​​HealthBuddy – Personalized Back Pain Guidance through 3D Visualization and AI​

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 

HealthBuddy is a consumer-facing digital health application designed to help people better understand and manage recurrent back pain. The app combines a personalized 3D body model with an AI-supported chat interface to translate complex anatomical and health-related information into clear, plain-language guidance. Instead of relying on generic online advice, HealthBuddy provides body-aware explanations and visualizations that support safer self-management, reduce uncertainty, and improve understanding between medical appointments. The solution is explicitly educational and non-diagnostic, positioning HealthBuddy as a complementary tool that supports users without replacing professional medical care. 

Goal 

The goal of this project was to design and validate a focused, regulation-aware digital health concept that addresses a widespread unmet need: people with recurrent, non-specific back pain who actively self-manage but lack clear, personalized guidance. HealthBuddy aims to reduce confusion, anxiety, and trial-and-error behavior by helping users understand their own body, posture, and symptoms in a way that is easy to grasp and immediately actionable, while remaining legally compliant and scalable. 

Methodology 

The project followed a lean, user-centered, and iterative development approach. Over five iterations, the concept was refined based on regulatory analysis, coach feedback, expert interviews with radiologists and orthopedic specialists, and qualitative user interviews. Early broad concepts were deliberately narrowed to a single high-impact use case. Prototyping and feasibility testing were conducted to validate key assumptions, including the creation of a smartphone-based external 3D body scan and the suitability of simplified body models for educational purposes. 

Results 

The project resulted in a clearly defined minimum viable product (MVP): a non-diagnostic, privacy-first educational app focused on back pain understanding and day-to-day self-management. Key assumptions were validated, including the feasibility of generating a usable 3D body scan in under ten minutes and strong user interest in personalized, plain-language explanations. Expert feedback confirmed that the chosen scope delivers meaningful educational value while avoiding medical-device classification. Overall, HealthBuddy demonstrates a focused, user-relevant, and scalable solution that bridges the gap between generic online advice and time-constrained clinical care. 

Cooperation Partner 

• ​​Health Buddy​ 

​​Contact Person​

• ​​Luca Friedrich - luca.aurin.friedrich@s.wu.ac.at   

Student Team 

• ​​​Luca Friedrich, Simon Loacker, Arina Lyzohub, Lena Maria Hopf 
  ​​ 

Project Manager 

• ​​Diana Lauer 

• ​Thomas Pannermayr 

• ​Marco Masia​