WillowWood’s previous vacuum system app was available on iOS only, which left a share of their patient base without a way to manage their own device from a phone. It had also been built for earlier hardware. The Gen 3.0 system introduced new firmware, new sensor data, and a wider set of expectations for what patients and clinicians should be able to see and control.
Two audiences depend on the same hardware for different reasons. Patients need to know that the prosthesis is holding vacuum and that the pump has charge, without thinking about the technology underneath. Clinicians need to set safe limits for a specific patient, adjust parameters during a fitting, and understand what happened when a device behaves unexpectedly. Patients with bilateral prosthetics need to manage two pumps at once.
Tepia built a cross platform application in React Native, giving WillowWood a single codebase that reaches both iOS and Android while retaining full native access to Bluetooth, notifications, and secure storage.
The app pairs with the Gen 3.0 hardware over Bluetooth Low Energy and gives patients direct control of the vacuum system from their phone. Current vacuum level, pressure sensor readings, system state, and battery status appear as live readouts and graphical visuals, with clear labeling for left and right pumps so bilateral users can pair and manage both devices without entering their information twice. Push notifications surface errors and disconnections as they happen.
A separate clinician experience sits behind an access code. Prosthetists can set patient specific limits inside WillowWood’s global device thresholds, review previously connected pumps, adjust parameters for an individual patient, and read a timestamped history of error events when troubleshooting a device in the field.
Supporting the apps, Tepia delivered a cloud based administrative portal and backend with an analytics dashboard, giving WillowWood a secure place to manage users and devices and to track usage patterns, system health, and performance across the deployed fleet.
WillowWood now has one application serving their full patient base across both platforms, extending the system to Android users for the first time and bringing patients, clinicians, and internal oversight onto a single codebase.
The build was delivered with a dedicated research and development allowance covering firmware integration and Bluetooth protocol work. QA was run against prototype units, and WillowWood received the complete source code, deployment builds for both stores, and technical and user level documentation.
Take the next step in your career and become part of our dynamic team. If you're driven, creative, and eager to work on exciting projects, we want to hear from you. Apply now and embark on a rewarding journey with Tepia.
