable after any type of surgery, in order to avoid bad habits and posture, instead helping blood circulation and the prevention of possible joint blockages. Physiotherapy and rehabilitation exercises after surgery must be tailored to each individual and for this reason the software with which Ultra + is equipped includes different activities (assessment, for reacquiring motor control, for functional rehabilitation or for cognitive functions).

Thanks to ergonomic hand-pieces to be held in the hand and to a dedicated software, the instrument becomes a powerful, unique and modern aid for proprioceptive re-education of the upper limb. The patient moves his/her arm in a game-based context and Ultra + automatically detects the position in space, transferring this information to the computer.
The enjoyable experience helps the rehabilitation recovery, allows checking personal performance and progress at the end of each therapy session (so-called gamification), establishing a mechanism which positively affects the patient’s motivation.

The repeated execution of independent training sessions by the patient allows the physiotherapist to follow several patients at the same time, without missing out on any objective data useful for post-surgery or post-stroke rehabilitation analysis.
The first version of Ultra was awarded the 2005 Premio all’Innovazione (Innovation Award) by the Chamber of Commerce of Pisa.