Designing an intelligent rehab device ecosystem
Elephant Design reimagined stroke rehab devices through seamless tech integration, delivering intuitive, modular equipment
5x Faster
Setup time cut drastically
Modular headgear redesign
Universal fit for diverse users
Enhanced user-centric virtual interface
Built-in gamification for therapy 
A full product and UI overhaul for Synphne, a stroke recovery device and interface for intuitive use and global scalability. 
Rebuild with Intention
Founded with the purpose of restoring independence to stroke survivors, Synphne combines neuroscience and engineering to build mind-body coordination devices. It operates in the med-tech space, targeting neuro-rehabilitation. The brand began with a makeshift prototype built on promising science but needed a complete design rethink. With Elephant’s involvement, Synphne evolved from a rough prototype to a globally scalable therapeutic tool embedded with a powerful, self-sufficient user experience. 
Empower Every Recovery
Synphne’s vision is to make neuro-rehab more efficient, accessible, and empowering. The design intervention transformed a clinical prototype into a premium, modular, self-operable device. Gamified experiences, ergonomic gear, and universal fit systems now make the brand’s promise real: putting power back into the hands of the user. Tech for Self-Sufficiency
The core challenge was to make Synphne’s devices modular and self-operable. From tangled wires and cloth headgear, Elephant’s redesign introduced wireless components, rechargeable batteries, and gold-plated contacts for seamless current transfer. Users now require minimal assistance, making daily therapy easier and more independent.
Personalization posed another big challenge. Given a lack of reference data for Asian users, we gathered original anthropometric inputs to craft a truly universal fit, especially for the headgear and arm components. Flexible sensor points allow better impulse transfer, catering to varying body types with ease. 
Tailor-Made Recovery
Personalization is especially difficult since there is a general lack of anthropometric data when it comes to the Asian population. Different head sizes, shapes, varying lengths of hair, arm sizes, lengths, exceptional cases: an exhaustive number of factors needed to be considered before the head gear was finally developed. To enable perfect transfer of impulse and data, the sensor points have been made extremely flexible and customizable. 
Designing Recovery Journeys
The app is very easy to use. It is also visually stimulating, consists of playful graphics and aims to enable complete self-sufficiency. Muscle-pair exercises, for example, consist of manipulating one’s hands and fingers to make koala bears on screen climb a tree.
The visual interface was redesigned to mirror the physical upgrades: simple, gamified, and motivating. When using Synphne, even perfectly able people realize that they might be wasting energy on the most mundane of tasks when they attempt to go through these exercises. Over time, wasting energy in this fashion is also linked to elevation of blood pressure and hypertension, and the device can help treating these underlying conditions.
Clinical Yet Reassuring
The new device designs blend comfort and technology. Compact, wireless modules and better material finishes make setup quicker and feel less clinical.
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