Glasses that can help the legally blind see, shoes that guide the visually impaired to their destination, exoskeletons enabling paraplegics to walk and smartwatches that watch over a child with epilepsy to warn parents of a seizure: as wearables have access to our bodies 24/7 they are truly changing the lives for people with disabilities and serious illness.
August 5th WWTO shines a light on how critical wearable technology can be to the people who need it the most. From brain health and epilepsy to nerve damage and sight, we have gathered some of the leading minds and entrepreneurs making a difference in a series of presentations, a panel discussion and hands-on demos in the exhibitor area.
This month's event features InteraXon, Neutun, TAPS, My Hand Project, Critical Making Labs, eSight, Proto3000, Subpac and Ekso Bionics.
Pizza from Pizza Pizza and beer from Amsterdam Brewery will be served in the networking part of this event.
Agenda
6:30-7:00: Doors open + networking + demo area open
7:00-7:05: Opening Remarks & Announcements
7:05-7:20: "Wearable Robots: how man and machine work together to solve problems" - Nathan Harding, CEO & Co-Founder of Ekso Bionics
7:20-7:30: "Pervasive Neurotechnology and the Coming Revolution in Brain Health" - Dr. Graeme Moffat, Director, Scientific & Regulatory Affairs at InteraXon
7:30-7:40: "Tracking seizures with smartwatches and wearables" - Eric Dolan, CEO & Co-Founder of Neutun
7:40-7:50: "Giving a voice to those that don't have one" - Michael Zinn, Product Manager, TAPS, a division of Tappur
7:50-8:00: "Designing from a place of beauty" - Cornelius Quiring, My Hand Project
8:00-8:15: "Mobility Prosthetics for the developing world - how to scale maker interventions" - Matt Ratto, Associate Professor in the Faculty of Information at the University of Toronto and Director of the Critical Making Lab
8:15-8:45: Panel - The impact of wearable tech on disability
- Yvonne Felix, eSight Ambassador & Funding Coordinator and Co-founder for the Resight Inclusive Arts and the Hamilton Canadian Council for the Blind Chapter for the Arts
- Matt Ratto, Associate Professor in the Faculty of Information at the University of Toronto and Director of the Critical Making Lab
- Eric Dolan, CEO & Co-Founder of Neutun
- Michael Zinn, Product Manager of TAPS, a division of Tappur
- Cornelius Quiring, My Hand Project
- Moderated by Tom Emrich - Founder of We Are Wearables
8:45 - 10:00: Networking & demo area featuring:
- eSight - wearable electronic glasses that allow the legally blind to actually see
- Neutun - tracking software for epileptics through smartwatches and wearables
- Proto3000 - 3D technologies changing the world
- TAPS - trigger activated personal assistant
- Subpac - wearable bass sound system
A big thanks to our sponsors for making this event happen MaRS Discovery District Centre, Uproar PR, EY Canada, Proto3000 and BetaKit
About our Speakers
Eric Dolan was an Organizational and Financial Consultant for venture backed and chart topping mobile social gaming company, Slightly Social. Eric built his own mobile social network Alooksie, which was invited to pitch at the Next36 and was a finalist for the Next Big Thing Fellowship. He also worked on marketing and campus outreach for Brainstation, an innovative coding academy acquired by Konrad Group for ~$10M. Eric is Co-Founder of Neutun, as well as its CEO, Chairman and Technology/Informatics Lead.
Cornelius Quiring: As a youngster, I was involved in an accident. A farm accident that destroyed the muscle development on the right side of my body. My father had taken me to join my uncles on the field to spend the day harvesting cotton. Working away, no one spotted the the remnants of a tree that had fallen into the crop. As we drove over, the cotton picker tipped and fell on top of me. As a result, a major nerve in my right shoulder has been severely pinched and prevented natural growth. The physical damage is the most visible, but the emotional struggles have been the greatest challenge. I've decided I will no longer allow it to hinder who I am but rather work on creating a unique me. Learn more about Cornelius and "My Hand Project" at www.corneliusquiring.com
Dr. Graeme Moffat leads neuroscience and healthcare R&D at InteraXon, the maker of Muse: the brain sensing headband. Prior to joining InteraXon, he served as Managing Editor of Frontiers in Neuroscience, the largest and fastest growing journal in the field of neuroscience. Graeme's experience also includes research engineering on cochlear implants with Neurelec/Oticon Medical, clinical trial development with BC Research and McMaster University, and basic neuroscience at the Centre national de la recherche scientifique (France). He holds a PhD in neuroscience from Université Aix-Marseille.
