Jayiesh Singh
Growing up, Jayiesh Singh’s parents would often find him with a screwdriver in hand, taking apart anything electronic in a quest to understand the inner workings.
Today, Singh is co-founder and CEO of Able Innovations, a Toronto-based robotics company on a mission to advance quality of care, efficiency and safety in health care with its smart technology.
Singh, who graduated from the University of Toronto with a Bachelor of Applied Science – Mechanical Engineering (Mechatronics), has always had an interest in elder care. He volunteered at a long-term care home where his mother worked, playing chess with residents and taking part in social activities. It was in that setting that his mother was injured while moving residents.
For many years, Singh wondered what could be done to make a difference in the lives of residents and staff, and how he could combine his experience in robotics and engineering to develop technology that would have a positive impact on older adults and those who cared for them.
First, though, Singh spent a year understanding their challenges and developing a business case. He saw the burden faced by caregivers and health care professionals to execute tasks that involved lifting and moving people.
The ALTA Platform®
It’s a time-consuming and physically demanding process that requires two or more caregivers and can lead to transfer-related injuries. As Singh notes, it’s a method unchanged since the 1960s, adding, “Innovation of any kind was lagging.”
While Singh had the inspiration for Able Innovations’ revolutionary transfer technology through his lived experience, his co-founder, Philip Chang, was instrumental in making it a reality.
In 2020, Chang and Singh developed a pilot prototype intended for commercial use—the ALTA Platform®. The smart and automated device allows a single caregiver to transfer a person to and from a bed, without contact and without risking injury to either, in a dignified manner.
AGE-WELL supported the ALTA Platform at every stage, from funding through its SIP Accelerator and AgeTech Implementation Response (AIR) Program to the AGE-WELL National Impact Challenge, which awarded Able Innovations $20,000 to help deliver a full-scale prototype for hospitals. Dr. Bruce Wallace, executive director of the AGE-WELL SAM3 National Innovation Hub, was instrumental in helping Able Innovations with proof of concept by conducting studies showing the device’s safety.
It led to procurement of Able Innovations’ technology by Bruyère Hospital in Ottawa in 2023—marking a significant milestone for the company.
“I value AGE-WELL not just as funding partners, but as great connectors and supporters, too.”– Jayiesh Singh
“I value AGE-WELL not just as funding partners, but as great connectors and supporters, too. As Able Innovations grows, this has been essential, allowing us to stay on mission. It was AGE-WELL that took the initial risk to support us at a time when no one else was willing to. We’re greatly appreciative of that.”
That mission includes putting the ALTA Platform in more hospitals and other settings, continuing to attract new investors to support expansion, and evolving the technology for use by at-home caregivers.
“Ultimately, the goal is to use this technology to help older adults stay at home longer,” says Singh. “That’s my dream.”