Inclusive assistive tech innovations win share of £2.5m for further development

Stylish mobility aids that tackle stigmas, adaptive beauty products, an AI smart glove that translates sign language, and an accessible electric vehicle charger for people with reduced mobility are just some of the accessible solutions that have won funding recently.

Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation, is helping 50 companies to further develop their inclusive inventions, which include diverse assistive technologies.

Each company is a winner of Innovate UK’s inaugural Inclusive Innovation Award and has been awarded £50,000.

The Inclusive Innovation Award encourages all parts of society to engage with innovation as a process that they can both benefit from and contribute to. Ensuring accessibility and inclusion are included from the outset of innovation design mitigates the risk of deepening existing inequalities and widening societal gaps, Innovate UK underlines.

Some of the diverse range of assistive technology solutions that won the Inclusive Innovation Award have been highlighted by AT Today below.

BrightSign is an AI smart glove that enables sign language users to communicate via voice technology, without an interpreter. The glove recognises gestures and translates them into speech.

Hadeel Ayoub, BrightSign Founder, said that the award will help it make the life-changing technology more accessible to the most vulnerable in society.

She commented: “We are working towards making our innovation as affordable as possible, so that every person who could benefit from a BrightSign glove is able to access one. Our hope is that one day, we can help to give a voice to everyone, everywhere.”

Another interesting award winner is Human Beauty, which aims to break down barriers in the cosmetics industry with adaptive products for disabled people, such as an omni-directional mascara wand and a makeup palette that offers a detailed audio or visual descriptor video for visually impaired and blind people.

Human Beauty Founder Millie Flemington-Clare, whose goal is breaking down barriers in the cosmetics industry that prevent disabled people being included and represented, commented on winning the Inclusive Innovation Award: “This award will help me achieve my long-term ambition for my innovation, which is to establish my brand as the go-to source for authentic and innovative adaptive beauty products.”

In addition, Duku is a new charger that makes electric vehicle charging accessible to everyone, including to those with restricted mobility. The design addresses current charging barriers by removing physical barriers around the base of the charger and motorising the cable, allowing users to easily extend and retract up to 7.5 metres of heavy cable using buttons mounted on the plug.

Zeal Lifestyle won an award for offering stylish and sustainable mobility aids that strive to combat stigmas around clinical and aesthetically unpleasing products in the assisted living sector.

Also in the mobility sector is Phoenix Instinct. This firm won an award for its smart, lightweight wheelchair that has an intelligent centre of gravity and a built-in power assist unit. The funding will help the firm continue its innovation of wheelchairs, with the next step being to improve the handrim.

Digit Music uses video gaming hardware to make playing an instrument more user-friendly and accessible through its Cmpsr controller. The pioneering design, including a gaming joystick and tactile buttons, means that anyone can play the right chords and notes with a single finger stroke.

Another Inclusive Innovation Award winner is Motionspot, which supports businesses and their architects to design and build spaces that are accessible and inclusive for users with a range of physical, cognitive, and sensory needs.

SensoRail incorporates AI vibration technology to convert non-verbal sounds, like footsteps or a dog barking, into dynamic vibration patterns, enabling deaf people to engage more fully while watching TV.

Moreover, GG Care empowers people with dementia to live more independently with interactive voice reminders. The technology simplifies tasks by breaking them down into digestible steps with a series of questions and prompts, helping individuals gain back their confidence and independence.

Mumbli uses state-of-the art sensors to help event venues assess their acoustic performance and noise levels in specific areas to help them make better decisions about accessibility and inclusion.

View all 50 of the Inclusive Innovation Award winners here.

Earlier this year, Innovate UK announced the 94 winners of the Young Innovators Awards. AT Today covered which assistive technology innovators were named winners here, which included a portable seat raiser for people with reduced mobility, an augmented reality smartphone app to support stroke rehabilitation, and an affordable 10-line braille display.