Laronix – Giving voice to the voiceless

Dr Fary Ahmadi: I can't emphasise how important it is to have the R&D Tax Incentive.

It's actually a major, major component of new technology development in Australia without a doubt.

[Title text on screen: Australian Government; Department of Industry, Science and Resources; Research and Development Tax Incentive Customer Story: Laronix]

Dr Fary Ahmadi: My name is Dr. Fary Ahmadi, I'm the co-founder and CEO at Laronix.

[Text on screen: Dr Farzaneh Ahmadi, CEO / Co-founder, Laronix]

Laronix is a world pioneer in voice rehabilitation technologies for voice-loss people.

The problem we're trying to solve is that voice solutions for voice-loss people have not changed for over 40 years.

So our mission has been to change the status quo here and develop a modern technology that for the first time enables people with voice-loss to not be affected by their disability, get back to life, be able to sing, be able to laugh and enjoy a female male or non-binary voice.

[Text on screen: Sharon, Laronix patient]

Sharon: I could never give back to them what they have given back to me; giving life back to so many of us who thought there was nothing left but silence.

Dr Fary Ahmadi: Laronix voice technology is a first in the world, so it didn't exist before.

Because R&D is a resource exhaustive process and there is uncertainty in it, companies are hesitant to step into that front.

The R&D Tax Incentive encourage and supports the companies that want to do serious R&D and serious innovation.

In that sense it’s actually quite unique across multiple countries that we are working with.

Laronix has so far two generations of the product.

The first product, AVA, is an artificial larynx that for the first time people can sing and laugh with.

The second product is an electronic handheld device called MIRA.

And MIRA is extendable to ten times larger population.

And we've used the R&D Tax Incentive proceeds to design and develop AVA, which is now commercialized.

And now we are focused on designing and developing Mira.

[Text on screen: Nick, Laronix patient]

Nick: When I bring the device out and talk to somebody sometimes they’re a little bit “wow”.

But I’m totally accepted by everybody and it’s been 100 percent better for me to be able to return to work and get on with my life.

Dr Fary Ahmadi: I have spent over 20 years in innovation industry and a country is always as good as its plans around innovation because that's essentially what defines the future.

So the more you support innovation, the more you support new technologies, the more you have a comfortable space in the future of the world.

We work with other countries as well, and we haven't seen a government this supportive with this special scheme to support innovation anywhere in the world.

[Closing text on screen: Australian Government; Department of Industry, Science and Resources; Research and Development Tax Incentive; Find out more on business.gov.au/rdti]