Tool/Machine

After a stroke, people often have difficulties moving and using their arm, which result in long-term disabilities. We will be testing an affordable virtual reality rehabilitation system. It provides a video game-like environment, allowing stroke patients to practice a variety of specific arm movements. Testing will take place at McGill University and in Malaysia. We hope to show that this rehabilitation system can be effective at improving arm function, independence and well-being in stroke patients. Click HERE to Download the photo below.

Artificial limbs are a matter of necessity for people with lower-limb amputations. However, due to a lack of affordable and functional technologies, there is a large unmet need in low and middle income countries. With key research partners around the world, we are developing affordable mobility technologies to reduce disability. Follow Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital on Twitter @bloorviewPR"

Thousands of people in the Kenyan Rift Valley and Nyanza regions are currently exposed to very high concentrations of fluoride in their drinking water. Many of them suffer from Fluorosis, a disease characterized by significant bone deformation and crippling. These innovators propose the use of a novel technology (HAIX-ZnO) to remediate these waters.

Consure Medical is engaged in the development and the commercialization of a novel way to manage fecal incontinence in non-ambulatory patients. The company has a functional prototype, has successfully completed a ‘First-in-man’ safety study at leading tertiary hospital and has strong IP protection in key markets across the globe.

Some 32 million children worldwide suffer from disabling hearing loss. In developing nations, many of them rarely receive any schooling and are faced with stigma and marginalization. Sign language for native dialects often has very limited vocabulary, and a surgically implanted electronic device (a cochlear implant) is extremely expensive and invasive. Sense Intelligent provides an innovative tool and specialized training to help deaf people ‘hear’ in real time.

Hearing Express is a model to quickly fit and deliver affordable, high-quality hearing aids in developing countries, particularly to children & youth. By using rapid-fitting hearing aids, mobile diagnostic devices, and an entrepreneurial distribution system, this model is a sustainable and scalable way of addressing hearing loss on a global scale.

Some 665 million people in India and 22 million in Nepal cook with solid fuels, leading to diseases that cause 4 million premature deaths, mostly among poor women and children, every year. A commercially-viable multi-fuel stove developed by this project will be optimized for burning dung, wood and agricultural waste, reducing toxic emissions by over 90%. For more information visit http://praktidesign.com"