Darin Trees, ICU physical therapist and founder of MOVAO, invented the MOVAO Mini out of necessity, not theory.
After decades working with patients recovering from critical illness, Guillain-Barré Syndrome, neurological disease, trauma, burns, and complex medical conditions, he saw the same heartbreaking pattern again and again:
Patients became too weak to stand, and once they were discharged home, they had no safe or effective way to rebuild strength from bed or a chair.
In the ICU, Darin watched patients fight for every inch of recovery, yet after leaving the hospital, many:
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Lost the progress they made
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Struggled with severe leg weakness
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Had no accessible rehab equipment
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Felt scared to stand or exercise
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Became dependent due to lack of strength training tools
He knew mobility couldn't wait.
Strength had to begin before someone could walk again, not after.
That’s when he started building solutions.
Years before the MOVAO Mini existed, Darin literally modified equipment in his garage to help his most critically weak patients start pressing and activating their legs in bed. The results were powerful:
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Patients regained strength earlier
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Transfers and standing improved sooner
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Recovery was more consistent
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Confidence returned
He saw firsthand:
Movement in bed changes mobility out of bed.
So he refined the design, made it portable and lightweight, and created a device any patient or caregiver could use at home.
The MOVAO Mini was built for:
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People too weak to stand safely
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Wheelchair users wanting to rebuild strength
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Neurological recovery and ICU survivors
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Older adults and post-surgical patients
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Anyone who needs a safe, gentle path to movement
And it was built with one unwavering belief:
Everyone deserves a chance to get stronger — no matter where they’re starting.
The MOVAO Mini isn’t just equipment.
It’s a bridge between the hospital and home.
Between weakness and recovery.
Between dependence and independence.
Darin created it because no one should be left without hope, or without a way to move, when strength matters most.
