UHN's KITE Research Institute is partnering on three newly funded envisAGE projects to evaluate innovative technologies that support healthy aging, improve care, and enhance quality of life for older adults across Canada.
Through the envisAGE initiative, KITE will help evaluate three innovative technologies designed to improve safety, independence, and quality of life for older adults in homes, long-term care, and rehabilitation settings.
Three new collaborative projects involving UHN's KITE Research Institute have received funding through the envisAGE initiative, a pan-Canadian program that helps bring promising AgeTech solutions into everyday healthcare and community settings. The projects are among 17 announced by MEDTEQ+ and AGE-WELL, representing nearly $24 million in investment to improve the lives of older adults and their caregivers across Canada. The envisAGE initiative is funded through the Government of Canada’s Strategic Response Fund.
As one of envisAGE's Beachheads, KITE works with companies and care organizations to assess emerging solutions where they will ultimately be used. By measuring their performance and impact in practice, KITE helps generate the evidence needed to inform wider adoption and improve care for older adults and those who support them.
Among the newly funded projects is a collaboration with Pontosense Inc. and Home Instead that will deploy privacy-first AI radar monitoring in more than 1,500 Canadian homes. KITE will assess the system's technical performance and its impact on caregivers and clients, helping determine how it can support fall prevention, wellness, and aging in place.
KITE is also partnering with Geonavo Positioning Systems Inc. (Tenera Care) and Shannex to study a real-time location nurse call system integrated with nighttime sensors. The project aims to improve resident safety and sleep quality in long-term care by combining new technology with care delivery expertise.
A third project, led by WeTraq in collaboration with Scarborough Health Network, will use wearable technology, artificial intelligence, and gamified rehabilitation tools to improve mobility, reduce fall risk, and support recovery for older adults in inpatient rehabilitation. KITE will help determine how well the approach performs in clinical practice.
Together, these projects highlight the growing role of research partnerships in moving promising ideas beyond development and into the hands of the people who can benefit most. By generating the evidence needed to validate new approaches, KITE is helping accelerate innovation that supports healthier, more independent aging across Canada.