Wrnch

Wrnch was a computer vision and deep learning company headquartered in Montreal, Canada, that specialized in the digital reconstruction of human motion. The firm was founded in April 2014 by Dr. Paul Kruszewski, a serial entrepreneur with a background in AI and computer graphics, holding a PhD from McGill University. Kruszewski's previous ventures included BioGraphic Technologies, which focused on crowd simulation, and Grip Entertainment, which created AI characters for video games. Wrnch was established within the TandemLaunch technology incubator.

The company's core offering was the wrnchAI engine, a real-time software platform that utilized deep learning and human pose estimation to digitize movement and behavior from standard 2D video feeds. This engine could analyze video from any camera to track skeletal joints, infer 3D human motion, and output this data for use in various applications. The technology was designed to be frictionless, eliminating the need for special suits or markers associated with traditional motion capture. Wrnch provided software development kits (SDKs) to developers, enabling them to integrate this human motion data into applications across sectors like entertainment, health and safety, and sports fitness. Its business model centered on providing these development platforms for deployment at scale, with notable customers including Intel, NVIDIA, and Softbank.

Throughout its operation, Wrnch secured approximately $9.3 million in funding over several rounds, including investments from Mark Cuban, Radical Ventures, and a significant $7.5 million Series A investment from Nikon in June 2019. This funding supported the company's technical development and expansion. A key milestone was a collaboration with NVIDIA to integrate wrnch's technology into the Omniverse Machinima platform, allowing game creators to animate 3D characters using real-world human motion captured via video. In September 2021, Wrnch was acquired by Hinge Health, a digital musculoskeletal clinic. The acquisition aimed to integrate Wrnch's advanced computer vision technology to enhance Hinge Health's motion tracking capabilities for personalized physical therapy and rehabilitation. Keywords: wrnch, wrnchAI, Paul Kruszewski, computer vision, human pose estimation, deep learning, motion capture, 3D reconstruction, body tracking, artificial intelligence, video analysis, Hinge Health, NVIDIA Omniverse, software development kit, real-time AI, digital human motion, character animation, human-centric AI, movement digitization, TandemLaunch