Able Innovations strikes deal with Ottawa hospital for robotic patient transfer tech

Robotic medical device startup Able Innovations has secured a procurement deal with an Ottawa hospital.

Bruyère, a geriatric and rehab hospital, will use Able Innovations’ devices to help with the complicated issues of transferring patients in beds.

Founded in 2018 by CEO Jayiesh Singh and CTO Philip Chang, Able Innovations’ device automates the patient transfer process, enabling a single caregiver to move an immobile patient between surfaces like a bed or stretcher.

The Toronto-based startup has raised around $7.5 million CAD to date, and earlier this year received funding from the Government of Canada to help it acquire advanced manufacturing equipment to bring its patient transfer platform to market.

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Speaking with BetaKit last year, Able Innovations investor and emergency room physician Dr. Gaurav Puri, described the typical patient transfer process as “pretty crude.” He called it something that can cause pain to patients and result in hospital staff experiencing injuries. This existing pain point was only exacerbated after COVID-19 hit and already short-staffed hospitals faced further issues with staffing, and an influx of patients.

The procurement deal follows Able Innovations developing its device with support from researchers at Bruyère. Financial support for the project came from Age-Well, a not-for-profit, Canadian network dedicated to the development of technologies, services, policies, and practices for healthy aging.

Able Innovations is backed by a number of stakeholders in the healthcare space. Its investor includes medtech-focused venture firm NorthSpring Capital Partners, and Puri and Dr. Andrew Vellathottam, who runs his own private practice specializing in occupational health. Other investors include the Ontario Centre of Innovation’s Market Readiness Fund and the University of Waterloo’s Velocity Health Tech Fund.

Last year, Able Innovations told BetaKit that it has also secured a partnership with Toronto’s University Health Network and was in talks with multiple United States Veterans Health Administration hospitals.