Meet the Client

Life Analytics is a digital health company specialising in computer vision, biomechanics, and machine learning. Its mission is to make remote facial measurement accessible and affordable using everyday devices.

Facial Dynamics, the company’s flagship product, is a digital rehabilitation platform that supports recovery for people with facial paralysis. Designed for patients recovering from stroke, Bell’s palsy, Parkinson’s, and other neurological conditions, it addresses the critical gap in care between clinical appointments.

James Coleman, founder of Life Analytics and a former iOS developer at Sonin, introduced us to Facial Dynamics. With extensive experience in mobile technologies, augmented reality, remote patient monitoring, and surgical systems, he recognised a unique opportunity in Apple’s TrueDepth sensor.

The Challenge

Facial rehabilitation is both a clinical and a deeply personal challenge.

Each year, about 30,000 people in the UK start facial retraining programmes. These repetitive exercises must be performed consistently at home, especially in the early months when recovery potential is greatest. However, compliance remains low because the standard approach requires patients to exercise in front of a mirror, which many find distressing.

For many people living with facial palsy, the visible asymmetry of their face contributes to social withdrawal, lost confidence, and reluctance to engage with everyday life. Asking them to stare at that reflection often leads to social withdrawal, reduced confidence, and reluctance to participate in daily activities. Repeatedly facing this reflection is a significant barrier, as clinicians recognise. Without consistent exercise completion, clinicians also lack the data needed to track progress and adjust programmes effectively.

Our Approach

Facial Dynamics began with a technical breakthrough: James discovered that Apple’s TrueDepth sensor could capture accurate, objective facial movement data with just a standard iPhone or iPad. This insight became a healthcare product through close collaboration between Life Analytics, NHS clinicians, and patient advocacy groups. Sonin helped turn these possibilities into a practical, real-world solution.

During development, patient testing revealed that seeing their own face, even in an app, caused distress similar to that of traditional mirror exercises. The team responded with an augmented reality wireframe mask, providing feedback on exercise performance without showing a live image. Patient feedback confirmed its value: “It’s good that it has a mask feature because my face doesn’t look the same since my stroke, and I’m still unsure about looking at my reflection.”

Sonin also built the platform’s backend architecture for scalability, security, and reliable uploads, even on slow connections. The result is a joined-up digital platform: a clinician dashboard and a patient app, working together to extend rehabilitation beyond the clinic.

The Result

Facial Dynamics is available on the App Store and is actively used by NHS partners, including Staffordshire’s Early Supported Discharge service and Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust. The platform has also attracted clinical advisors from leading institutions, including University College London Hospitals, Queen Victoria Hospital, and the University of Sheffield.

The impact is clear for both patients and clinicians. Patients who previously avoided exercise are now engaging with their programmes, motivated by access to objective recovery data. When one patient was asked by their clinician how to bring the symmetry lines on the app closer together, they instinctively found a solution. “Actually, seeing that feedback was really good,” their clinician noted. “The patient then used this as their own sort of exercise and took that forward.”

For clinicians, the platform offers something that has never existed before: objective, remotely captured data on facial movement. The long-term goal is automated diagnostic capability, enabling real-time facial assessment in ambulances and emergency settings where connectivity and specialist availability are limited.hcare. The right technology, designed around the real emotional and behavioural context of its users, can change what recovery looks like.

Key Features

Clinician-led programme management
Clinicians create and assign tailored rehabilitation plans through a secure dashboard, enabling ongoing supervision of each patient’s progress.

Guided patient experience
Patients follow precise, step-by-step guidance in the app, reducing confusion and supporting independent adherence.

Augmented reality movement tracking
The app leverages Apple’s TrueDepth sensor and an AR wireframe mask to track facial movement, providing feedback without live reflections. Motion data, including facial symmetry analysis, is captured to help clinicians and patients track recovery progress over time.

Remote progress visibility
Exercise and movement data uploads give clinicians real-time visibility, enabling timely, evidence-based adjustments between appointments.

Patient–clinician messaging
In-app messaging allows patients to ask questions between sessions, improving continuity of care and reducing the risk of disengagement.