A new wheelchair and ramp designed to fit into standard vehicles without costly modifications and a system for keeping elderly people safe in their homes were both awarded $10,000 in the School of Rehabilitation Sciences Innovation Challenge.
The challenge was conducted in conjunction with the Innovation Institute’s First Gear innovation commercialization program, where Pitt innovators can discover the commercial potential of their discoveries.
First Gear provides participants with $3,000 to assist in market research and customer discovery activities, along with one-on-one mentoring through the eight-week program. For the third time, the School of Rehabilitation Sciences has sponsored a competition as part of First Gear in order to encourage faculty and students translate their research from the lab to the market where it can have an impact outside the university.
“We were impressed with the diversity and quality of the innovations in this latest cohort of First Gear,” said Paul Petrovich, assistant director of business development at the Innovation Institute. “It has been a pleasure to partner with the School of Rehabilitation Sciences to spur innovation and entrepreneurship. We welcome similar partnerships with other Pitt schools and departments.”
Each First Gear team is composed of a faculty principal investigator (PI), an entrepreneurial lead (EL), which is typically a student, and a business mentor (M).
These were the teams in the most recent cohort.
NuCal (Nutrition Calculator)
PI: Rakesh Aneja
EL: Jaskaran Rakkar
M: Rickey Miller; Matthew Stadler
Automated system to diagnose and treat malnutrition in children
Arqus Technology
PI: Charles Lin
M: Michele Migliuolo
Developing technology solutions to improve surgical patient safety
Aviva
PI: Jeremy Kahn
EL: Andrew King
M: Mark Collins
Optimizing intensive care unit outcomes via an intelligent checklist developed from recordings of ICU rounds conversations
Sharing Traditional Indian Magic (Jadoo) in the West
PI: Joseph Alter
EL: Shreeyash Palshikar; Fatima Oyola-Ramos
M: Cigdem Benam
Sharing Indian magic with a global audience through a variety of media
Contact.Engineering
PI: Tevis Jacobs
EL: Lars Pastewka
M: Vasu Rao
Platform technology for predicting surface performance in precision-manufacturing applications
Diversity and Inclusion E-Learning Tool-Kit
PI: Adriana Vieira
EL: Bernardo Vieira
M: Peter Allen
A collection of tools, resources, and strategies created to support e-learning in diversity and inclusion for Healthcare organizations
Saver
PI: Rory Cooper
EL: Brandon Daveler; Chang Dae Lee
M: Robert Huemmrich
A wheelchair designed to fit into standard vehicles
Any Arm
PI: Bob Maguire
EL: Joshua LaDuca
M: Jan Berkow
Universal upper extremity attachment
Mobius
PI: David Brienza
EL: Paulina Villacreces; Alexandra Delazio; Jennifer McCartney
M: Ian Magazine
Improving senior’s ability to stay in their homes safely.