Uhura Bionics CEO and co-founder Konrad Zieliński lost his voice to cancer. He then built a company to help people who have lost their voices. But for Marek Grzelec, a hardware-software engineer, the voice technology available at the time was not good enough for his friend – so he decided to build something better.
Uhura Bionics has developed a real-world solution designed to improve functional communication for people with a range of speech disabilities and age-related voice changes.
Uhura Bionics has completed development of two product categories: TIK-TAK, described as a compact, energy-efficient electronic larynx with intonation, and VOXFLOW, a speech amplifier designed for atypical speakers, including people who have undergone laryngectomy and those living with Parkinson’s disease.
The products were developed with support from grants involving the Polish Agency for Enterprise Development (PARP) and the European Commission, with projects implemented through the Ełk Science and Technology Park and Podkarpackie Innovation Centre.
PARP documentation also identifies VOXFLOW as a mobile device using an optimized speech-conversion algorithm to enable voice communication for people with speech disorders.
Recently Uhura Bionics have generated their first international sales in the U.S. and built a stable monthly income that allows them to grow sustainably.
This innovation was enabled by European Funds for a Modern Economy 2021–2027 programme and the European Funds for Eastern Poland programme, both co-financed by the European Union to support development of the modern Polish economy.
