{"id":2183,"date":"2021-08-05T09:54:18","date_gmt":"2021-08-05T09:54:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/entrepreneurs.utoronto.ca\/ip-education\/?post_type=spotlight&p=2183"},"modified":"2021-09-03T19:12:49","modified_gmt":"2021-09-03T19:12:49","slug":"this-is-the-place-to-help-kids-walk","status":"publish","type":"spotlight","link":"https:\/\/entrepreneurs.utoronto.ca\/ip-education\/spotlight\/this-is-the-place-to-help-kids-walk\/","title":{"rendered":"This is the place to help kids walk"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\n spotlight<\/a> <\/div>\n \n\n

This is the place to help kids walk<\/h1>\n\n
\"Boy<\/figure>\n\n\n

A small boy wearing Trexo Robotics assistive technology smiles as a helper shows him a tablet display<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n

University of Toronto startup Trexo Robotics is designing innovative assistive technology that supports children with physical disabilities as they take their first steps.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n


Learning to walk is a rite of passage for infant children. But what happens when a child is born with a physical disability? Can they use miniature versions of adult mobility devices to help them walk?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When considering this question, graduate students Manmeet Maggu and Rahul Udasi, who founded their startup, Trexo Robotics, as members of the University of Toronto Entrepreneurship community, discovered that the answer is no. Adults who use mobility devices usually learned to walk as a child, developing the bones and muscles required to crawl, stand, balance and ultimately propel themselves forward. Children born with physical disabilities are often unable to go through these developmental steps. If they are to walk, they require technology that helps them learn the motions rather than a device that simply powers their legs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n