Matt Ratto is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Information at the University of Toronto and directs the Semaphore Research cluster on Inclusive Design, Mobile and Pervasive Computing and, as part of Semaphore, the Critical Making lab. Ratto created and ran the ThingTank from 2009-2011, a collaborative project between private, non-profit, and academic partners working collectively on new IoT products and services. His work crosses both the boundaries between the digital and physical world and the divide between humanities and engineering disciplines. He coined the term ‘critical making” in 2007 to describe work that combines humanities insights and engineering practices, and has published extensively on this concept. A current project involves the development of a cost-effective software and hardware toolchain for the scanning, design, and 3D printing of lower-limb prostheses for use in the developing world. This work is being carried out in partnership with non-profit CBM Canada, CoRSU hospital in Uganda, Autodesk inc., and Toronto prosthetics and orthodics experts.
Michael Zinn has 10+ years in rehabilitation, helping individuals that have survived catastrophic injuries cope with their impaired cogitative processing, physical disabilities and mental challenges. Working with a full rehabilitation team, I provide one to one rehabilitation support to help survivors return to life after accident. With this experience I have have teamed up with Tappur to develop wearable technology to connect individuals with their own devices to speak, control their environment and interact with social media.
Nathan Harding is the co-founder of Ekso Bionics and has served as CEO since November 2012. He is also a co-inventor of the company's core exoskeleton technology. Prior to Ekso Bionics, he worked as a Mechanical Engineer at Carnegie Mellon's Field Robotics Center, at Redzone Robotics and also served as Mechanical Engineering Manager at Berkeley Process Control and as a consultant to the Berkeley Robotics and Human Engineering Laboratory. Nathan holds ten US patents and has another eight pending. He received his bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering and Economics from Carnegie Mellon University and his master's in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley.
About the Tech
Neutun is novel tracking software for epileptics through smartwatches and wearables. Our technology is device agnostic, non-invasive and utilizes accessible wearables. We don't diagnose epilepsy. We simply provide a seizure tracking tool for people living with epilepsy. Learn more at neutun.com
Proto3000's 3D technologies are changing the world. They fuel creativity and innovation, creating a revolution in the wearable tech industry and many other industries like it. Learn more at proto3000.com.
Ekso Bionics designs, develops, and commercializes exoskeletons which have a variety of applications in the medical, military, industrial, and consumer markets. Exoskeletons are wearable, battery-powered robots that are strapped over the user's clothing, enabling individuals to achieve mobility, strength, and endurance not otherwise possible. Ekso Bionics' lead product, Ekso GT™, is a wearable robotic exoskeleton that enables individuals with any amount of lower extremity weakness to stand up and walk over ground with a natural, full weight bearing, reciprocal gait. Learn more about how this robotic core exoskeleton technology is changing lives at eksobionics.com.
The SubPac is an immersive audio technology that transfers low frequencies directly to the body providing the listener with the physical dimension of sound which enables them to FEEL their music and sound. A popular product amongst DJ's, music producers and artists, gamers, film buffs and VR aficionados, the SubPac integrates the tactile sense into any media experience creating a visceral and engaging upgrade to just hearing and seeing media content. Central to the SubPac mission of "bringing people closer to sound and music" the SubPac team continues to develop new and better ways to engage and enable those who are not able to experience sound in a traditional manner. For the last 18 months SubPac has supported the mission of Maria Battle and her organization The Muse Seek Project to bring music and sound to deaf children in the Dominican Republic. And in a recent ground breaking collaboration with music producer and Ninja Tune artist Eskmo deaf and autistic school children were introduced to sound and music via a bespoke interactive audio visual presentation which corelated shapes and color to low frequencies allowing the audience to FEEL the the audible content in a unique, powerful and high fidelity format. Learn more at thesubpac.com.
