10 international innovators enhancing mobility and activity for people with disabilities

Startups in the second cohort of the Mobility Unlimited Hub are working to scale solutions on everything from advanced exoskeletons to virtual reality neurorehabilitation.

More than 8 million people are living with disabilities in Canada, a number that is set to rise as our population ages. This demographic shift is sparking an increased demand for assistive devices. In fact, the World Health Organization estimates that by 2050, 3.5 billion people will need assistive technology.

To help meet this growing need, Toyota Mobility Foundation partnered with MaRS to launch the Mobility Unlimited Hub in 2024. This unique program, which helps companies developing rehabilitative, adaptive and assistive solutions bring their innovations to market, has just announced its second cohort. After a rigorous review process, 10 startups were chosen from more than 70 applicants from Canada and around the world. Over the next two years, participating ventures will receive targeted advisory support, PR, connections to capital, workshops, networking opportunities as well as a dedicated co-working space at the MaRS Centre.

“This year’s group is purpose-driven, pushing the boundaries in assistive technology,” says Morgan Lorimer, a senior program manager at MaRS. “We look forward to helping them bring their products to market so that they can positively impact even more lives.”

Here, meet the 10 startups commercializing breakthrough devices designed to make it easier for individuals facing mobility and vision challenges to live independently and participate in daily life with ease and dignity.

Human in Motion Robotics is empowering people with disabilities

At the closing ceremony of this year’s Invictus Games, Chloë Angus, the director of lived experience at Vancouver-based Human in Motion Robotics, got the chance to demonstrate the capabilities of the startup’s exoskeleton platform. The XoMotion lower-limb exoskeleton allows users to fluidly and dynamically perform everyday activities and athletic pursuits, such swinging a golf club or baseball bat. As someone who is paralyzed from the waist down, Angus was able to provide invaluable feedback on its design, helping to finesse the wearable, self-balancing mobility support. Controlled by a handheld device, its advanced sensor systems mimic lower body motion, enabling Angus and others with spinal cord injuries, like former Humboldt Bronco Ryan Straschnitzki, to stand and walk with robotic support.

ImaginAble Solutions believes self-expression is a human right

Lianna Genovese was only 19 when she built the first prototype for Guided Hands, a device that supports fine motor movements. Then in her first year of biomedical and mechanical engineering at McMaster University, Genovese created the device to help a friend with cerebral palsy pursue her love of painting. Its simple sliding system uses linear shafts and ball bearings, leveraging shoulder movements to help children and adults with limited hand mobility write, draw and use a touchscreen. Over the last six years, the Hamilton-based founder has racked up high-profile accolades (including the Muhammad Ali Humanitarian Award), and her invention is currently used in schools and healthcare settings in more than 25 countries.

Steadiwear is making stability a reality

Hand tremors can affect even the simplest rituals of daily life, like having coffee with a loved one. After seeing his grandmother spill the hot drink all over her hand, Mark Elias (along with Steadiwear co-founder Emile Maamary) developed a wearable assistive device to help adults with tremors, including those caused by stroke or Parkinson’s disease. Elias drew on his expertise in vibration mechanics, used for stabilizing buildings during earthquakes, to design a lightweight glove that stabilizes the hand with a magnetic disk that moves in the opposite direction of the tremor. With patient demand high, the Toronto-based startup is closing a U.S.$7-million seed round.

Ora Medical helps kids be themselves

Play and exploration are essential for a child’s well-being. Sarah Lambert, whose background is in physical therapy, and Ora Medical co-founder Louis St-Pierre, designed a hands-free gait trainer with that universal truth in mind. Its spring technology for body weight support enables children with mobility challenges to move freely and interact with their environment. The Montreal-based startup made sure the device would appeal to caregivers as well — its collapsible lightweight aluminum frame is easy to carry and store in tight spaces. The trainer’s adjustable too, and can keep up with kids as they grow.

Possibility Neurotechnologies has some thoughts on accessibility

This Calgary-based startup is on a mission to demystify brain-controlled technologies and make them more accessible. Paired with its Think2Switch software, the company’s brain-computer interface (BCI) headset can translate neural electrical signals into commands, making it possible for individuals with movement challenges to control tangible objects like a keyboard or mouse. While BCI may sound like something out of science fiction, co-founders Dion Kelly, Eli Kinney-Lang and Adam Kirton are focused on finding novel ways to help people operate devices and communicate using only the power of their thoughts. They’re currently adapting the technology for Alberta Children’s Hospital where cerebral palsy patients are using it to communicate with their families.

GiveVision wants everyone to see the big picture

Drawing on his background developing apps for Google smart glasses, GiveVision co-founder Stan Karpenko has created wearable AR/VR headsets that provide a more inclusive experience for visually impaired individuals attending live sports and cultural events. The device enhances the wearer’s sight, magnifying certain areas in the venue like the stage or playing field, while live-streaming the broadcast. An early grant from Social Tech Trust and several investors since then — including the NHS — have helped the London, U.K.–based startup to scale.

Bionic Power is taking wearable technology for a walk

The Vancouver-based startup’s smart orthosis helps individuals use their own motor control to walk independently. Rather than lifting and directing the body like traditional devices, Bionic Power’s lightweight exoskeleton improves walking patterns and strengthens muscles to counter the deterioration that can happen with such conditions as cerebral palsy and spina bifida. The company is working toward creating a customizable carbon fibre device that can be worn under clothes.

smartARM combines AI-powered dexterity with prosthetics

As a student at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology, Hamayal Choudhry won Microsoft’s 2018 Imagine Cup competition for an innovative robotic prosthetic hand. With a camera in its palm and an AI layer, the smart device was able to determine the best grip for everyday objects. Today, the Toronto-based startup’s intuitive bionic arm — fine-tuned with insights from Choudhry’s friend Sekai Muscutt, who was born with a limb difference — is pushing what’s possible in the prosthetics space by merging vision with touch and exploring how humans interact and move through the world.

Victoria Hand Project is making prosthetics more accessible

What began as a university research project has grown into a growing non-profit. Using 3D printing, Victoria Hand Project brings quality prosthetic technology to countries facing barriers to affordable prosthetic healthcare. The Victoria-based startup prints upper limb prosthetics using bioplastics, cutting the cost and production time of devices, as well as replacements for broken parts and outgrown limb sockets. The company works with international healthcare providers and local clinics to provide its technology to underserved communities and conflict areas in countries such as Kenya and Guatemala. In the past two years alone, more than 140 Ukrainians who have lost limbs in the war have been fitted with prosthetic arms.

Kinesix XR is reimagining rehabilitation

This Montreal, Quebec- and Chile-based startup aims to bring virtual reality (VR) neurorehabilitation to the forefront and build a therapy toolkit for the future. Research shows that 3D environments are more effective at stimulating brain activation. And so Kinesix has developed AI-powered technology that combines VR with augmented reality that creates safe 3D spaces. By helping patients imagine they can move, the tech gets the brain to do what it does naturally thanks to neuroplasticity. The Kinesix XR system is being used for those who have experienced accidents or have illnesses that affect their movements, including strokes, multiple sclerosis and chronic pain.

Learn more how the Mobility Unlimited Hub is helping assistive mobility device companies help people live more active, independent lives.

Photo illustration: Stephen Gregory; Photos: Humans in Motion Robotics, smartARM Robotics, Kinesix XR