New York University, $5,000

This team is developing a smart indoor air-purifying system called the Aeolian Air Butler. The system consists of sets of sensors that send indoor air pollution data to the user’s phone and allows the user to remotely control the air purifier. The system can also provide the user with a comparison of air quality at nearby places (malls, cinemas, shops, restaurants) and air quality distribution inside public architectures, allowing people to make their outing plans based on real-time air quality ratings.

University of Pittsburgh, $5,000

Aeronics is developing the mediPOD (medical Portable Oxygen Device), which uses microporous materials to store an hour’s supply of oxygen at low pressure in a 12 oz. aluminum soda can.

Hampshire College, $5,000

The AgriGatr device monitors the water consumption of animals through electronic identification and water quantity sensors. Through livestock water consumption the system is able to detect disease and predict cattle breeding cycles.

University of California, Davis, $25,000

This team is aiming to reduce the worldwide quantity of plastic waste by incorporating it into our process feed stream. Specifically, the team is developing a way to use biological methods to break down Polyethylene Terephthalate plastic into Purified Terephthalic acid, a high-value commodity chemical, and ethylene glycol, which can be used as a bacterial food source. The goal is to create a cycle that enables the conversion of waste plastic into new, high quality plastic without dependence on fossil fuels.

Pennsylvania State University, $20,000

There are 1.9 million new amputees every year in developing countries and it’s estimated that around 80% of the world’s lower limb amputees do not have access to modern prostheses. Amparo, which means support in Portugese, is working to create simple prosthetics. The team’s technology utilizes a thermoplastic material that enables lower limb sockets to be created in a fraction of the time it takes to create traditional sockets.

Northwestern University, $5,000

Americans waste up to 20% of the electricity in their homes each year. One way to help solve this problem is providing people with a means to monitor their energy consumption. The ampèr system is designed to do that by relaying data from smart circuit breakers to the cloud, then allowing residents to control appliances by sending data over existing electrical wiring in the home.

Stanford University, $5.000

Aperture Biomedical is an early-stage medical device company working on improving vascular access for hemodialysis patients.

Stanford University

2015 BMEidea Third Prize Winner

E-Team stage 1 grant winner, $5,000

The team members:

Dr. Thomas M. Krummel, Professor and Chair of the Department of Surgery

Viral Gandhi, MSE, Biodesign Innovation Fellow

Andrew Lee Mesher, MD, Biodesign Innovation Fellow

Christian Moyer, PhD, Biodesign Innovation Fellow

Elizabeth Wynne, MD, Biodesign Innovation Fellow

Summary of problem & solution:

End-stage renal disease (ESRD) affects more than 2 million men, women, and children worldwide. For these patients, renal-replacement therapy is a life-sustaining treatment and reliable access to the bloodstream for hemodialysis is their lifeline. Arteriovenous fistulas and grafts with surgically created connections between arteries and veins in the extremities constitute the most prevalent and best options for hemodialysis access. However, due to scarring and narrowing of the blood vessels, these connections frequently fail within months and only 50-60% of connections last a full year. This translates to further invasive procedures, hospitalizations, and riskier modes of dialysis access for patients and a substantial economic burden to the healthcare system. Our team aims to address this problem by targeting the most upstream biological event in the development of blood vessel narrowing or stenosis. By targeting the root cause of stenosis, we aim to significantly improve the short and long-term patency of arteriovenous fistulas and grafts for patients with ESRD. Our solution is a one-time intervention at the time of creation that integrates easily into existing surgical procedures and leverages new scientific insights into vascular biology. With this novel approach we aim to bring innovation to this truly unmet clinical need.

Clemson University, $5,000

Aptus provides laboratory equipment to researchers testing and developing tissue-engineered heart valves. The team’s cardiovascular bioreactor systems can subject a heart valve to normal or disease conditions experienced in the human cardiovascular system and be used to grow a living heart valve in the research lab. http://www.aptusbioreactors.com

Santa Clara University, $5,000

The difficulty of detecting small quantities of arsenic and other contaminants in water threatens the health of millions of people worldwide. Existing technologies can very accurately quantify arsenic levels in water, but their expense, required training, and need for off-site analysis make them infeasible in low-resource settings. AquaSift is an integrated system combining a microfluidic sensor, data acquisition mobile app, and web-based data logging ecosystem that allows for quick, easy, error-proof evaluation of water sources for a variety of contaminants, including arsenic.

University of Georgia, $5,000

This team has developed a compliant surgical arm with a surgeon-friendly design that transitions from flexible to stiff with the press of button.

Northwestern University, $5,000

Better Together is a service that will link together home-owning senior women with younger women looking for affordable housing, with the goal of helping seniors “age in place”–remain in their homes as they age.

http://www.bettertogetherhs.com

University of Colorado at Boulder, $5,000

Big Blue Technologies is developing new materials processing technology that will reduce cost and lower emissions in the ceramics and light metal industries.

University of Pennsylvania, $20,000

Plastic pollution is a global crisis that threatens the safety of wildlife and the food of over 4 billion people. BioCellection upcycles unrecyclable plastic pollution into biosurfactants using engineered microbes.

http://www.biocellection.com

University of California, San Diego, $5,000

The BioMetrics Analytics team is developing a minimally invasive motion-sensing technology that will help clinicians accurately measure and track the gait and upper extremity movements of patients with Parkinson’s Disease.

University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez, $5,000

Anani is a sensor that can be placed in a water main or supply line in order to track household water usage. The sensor reports water usage to a mobile app in order to show users how much water their household is using. The device helps households to change their water habits in order to preserve a natural resource.

Syracuse University, $5,000

This team is developing a basic, ruggedized Automated External Defibrillator (AED) optimized for low-resource settings. The main innovation is the ability to integrate the device with laptops, tablets, smartphones, or other similar devices via USB, offering the potential for expandability.

University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez, $5,000

Cellsius is developing a new solar module that can significantly reduce electricity costs through the use of plastics and a simple mechanism that allows two axes movement, generating more energy per day using the same quantity of cells.

Columbia University in the City of New York, $5,000

Visual inspection with acetic acid in order to detect lesions is a common method of cervical cancer screening in low and middle-income countries. The number of cervical cancer related deaths is high (90% of the 310,000 cases) in these countries due to false diagnoses. Inconsistent lighting conditions and the subjectivity of diagnoses contribute to false identification. cerVIA is a tool with a speculum fitted camera that delivers high quality images of the ectocervix. A screening algorithm provides image analyzation to clinicians that achieves higher levels of diagnostic specificity.

University of California, Davis, $5,000

Chromatiscope is developing a smartphone device that provides cheap fluoroscopy for classrooms. We hope to develop a suite of smartphone lab devices for classrooms and research labs alike.