Four startups selected for the first Healthcare Robotics Catalyst
Festo and MassRobotics have named four companies to join the Healthcare Robotics Startup Catalyst program. The startup program is designed to advance robotics development in healthcare, giving companies the chance to meet investors and customers, gain access to relevant experts, and receive a range of technical and marketing support resources.
The first catalyst program will run until March 2022. The startups will have access to Festo's innovation centers and engineering teams — one of the world's leading companies in automation — as well as to its corporate partners.
With the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, the lack of awareness between the medical and technology communities became obvious in terms of how robotics could be applied to ease staffing shortages and reduce the potential spread of the virus. Many untapped and unexplored areas were discovered, which led to the creation of the new MassRobotics Healthcare Robotics Working Group and Catalyst.
“To fill these gaps, we invited healthcare robotics startups to apply for the catalyst program: clinical care, public safety, laboratory and supply chain automation, out-of-hospital care, quality of life, continuity of work and education, and training and support for healthcare workers. The response and quality of the companies were overwhelming. We believe this inaugural group is an excellent reflection of many healthcare robotics initiatives”
Assistive Technology
A startup from Colorado focuses on at-home physical therapy solutions that can be used at a low cost and are always available to rural patients and those who need closer monitoring of their recovery.
"We are a technology company reimagining physical therapy with robotics. Our goal is to change access to medical care and improve the tracking of patient treatment outcomes," the startup said in its description.
Bionomous
The Swiss company provides laboratory equipment for automating the screening, sorting and dosing of miniature biological objects for more ethical and faster life sciences research. The company said its microtechnical design and machine learning methods enable the development of devices that automatically inspect and sort tiny biological objects, such as zebrafish embryos.
"Our team works on creating and commercializing devices that automate processes in biology and biotechnology to speed up research in areas such as genetics, toxicology, developmental biology and behavioral biology, as well as preclinical studies. Our patented technology was originally created for the mechanical sorting of zebrafish eggs. However, we are currently working to extend this technology to other research areas, such as Xenopus laevis (African clawed frog) or Arabidopsis thaliana (thale cress)," the company said.
Eureka Robotics
The Singapore-based startup provides software and systems for automating tasks that require both high precision and high maneuverability across various industries, from optics to electronics and automotive manufacturing.
The company's vision is as follows: "With the right social organization, industrial robots will help free humanity from hard labor: repetitive, unhealthy and uninteresting work will be performed by robots, while people will spend a limited amount of time each day working, including deciding what robots should do, and devote the rest of their time to creative activity."
Eureka Robotics wants to be part of that future. The company develops robotic technologies and products to automate everyday tasks.
Kinarm
The Canadian startup uses robotic arms to provide an objective method of assessment for identifying, measuring and tracking cognitive, motor or sensory impairments caused by injury or disease.
Neuroscientists and clinical scientists around the world rely on neurological examination in research and the development of treatments. However, they often cannot identify subtle changes in brain function due to the crudeness and subjectivity of the tools available to them.
"Kinarm addresses the problem of the lack of accuracy and consistency in neurological assessment. Our labs give neuroscientists and clinical scientists a 'window' into brain function that is both objective and quantitative. This allows them to study with exceptional precision the sensory, motor and cognitive effects of a wide range of injuries and diseases, such as stroke, cardiac arrest, cerebral palsy, traumatic brain injury and Parkinson's disease. Our advanced robotic technology is transforming neurological examination," the company said.
MassRobotics is a collective effort by a group of engineers from Boston, rocket scientists and entrepreneurs. They share a vision of creating an innovation center and startup cluster focused on the needs of the robotics community. The main goal is to help create and scale the next generation of successful companies in robotics and "connected devices" by providing entrepreneurs and innovative robotics/automation startups with the workspace resources needed to develop, prototype, test and commercialize their products and solutions.
“Our mission is ultimately to improve patient outcomes and the quality of healthcare through revolutionary innovations brought to market by startups in the catalyst program”
