Rehab Institute partners on robotics with Fourier

TORONTO and SINGAPORE – The KITE Research Institute at the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute (part of the University Health Network) and Fourier Intelligence have formed a global partnership by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). The two parties are pleased to announce they have entered an alliance to expand KITE’s robotics research and education capabilities, including establishment of a new world-class Rehab Robotics Centre with Fourier’s next-gen RehabHub and support from its network of researchers. A virtual signing event took place on Dec. 16.

The research at UHN will be conducted by KITE, the No. 1 ranked Rehab Research Facility in the world, and one of the principal research enterprises at Canada’s leading research hospital network, UHN.

The announcement of this partnership is timely, given the impact of the COVID-19 crisis and society’s changing attitudes on the adoption of home-based rehabilitation technologies and telerehabilitation. The KITE-Fourier partnership brings together clinicians, researchers, and engineers in technology development to further propel the field of rehabilitation robotics/technologies and help support users through successful healthcare technology integrations.

Fourier Intelligence is a Chinese based startup company with a focus on medical rehabilitation robotics. Fourier is based in Shanghai, China, and has an international office in Singapore.

The MOU was co-signed by Dr. Milos R. Popovic (pictured), director of the KITE Research Institute, a pioneer in the field of bioengineering and assistive technologies and Zen Koh, Fourier Intelligence’s co-founder, group deputy CEO.

“Zen and I have been acquainted for many years, and it is great to finally come together in a collaboration to realize what we have both been discussing for the past few years,” said Popovic, who is also a professor with the Institute of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Toronto.

“Fourier is a great partner and this agreement will help us achieve KITE’s vision of developing a new world-class Rehab Robotics Centre. We are currently in the process of raising $12 million to get this Rehab Robotics Centre up and running.”

“We are excited about this partnership. KITE, under the leadership of Milos, is considered one of the top global research facilities in the field of rehabilitation,” said Mr. Koh. “Working together, we can consolidate our resources and jointly design and develop next-generation technologies for our clinicians and patients.”

The MOU coverage focuses on the field of, among others, robotics rehabilitation research, the formation of a joint lab with Fourier Intelligence’s multitude of institutional research labs and a regional education centre. Professor Denny Oetomo, who is leading the University of Melbourne & Fourier Intelligence Robotics Lab, was also present during the virtual signing ceremony. “We are thrilled to be able to work with KITE as they have well-integrated engineering and clinical testing,” added Oetomo.

To further strengthen the partnership, KITE will also join Fourier’s Global Rehabilitation and Assistive Technology Network (GReAT) Network, to optimize resource sharing and promote translational research of rehabilitation technology into clinical practice.

About University Health Network Toronto Rehabilitation Institute
Toronto Rehabilitation Institute is the largest rehabilitation hospital in Canada, and a member of the University Health Network. The research arm of the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, KITE, is a world leader in complex rehabilitation science and is dedicated to improving the lives of people living with the effects of disability, illness, and ageing. KITE is one of the principal research enterprises at the University Health Network (UHN), Canada’s top research hospital with more than $350-million in total annual research expenditures.

About Fourier Intelligence
Fourier Intelligence is a technology-driven company, infusing creativity into the development of exoskeleton and rehabilitation robotics since 2015. Together with researchers, therapists, and patients, Fourier Intelligence aims to excel in developing and redefining rehabilitation robotics solutions with inter-connectable intelligent robotics technology by elevating user experience with an intuitive, easy-to-use system to enhance the lives of both patients and therapists.