Toronto Rehabilitation Institute

LegWorks takes top spot at Parapan Am accessibility tech pitch contest

August 19, 2015
Susanne Staer
Awards

BresoTec, formerly known as ApneaDx, also among top five finalists

TORONTO, August 11, 2015 – Legworks‘ next-generation prosthetic knee took first place in Ontario Centres of Excellence’s (OCE’s) Parapan Am Games-affiliated Accessibility Tech Pitch competition. The company immediately said it would use the $20,000 award to fit 200 amputees in developing countries with its device.

Legworks was selected from 18 participants in a two-day elimination pitch competition – one of the features of the Government of Ontario’s Accessibility Innovation Showcase held at MaRS Discovery District from August 8 to 10, 2015.

TechVibes and Metro News covered this announcement.

Legworks was one of five companies to make it to the final round of the competition.

Other finalists were Eightfold Technologies, MyndTec, BresoTec Inc., and Komodo OpenLabs. BresoTec Inc., formerly known as ApneaDx Inc., is a MaRS Innovation start-up company spun-off in partnership with the University Health Network’s Toronto Rehabilitation Institute and is developing a medical device to allow patients to determine whether they have sleep apnea without having to visit a sleep clinic.

Thotra Receives National Post and Hindustan Times Coverage for Speech Transformation Technology

October 11, 2013
Susanne Staer
Media Coverage

Thotra’s speech transformation technology to improve comprehension in call centres and transcription services worldwide

On October 11, 2013, The Hindustan Times covered a technology developed by UTEST start-up graduate Thotra (invented by Frank Rudzicz) for its speech-transformation software.

The article commends Thotra for recognizing the communications gap surrounding accents, hailing the technology as the solution to “put an end to all accent problems.”

On October 2, 2013, Thotra’s technology was also covered in the National Post:

The software, which filters out aspects of speech that can hinder comprehension, is put to the test by processing lines from Colin Firth in the movie The King’s Speech. The results showcase the potential of the software and how it can assist comprehension of accents.

ApneaDX Inc: A Medical Device to Accurately Diagnose Sleep Apnea at Home

April 27, 2012
Susanne Staer
BresoTec Inc.

MaRS Innovation and the University Health Network‘s Toronto Rehabilitation Institute have collaborated to bring a new technology to market that accurately diagnoses sleep apnea at the patient’s home.

Sleep apnea is a medical disorder that is gaining increasing recognition as a major health issue. It is estimated that six to eight per cent of the world’s population suffer from the disease, but 85 per cent are undiagnosed.

Undiagnosed sleep apnea is estimated to cause $3.4 billion in additional medical costs in the US.