Hocoma is one of the world's leading providers of rehabilitation robotics for neurological rehabilitation. Via a bidirectional connection to the Device Connector, the Datico® LIFE HUB sends orders to the Hocoma system through Order-Entry and receives the results and results report back automatically – all the way into the hospital information system.

Challenge

Equipment-based robotic therapy delivers precise results, but the continuous data flow is missing: orders are triggered manually, results transferred manually, reports stored separately – with media discontinuities between therapy, analysis and clinical documentation.

Solution

Via a bidirectional interface to the Device Connector, the Datico® LIFE HUB sends orders through Order-Entry, receives results and results report back automatically and hands them over to the hospital information system via the KIS Connector.

Result

A continuous, automated workflow from placing the order through therapy to clinical documentation – with trend analyses and reference comparison as a solid basis for decisions.

Hocoma integration: bringing rehabilitation robotics into the clinical data flow

By integrating Hocoma, the Datico® LIFE HUB expands its capabilities in robot-assisted rehabilitation. What makes it special: the integration is bidirectional. Via Order-Entry, Datico® sends orders to the Hocoma system and, after completion, receives the results and the results report automatically – ready for analysis and for handover to the hospital information system.

This turns a therapy system into a fully integrated building block of the clinical workflow.

What is Hocoma?

Hocoma AG, based in Switzerland, is one of the world’s leading providers of technologies for movement rehabilitation. The systems are used primarily in neurological rehabilitation.

The portfolio includes Lokomat (gait & balance), Armeo (arm & hand), Erigo (early rehabilitation) and Andago, among others. The devices support intensive, repeatable and objectively measurable therapy – and generate valuable movement and performance data in the process.

Challenge: robotics results stay isolated

Equipment-based robotic therapy delivers precise, well-documentable results. In practice, however, the continuous data flow is often missing: orders have to be triggered manually, results transferred manually, and reports stored separately. This costs time and creates media discontinuities between therapy, analysis and clinical documentation.

Especially in a clinical environment, a continuous, automated workflow is decisive – from placing the order to handover to the HIS.

The Datico® solution: bidirectional via the Device Connector

The integration is realized via a bidirectional interface to the Device Connector of the Datico® LIFE HUB.

Via Order-Entry, Datico® issues specific orders to the Hocoma system. After the measurement, the results and the associated results report are returned automatically. Both are available in the Datico® LIFE HUB for further analysis and can be handed over to the hospital information system or the patient record via the KIS Connector. This creates the complete workflow that a clinic needs.

The integration follows the thread of the Datico® Data Value Chain: data is connected (Data in Connection), transformed into insights (Data in Context), made available in an understandable way (Data in Communication) and managed in a privacy-compliant and vendor-independent manner (Data in Consistency).

Added value through analysis

The real benefit comes from combined analysis. In the Datico® LIFE HUB, the results of robotic therapy can be combined with additional clinical and functional parameters.

On this basis, trends can be analyzed, progress tracked across the entire course of treatment, and results compared with stored reference values. This turns individual therapy sessions into a solid, trend-capable basis for decisions.

Application in practice

A concrete project was realized at the Neurological Rehabilitation Center Rosenhügel in Vienna. There, an Armeo system from Hocoma was connected bidirectionally to the Datico® LIFE HUB via the Device Connector.

Orders are sent to the Armeo system from within the Datico® LIFE HUB; after completion, the results and the results report are returned automatically and handed over to the HIS. This creates a continuous, efficient workflow from placing the order through therapy to clinical documentation.

Relevance for clinics and neurological rehabilitation

For clinics and neurological rehabilitation facilities, such an integration is particularly valuable: robot-assisted therapy provides key metrics on function, progress and resilience. When these results are merged in a structured way in the Datico® LIFE HUB and embedded into existing clinical processes, therapy progress can be documented more objectively and assessed across disciplines.

This is exactly where the Datico® Clinical Impact module comes in: intelligently connecting clinical data and improving therapy outcomes.

Conclusion

The integration of Hocoma shows how robot-assisted rehabilitation becomes a continuously integrated, automated process. Via the bidirectional interface to the Device Connector, Datico® requests orders, receives results and reports, and hands them over to the HIS.

This turns individual therapy results into a solid basis for decisions – a consistent step toward Better Data. Better Decisions. Better Outcomes.

Frequently asked questions

Are Hocoma systems compatible with the Datico® LIFE HUB?

Yes. Hocoma systems can be connected to the Device Connector of the Datico® LIFE HUB via a bidirectional interface.

The term bidirectional is decisive here: Datico® not only receives results but can also actively send examinations and therapy orders to the Hocoma system via Order-Entry. This turns a pure therapy system into a fully integrated building block of the clinical workflow.

What exactly does the bidirectional integration mean for Hocoma?

Bidirectional means that data flow in both directions – not only out of the device, but also actively into it.

In practice, the workflow looks like this:

  • Via Order-Entry, the Datico® LIFE HUB sends specific orders to the Hocoma system.
  • After the therapy or measurement is performed, Datico® receives the results and the associated results report automatically.
  • Via the KIS Connector, these can be passed on to the hospital information system (HIS) or the patient record.

This creates the continuous workflow from placing the order through therapy to clinical documentation – without manual transfers or media discontinuities.

Which Hocoma systems can be connected?

The focus is generally on Hocoma's rehabilitation robotics systems. These include, among others:

  • Lokomat (gait & balance)
  • Armeo (arm & hand)
  • Erigo (early rehabilitation)
  • Andago

The specific compatibility is verified within each project, as it depends on the system configuration and the available interfaces. In a realized project at the Neurological Rehabilitation Center Rosenhügel in Vienna, for example, an Armeo system was connected bidirectionally to the Datico® LIFE HUB.

Are the results reports transferred and forwarded to the HIS as well?

Yes. Via the bidirectional interface, both the measurement results and the results report are returned.

In the Datico® LIFE HUB, two things are therefore available in parallel: the discrete individual values for further analysis and the finished results report for handover to the HIS or the patient record. The handover is carried out via the KIS Connector – as complete documentation and without media disruption.

For which facilities is the integration particularly relevant?

The integration is particularly relevant for clinics, rehabilitation centers and neurological rehabilitation facilities that use equipment-based robotic therapy and want to document and further process its results in a structured way.

In neurological rehabilitation in particular, robot-assisted therapy provides key metrics on function, progress and resilience. When these results are merged in the Datico® LIFE HUB and embedded into existing clinical processes, therapy progress can be documented more objectively and assessed across disciplines. This is exactly where the Datico® Clinical Impact module comes in.

Does the Datico® LIFE HUB replace the Hocoma software?

No. The Datico® LIFE HUB does not replace the Hocoma systems and software but complements them.

Hocoma remains the proven solution for robot-assisted therapy and measurement. The Datico® LIFE HUB handles the central merging, analysis and forwarding of the data – bidirectionally and automatically. The two systems therefore work together rather than replacing one another: Hocoma generates the therapy and movement data, and Datico® makes it usable within the overarching clinical context.

What kind of analysis does Datico® enable with Hocoma data?

The Datico® LIFE HUB enables trend analyses, the combination with additional clinical and functional parameters, and the comparison with stored reference values.

Because not only the finished report but also the discrete individual values are available, progress can be tracked and objectively classified across the entire course of treatment. This turns individual therapy sessions into a solid, trend-capable basis for data-driven decisions in neurological rehabilitation – **Better Data. Better Decisions. Better Outcomes.**