We had the opportunity to interview Mauricio Meza, the CEO of Komodo OpenLab, the creator of Tecla, an assistive device for people with disabilities.
Q. Can you tell us a bit about yourself and Komodo OpenLab? When was your company first launched?
A. The company was founded in November 2010. My co-founder, Jorge Silva, and I are biomedical engineers by background. We worked in the field of assistive technology for a decade before founding the company. Jorge researched and developed technology ranging from prosthetics to algorithms that control complex interfaces with simple inputs. I worked as a clinician along with physiotherapists and speech-language pathologists who recommend and prescribe technology to individuals with disabilities. We wanted to design a technology that would make the disabled more independent at home, school or at work, and created Komodo OpenLab to design that technology.
Q. What is Tecla and what was the initial inspiration for this product?”
A. Tecla is an assistive device for people with disabilities. Working in the industry we grew frustrated with the state of technology available for those with disabilities. Instead of benefiting from the latest changes in technology, they had to rely on expensive dedicated assistive devices that segregated them from their peers. Our initial goal was to make mobile devices as accessible as possible so that everyone could partake in technological advancements as they became available.
Q. What is the greatest achievement you feel your company has attained so far?
A. The greatest achievement is what our users can do when they have the right tools. We have a teenage user with Cerebral Palsy who lives in Ireland. after realizing the potential of mobile technology he learned to code, and with the help of Tecla,has since developed an app that helps people with speech impairments communicate. We have another user in Australia that makes amazing films that he edits and now films on his own. Most recently, he was able to control a drone via his smartphone and Tecla.
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