Toyota and Remarkable: A Partnership Driving Innovation in Disability Tech
By Kate Jenkins, Head of Community and Partnerships at Remarkable
Early in 2024, Toyota Motor Corporation Australia came on board as a Supporting Partner of Remarkable, and I’m excited to share an update on how this partnership is coming to life.
Last month, I had the privilege of joining the Toyota Hardware Tech Immersion in Melbourne. We spent two days collaborating with Toyota’s leading engineers, designers, and Toyota Production System (TPS) experts to tackle specific challenges and accelerate development. Five Remarkable startups, alongside the CPA Research / USYD team, participated. The group included:
- Biomotum: Represented by Jacob Giusti (Product Engineer) and Matt Leineweber (Senior Mechanical Design Engineer), part of the 2022 Accelerator Alumni.
- ByStorm Beauty: Led by Founder Storm Menzies, from the 2024 Launcher.
- RehabExo: 2024 Launcher Alumni Vaheh Nazari (Co-founder and CTO) joined by Musculoskeletal Specialist Jordan Davis, his wife Kristy and two-year-old daughter Chaya.
- Rove: Ryan Tilley, Founder and CEO, and formerly Co-founder of Gecko Traxx from the 2019 Accelerator.
- Tangible Workshop: Led by David and Caroline Ingerson, 2024 Launcher Alumni.
- Infant Treadmill Project: Represented by Alistair McEwan, Sabrina Schaly, and Nicola Postal from CPA and University of Sydney Research team.
Toyota generously covered travel and accommodation for up to two people per project, allowing us to invite participants from the USA, New Zealand, and across Australia.
The Immersion Experience
Toyota was a fantastic host, offering behind-the-scenes access to their design and engineering process. We were also introduced to the TPS through a fun and educational Lego simulation.
On the second day, the startups were divided into three focus areas, allowing them to collaborate closely with Toyota experts:
- Engineering Solutions: Biomotum, RehabExo, and the Infant Treadmill Project worked on technical challenges with Toyota engineers.
- Production Systems: Rove refined their manufacturing approach with Toyota’s guidance.
- Prototyping and Industrial Design: ByStorm and Tangible Workshop focused on prototyping and design refinement.
This tailored support empowered the startups to make real-time progress by tapping into Toyota’s technical expertise and strategic insights.
A Culture of Collaboration and Innovation
We were joined by the outstanding team from Free 3D Hands, including Founder and CEO Mat Bowtell, a former Toyota engineer. Mat’s journey from the automotive industry to creating free prosthetic hands for people around the world, is nothing short of remarkable.
Free 3D Hands shares their designs under an open-source licence so people can make and repair their own devices and to encourage further innovation. Mat, along with Biomedical Engineers, Michael and Ellie, generously got involved with our startups, helping to build solutions and lasting connections!
A Special Thank you To Toyota and Their Incredible Team
We are incredibly grateful to Toyota Motor Corporation Australia. This partnership offers Remarkable startups an exceptional opportunity to collaborate with Toyota’s top experts, leveraging their extensive experience to fast-track the development of hardware products.
A big thank you to the Toyota team for their support and particularly to Thanh, Cam, and Katarina for making this Immersion and the partnership possible.
Special thanks to the expert team members—Brendan, Casper, Ewan, Jack, Marco, Mo, Richard, Shane, Tina, and Will — for sharing your time, expertise and enthusiasm with us!
What’s Next?
It doesn’t stop here.
In the coming months, our startups will continue to collaborate with Toyota’s experts, pushing their projects forward. Stay tuned for more updates!