TAPS: 1 to 12 fabric pressure trigger can be placed on an individual’s body or wheelchair in a designated locations. With a minimal touch, the trigger will activate an app on their smartphone, tablet or computer to assist with their disability. The individual can program the triggers to voice customizable statements, frequently used responses, questions or feelings. The triggers can also be programmed to turn on lights, operate electronics & TV's with Bluetooth, activate apps, open emails to be read out loud, open text messages to be read out loud, answer calls, play music and create music. Our device allows individuals to be less dependent on others, give caregivers piece of mind to provide the correct amount of support without guessing at jesters and be heard in a clear voice! Learn more at www.tapswearable.com
About our Sponsors
MaRS Discovery District is a mission-driven innovation centre located in Toronto. MaRS works with partners to catalyze, accelerate and amplify innovation. MaRS supports entrepreneurs building Canada’s next generation of growth companies.
Uproar PR is an innovative technology public relations and social media agency. Along with its other technology practices, the firm has successfully built brand recognition for its wearable technology clients. Within the wearable space, Uproar works with companies including Thalmic Labs, Bionym, ShotTracker and PUSH. Through Uproar's media relations efforts and experience, these wearables have been featured in media outlets including The Today Show, Business Insider, New York Times and CNBC, just to name a few. The firm specializes in developing campaigns that drive awareness and sales, while creating industry buzz.
BetaKit covers Canadian startup-news and tech innovation.
EY Canada helps media, technology, telecommunications and retail companies adapt to change, manage risk, meet regulatory requirements, foster product innovation and develop new business models. Our team of experienced industry professionals in Canada and around the world — supported by the EY Global Centres of Excellence — provides a multidisciplinary team of assurance, advisory, tax and transaction services to help you achieve your objectives.
Proto3000's 3D technologies are changing the world. They fuel creativity and innovation, creating a revolution in the wearable tech industry and many other industries like it.
About Our Partners
Belight: Billy Lee is a Photographer capturing events of our times to be shared and remembered. #event #conference #photography #photojournalist #documentarian #life #technology #wearable #startups #entrepreneurship #education #time #learning #change #better #experiences #humanevolution #involution #balance #awareness #creation #creativity #design Find him at @makingsenses or billy@belight.ca
Quick Attack Productions: providing video support for WWTO
Visual Talks are a dynamic, spectacular and truly enlightening method of documenting events as they happen. If you’re organizing an event, large or small, and you’re looking for new ways to engage and collaborate with your audience, live scribing (aka graphic recording or whiteboard illustration) is a uniquely powerful tool. It’s an inclusive and immediate way of communicating with groups of any size. It gives everyone in the room a sense that you are working together, contributing to the same vision.
The Amsterdam Brewing Company is an independently owned and operated craft brewery that is deeply rooted in the city of Toronto. A pioneer of the craft beer revolution in 1986 and initially called the Amsterdam Brasserie and Brew Pub, The Amsterdam was the first of its kind in Toronto to offer patrons hand crafted lagers and ales that were brewed ‘in-house’. Today they brew over ten different beers including their flagship lager – Amsterdam Natural Blonde, the award winning Big Wheel Deluxe Amber, Boneshaker IPA and multiple year-round and seasonal brews. The Amsterdam Brewing Company uses only traditional brewing methods and their beers are made with four all natural ingredients – malt, hops, yeast, and water. All beers are GMO-free, without preservatives, and never heat pasteurized.
Pizza Pizza: As a restaurant, pizza maker, employer, business partner and caring company, Pizza Pizza delivers. The Pizza Pizza network, including Pizza73, is composed of more than 600 traditional and non-traditional restaurants coast to coast, employing over 3,000 Canadians. We provide a flavourful, varied and high-quality menu to pizza-lovers of all ages and tastes. As a result, our organization has become a leader in the quick service segment of the Canadian foodservice industry, and one of the top pizza restaurant chains in the country.
Best Buy Canada is a specialty retailer and e-tailer of consumer electronics, personal computers and entertainment software and also operates the Geek Squad (www.geeksquad.ca), a 24-hour technology support task force. With nearly 200 Best Buy and Best Buy Mobile stores across Canada, our store employees and Geek Squad Agents are committed to delivering product solutions that enable easy access to people, knowledge, ideas and fun. Best Buy offers the largest selection of wearable technology and accessories in Canada with more than 200 products ranging from fitness trackers and smart watches to brain-sensing headbands and pet wearables. Best Buy stores across Canada have launched new in-store sections dedicated to wearable technology as well as a newonline wearable tech hub with everything you need to know about wearable technology including blogs, product reviews, videos and more.
Interested in speaking at or sponsoring the event? Want to join the team? Or have some feedback? Email the Toronto team at