After losing his voice to cancer, this founder is building “glasses for voice”
Konrad Zieliński, who lost his voice to cancer, founded Uhura Bionics to develop wearable devices that restore natural-sounding speech for laryngectomees. The startup is currently seeking medical device classification to improve accessibility and insurance coverage.
Why it matters
This innovation addresses a significant medical need by providing non-invasive, emotionally expressive voice restoration technology.
Konrad Zieliński lost his voice to cancer years ago while he was a student at the University of Warsaw. People with his condition have traditionally relied on handheld speaking devices that sound flat and robotic, or on surgically implanted voice prostheses, which require ongoing maintenance to prevent complications, Zieliński told TechCrunch.
He went on to complete a PhD focusing on bionic systems for laryngectomees, people who’ve had their voice boxes (larynxes) removed. While working on his thesis, he set out to build a non-invasive device, one requiring no surgery, that would allow people like him to speak with emotion, laugh, shout, and even sing.
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