Rethinking Assistive Care: The Aussie Innovation Transforming Daily Care

Rethinking Assistive Care: The Aussie Innovation Transforming Daily Care

In the industrial corridors of northern Adelaide, once the backbone of Australia’s automotive and defence manufacturing, an unlikely innovation in healthcare has taken root. It is not a new tool for the factory floor or a sensor for remote mining, but a highly specialised assistive technology solution designed to solve one of the most pressing and personal challenges in aged and disability care: how to help a single person safely move, wash and care for another without complex equipment or additional assistance.

This is the story of the Behn® Client Transfer Solution, an Australian-made fully integrated bed, shower chair and commode innovation that is set to reshape home-based and institutional care. And it was designed not in a corporate boardroom, but around a family dining table.

A problem close to home

The origins of Behn date back to 2012, when engineer and business consultant Alan Royce and his wife took in his elderly mother-in-law following a medical emergency and home invasion. As the family took on her care, they encountered a web of practical difficulties. Lifting, toileting, showering and basic hygiene all required assistance, often from two or more people, and usually with outdated or imported equipment that did not work in everyday home environments.

This was not a unique problem. But it became the seed of a uniquely Australian solution.

From concept to creation: Engineering meets empathy

Royce shared his experience with Craig Williams, a local manufacturer with deep roots in South Australia’s sheet metal industry. A trip to Germany and conversations with researchers from the Fraunhofer Institute confirmed their hunch. The global care sector was crying out for more dignified, low labour solutions. The ageing population was expanding. The carer workforce was stretched thin. And no one seemed to be building with the home carer in mind.

The two men returned to Australia with a vision and soon partnered with engineer Brenton Matters and his sons, Scott and Jake. What followed was a decade of hard graft, hundreds of hours in design and prototyping, and many visits to care facilities to observe the realities of everyday transfers. From the beginning, the team was committed to making something better. Not just another product, but a complete rethink of the carer experience.

Designed, engineered and manufactured in Australia

Today, Behn is one of the few assistive technology solutions conceived, engineered and manufactured entirely on Australian soil.

The solution combines an advanced mobility bed with an integrated shower chair and transfer track, enabling one person to move a client safely between bed, bathroom and beyond without hoists, slings or manual lifting. It is a ground-up reinvention of what care can look like, built with the rigour of defence engineering and the insights of frontline care teams.

From laser-cut steel frames fabricated in South Australia to embedded electronics and safety features assembled by hand, every component is designed for real-world conditions including tight room layouts, variable flooring, clients with ageing or physical impairments and carers who are often family members doing their best.

Unlike many imported products, Behn is designed with 24/7 reliability in mind. Features such as mechanical fail-safes, independent battery backup and a serviceable parts model mean carers can trust the solution to work when it is needed most.

Built for real homes and institutional care alike

Many care products on the market are adapted from hospital settings and are too large, too clinical or too complex for everyday use. The Behn team took a different path. They designed a multi-purpose solution that works seamlessly in both private homes and institutional care environments with equal focus on safety, dignity and usability.

From compact dimensions suited to tight residential spaces to the robust performance required in high turnover facilities, Behn was built to bridge both worlds. Its discreet design, intuitive controls and safe single-carer operation make it ideal for aged care providers, disability services and home care programs.

The solution has undergone extensive testing with professional and informal carers, from residential facilities such as Anglicare’s Salisbury team to families caring for loved ones at home. That feedback has shaped every feature, ensuring the solution remains person centred, practical and ready for real-world demands.

It is a thoughtful blend of empathy, engineering and local manufacturing, delivering meaningful change for carers and clients across Australia.

Backed by investment, recognised by government

What began as a home-grown idea has since attracted more than $1.4 million in private investment and support from government innovation programs. In 2022, the South Australian Government awarded a $165,000 grant for product development and testing. In 2024, the Commonwealth’s ARIIA program contributed a further $150,000 to accelerate the solution’s path to market.

Crucially, the Behn Client Transfer Solution is now listed on the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods (ARTG). This marks a vital step in securing clinical trust and enabling broader rollout across aged care, disability and hospital-at-home programs.

The company’s R&D efforts also benefited from the federal tax incentive scheme, providing stability during the long lead time between early development and commercialisation.

A manufacturing success story with purpose

At its core, Behn is a deeply personal response to a national and global challenge. But for Australia’s advanced manufacturing sector, it also represents something bigger. It is proof that local design, prototyping and production can still lead the world.

The team’s multidisciplinary backgrounds span automotive engineering, military-grade design, healthcare operations and electronics integration. That diversity has shaped every layer of the solution, from the tactile layout of control panels to the safety architecture that ensures client protection even during a power outage.

And while the product is technologically sophisticated, the goal has always been simple. Make care safer and easier for the person giving it, especially when they are doing it alone.

Why local matters

In an era of globalised supply chains and generic imports, Behn is proudly and intentionally local.

Families and care workers need to know the solution will perform every day. They need local technical support and training. And in many cases, they need customisation to fit unique room sizes, needs and client profiles.

Having a close-knit Australian team means faster iterations, better responsiveness and a shared commitment to quality. When an issue arises, there is no call centre in another time zone. There is a technician or engineer who knows the solution inside out and is ready to help.

The road ahead

Behn’s commercial rollout is underway, with early deployments already transforming how transfers are managed in both residential and institutional settings. As the team scales up, they remain committed to producing locally, collaborating with clinical partners and expanding their support network across the country.

For Australia’s care community, Behn offers a compelling case study of how deep technical expertise, cross-industry collaboration and a belief in local capability can result in something world class.

This is not just a product. It is a return to the values that built the nation’s manufacturing heritage: innovation, practicality and pride in making things that matter.

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