Kinova is a Canadian
technology
Technology is the application of knowledge to reach practical goals in a specifiable and reproducible way. The word ''technology'' may also mean the product of such an endeavor. The use of technology is widely prevalent in medicine, scie ...
company that manufactures
service robot
Service robots assist human beings, typically by performing a job that is dirty, dull, distant, dangerous or repetitive. They typically are autonomous and/or operated by a built-in control system, with manual override options.
The term "service ro ...
ics platforms and applications for personal assistance. The company is headquartered in
Boisbriand, Quebec,
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tota ...
.
History
In 2006, Charles Deguire and Louis-Joseph L'Écuyer founded Kinova as an independent manufacturer of robotic devices. Deguire's uncle was an inventor who created a manipulator for his wheelchair, which became the basis for the company to create the robotic arms. By 2009, Kinova had introduced a robotic arm that could fit onto any standard wheelchair and allow users to feed themselves.
From 2016 to 2018, Kinova expanded its operations, opening offices in
Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...
and
China. In 2017, Kinova announced that it had raised $25 million in funding backed by investors KTB Network, BDC Venture Capital, Fonds Manufacturier Québécois and
Foxconn Technology Group
Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd., trading as Hon Hai Technology Group in China and Taiwan and Foxconn internationally, is a Taiwanese multinational electronics contract manufacturer established in 1974 with headquarters in Tucheng, New Ta ...
. Later in the year, the company collaborated and partnered with
McGill University
McGill University (french: link=no, Université McGill) is an English-language public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter granted by King George IV,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill Universit ...
to increase their collaborative research involving medical, surgical and assistive robotics.
Products
Kinova produces the Jaco Assistive robotic arm, a six-axis robotic manipulator arm with a two- or three-finger hand to improve the life of people with mobility issues.
Kinova also provides accessories such as arm grippers,
actuators
An actuator is a component of a machine that is responsible for moving and controlling a mechanism or system, for example by opening a valve. In simple terms, it is a "mover".
An actuator requires a control device (controlled by control signal) ...
and
controllers.
See also
*
Assistive technology
*
Rehabilitation robotics
Rehabilitation robotics is a field of research dedicated to understanding and augmenting rehabilitation through the application of robotic devices. Rehabilitation robotics includes development of robotic devices tailored for assisting different s ...
*
Medical robot
A medical robot is a robot used in the medical sciences. They include surgical robots. These are in most telemanipulators, which use the surgeon's activators on one side to control the "effector" on the other side.
Types
* Surgical robots: Th ...
*
Industrial robot
An industrial robot is a robot system used for manufacturing. Industrial robots are automated, programmable and capable of movement on three or more axes.
Typical applications of robots include robot welding, welding, painting, assembly, Circu ...
References
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Companies based in Quebec
Technology companies of Canada
2006 establishments in Canada