Toyota Mobility Foundation Establishes Mobility Unlimited Hub at MaRS Center
The Mobility Unlimited Hub (MUH), a groundbreaking initiative launched by the Toyota Mobility Foundation (TMF) and Toronto's MaRS Discovery District in 2024, is revolutionizing personal mobility for individuals with disabilities.
The MUH serves as a collaborative innovation hub, bringing together startups and innovators from various sectors to foster advancements in active mobility solutions. This partnership-driven approach helps to fast-track innovations from concept to real-world application, providing users with enhanced independence and improved quality of life.
Some of the companies within the MUH ecosystem include Deaf AI, a startup focusing on developing artificial intelligence-driven tools for communication in the Deaf and hard-of-hearing community. AWL Electricity specializes in innovative energy solutions to improve the efficiency and accessibility of electric-powered mobility devices. Trexo Robotics is developing wearable robotic devices for children with disabilities to enable over-ground walking in both clinical and home settings.
Axtion Independence Mobility is committed to creating assistive devices that promote autonomy and improve the quality of life for individuals with mobility challenges. Braze Mobility offers sensor-based systems that transform regular wheelchairs into "smart" wheelchairs, providing enhanced navigation and obstacle detection capabilities. Cheelcare, an Ontario-based startup, designs advanced mobility solutions, including power add-ons and complex rehab wheelchairs, to enhance independence for individuals with disabilities.
Grace Lee Reynolds, CEO of MaRS Discovery District, stated that the hub provides exposure, visibility, and credibility, helping ventures secure funding, networks, and resources to scale. Dr. William Chernicoff, senior manager of Global Research and Innovation at TMF, emphasized that the MUH promotes engagement in ways that create synergy and add value.
The MUH supports groundbreaking work in personal mobility, demonstrating how strategic partnerships can drive meaningful change, offering hope and enhanced quality of life to those with mobility impairments. By bridging ecosystem gaps, accelerating development, adoption, and deployment, and advancing active, autonomous movement, the MUH is a significant step towards a more inclusive society.
In summary, the Mobility Unlimited Hub:
- Is a collaborative innovation hub focused on personal mobility for people with disabilities.
- Launched by Toyota Mobility Foundation and MaRS Discovery District in 2024 in Toronto.
- Supports startups developing assistive and early-stage mobility technologies.
- Bridges ecosystem gaps to accelerate development, adoption, and deployment.
- Advances active, autonomous movement, enhancing independence and inclusion.
- The collaborative innovation hub, Mobility Unlimited Hub (MUH), is fostering advancements in fitness-and-exercise and health-and-wellness solutions through assistive devices and smart technologies for improved independence and quality of life of individuals with disabilities.
- By bridging gaps between sectors and driving strategic partnerships, MUH provides exposure, visibility, and resources to startups, such as Axtion Independence Mobility, Braze Mobility, Cheelcare, Deaf AI, and Trexo Robotics, all contributing to the development of artificial-intelligence, energy, and robotic technologies.
