Theia Partners With New Brunswick Researchers to Validate Patient-Turnover Device
AI-generated image · Bay Street Wire
Toronto-based motion-capture firm Theia is providing the biomechanical data needed to determine if DHG Denmark's Vendlet device actually reduces healthcare worker injuries.
As BetaKit first reported, Toronto-based Theia has announced a collaboration with researchers in New Brunswick to evaluate the efficacy of a patient-turnover device designed to lower the risk of injury for healthcare workers. The study focuses on the Vendlet, a device developed by the European company DHG Denmark, which assists caregivers in repositioning patients in hospital beds.
According to BetaKit, the study aims to determine if the Vendlet meaningfully reduces physical strain during patient transfers. While the device has previously demonstrated a reduction in strain, BetaKit reports that the technology has not yet been proven in Canada. The research is particularly timely given that the BC Nurses’ Union identifies musculoskeletal injuries—often caused by patient lifts and transfers that strain the lower back—as one of the primary causes of time loss within the Canadian workers’ compensation system.
To measure the device's impact, researchers are tracking the movements of caregivers as they reposition "simulated patients," who are members of the research team. Theia is providing the analytical backbone for the study via its Theia3D platform. As BetaKit reports, Theia’s machine learning technology can generate 3D biomechanical data from video footage without requiring the subjects to wear tracking markers or attachments. Theia CEO Marcus Brown told BetaKit that conducting the study without this technology would have been "probably impossible," as it would have required reflective markers for both the caregiver and patient across more than 500 trials.
The research is headed by Michelle Cardoso of the Université de Moncton and Wayne Albert, who serves as a dean at the University of New Brunswick and leads its Occupational Performance Lab. Albert stated in a press release that Theia's measurements provide the necessary evidence to evaluate new technologies and identify approaches that reduce the physical demands on caregivers. Funding for the project was provided by Mitacs, a nonprofit organization, as well as WorkSafe Saskatchewan and the Workers’ Compensation Board.
Beyond this study, Theia sells its platform to companies and research labs to analyze repetitive movements and develop injury-prevention training plans. Brown noted to BetaKit that the company's annual revenue is above $5 million CAD, though he did not disclose a specific figure. The company has also expanded into sports analytics, having been chosen by the NBA as one of four partners for a biomechanics pilot program last year.
Results from the New Brunswick study are expected by December 2026.