An Australian university-backed start-up has taken home a large portion of the winner’s pie at the Tech23 2013 awards, bagging five of the 34 possible prizes.

2Mar Robotics, founded by former Young Australian of the Year and University of Melbourne student, Marita Cheng, brought home the mound of awards for a robotic arm developed for people in wheelchairs.

The company designed and manufactured a voice and iPhone controlled robot arm for people with spinal cord injuries, muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, cerebral palsy and Parkinson's. It can be mounted onto a wheelchair, bedside table, kitchen, or bathroom.

2Mar Robotics’ accolades included the highly sought-after Tech23 2013 Innovations Excellence Award.

“Before we started on this project, we interviewed people suffering from a range of conditions to get an idea of their special needs. It was important to us to have the project entirely driven by what is useful to the groups who need it most,” Ms Cheng said.

The company is working with end-user groups including the Victorian Spinal Cord Injuries Unit, Austin Hospital, Australian Quadriplegics Association, Spinal Cord Injuries Association, and Paraquad South Australia.