University of Massachusetts-Amherst, $25,000

FogKicker is a natural, green anti-fog solution. It prevents the formation of fog on any surface, including vehicle windshields, eyewear, mirrors, windows, and display screens. Made from Nanocellulose, a wood derived natural nanomaterial, FogKicker is biodegradable, biocompatible, and non-toxic.

http://www.treatyllc.com

Stanford University, $25,000

Increasing need for physical therapy (PT), coupled with ongoing reimbursement changes, is causing a demand for more accessible, higher quality PT care at lower cost. Yet poor patient PT adherence and clinic inefficiency present barriers for patients to receive, and providers to deliver, quality PT care. Footsteps is a mobile health platform that empowers patients with the tools to take control of their at-home PT program, improving patient PT adherence and more cost-efficient care delivery.

Oregon State University, $25,000

There are two commercially accepted approaches to automated manufacturing: subtractive and additive. Subtractive computer-controlled machining (e.g,. CNC milling) yields precise parts suitable for any prototyping or production scale, but suffers from inefficient use of material and slow operation. Additive methods, such as fused deposition modeling (FDM), substantially reduce material waste and build time while sacrificing precision and finish quality. Fused Machines is developing a desktop machine that combines both subtractive CNC milling and additive FDM build methods, allowing for the production of higher precision, higher quality parts while still retaining superior material efficiencies.

University of Colorado at Boulder, $20,000

A battery unit designed for use in Haiti that can be charged from either 220 V sources (the grid, diesel generators) or direct current sources (solar panels). 

Stanford University, $20,000

HandHero is an innovative, static progressive hand splint that empowers young burn survivors to rebuild function and rejoin their community.

Northwestern University, $20,000

Hazel Technologies is developing technology to extend the shelf-life of produce at the retail level. The product uses Northwestern-patented material technology and an industry-standard ethylene inhibitor to control produce ripeness and reduce spoilage..

University of Akron, $25,000

Developing hedgehog-inspired impact protection technology.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MzEswgS_-eM

California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, $20,000

Higea Technologies is utilizing magnetic nanotechnology to clean oceanic oil spills in the most efficient, environmentally friendly, and cost effective way possible.

Illinois Institute of Technology, $25,000

This team is developing IntelliCoat, a low-cost, environmentally friendly coating system for steel structures that will afford 50 years of corrosion protection before the first major maintenance needs to be done.

Columbia University in the City of New York, $25,000

To prevent Ebola infection from improperly decontaminated clothing and other surfaces, this E-Team is developing Highlight,a powdered additive that greatly improves the process of surface decontamination. Highlight colorizes bleach solution, visualizing treated regions to eliminate uncertainty of complete coverage. The pigment gradually loses color over 10-15 minutes so that the bleach dries clear, ensuring that the requisite ten minutes of decontaminant contact time is achieved without permanent staining.

Highlight is used by the Fire Department of New York and is a winner of the USAID Fighting Ebola Grand Challenge. Highlight ensures the safety of our healthcare workers.

California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, $20,000

Mantis Composites provides strong, light, and customizable parts to their high performance customers to create a new age of faster and more efficient machines.

Purdue University

2015 BMEidea First Prize Winner

stage 2 E-Team grant winner, $25,000

The team members:

Dr. Ji-Xin Cheng, Professor
Rui Li, PhD candidate, Biomedical Engineering
Lu Lan, PhD candidate, Biomedical Engineering

Collaborators:

Dr. Pu Wang, Vibronix, Inc.
Frank P. Lloyd Jr., MD, Putman County Hospital, Indiana
Dr. Shaoxiong Chen, Indiana University School of Medicine
Dr. Craig J. Goergen, Purdue University
Linda K. Han, MD, Indiana University Health

Summary of problem & solution:

Breast-conserving surgery, or lumpectomy, is well accepted for breast cancer treatment. To prevent local cancer recurrence after lumpectomy, histology (tissue study) is performed to check whether the excised tumor specimen is surrounded by a sufficient amount of normal tissue. If a positive margin, i.e., less than 2 mm between the surfaces of the excised specimen to the tumor, is identified, then a second operation will be performed. Currently, the reoperation rate is 20~70%. This results in several problems: additional cost for the second or even third surgical operation, and emotional distress and physical pain for the patients, which highlights a critical need for rapid and highly sensitive intraoperative margin assessment. Our MarginPAT system is an intraoperative imaging tool based on multispectral photoacoustic tomography, which uniquely provides contrast of tumor and non-tumor tissue based on the difference between their optical absorption properties. Our technology can provide close to 100% detection sensitivity, three-dimensional visualization of the excised tissue, and only take less than 2 minutes procedure time, the fastest intraoperative margin assessment tool so far to our knowledge. Therefore, MarginPAT enables 1) surgeon to clear the cancer residue during the first operation, thus reducing the re-operation rate to 0%; 2) decrease the average cost of lumpectomy by close to 30%.

Oklahoma State University, $25,000

Carbon fiber-reinforced composites are widely used in aerospace and some automotive applications. However, they are damaged by low velocity, localized impact, especially in curved areas. MITO Material Solutions is developing a simple and affordable additional manufacturing step that can allow the structure withstand these impacts and increase reliability.

Western Michigan University

2015 BMEStart First place winners, winning $10,000

E-Team Stage 1 and 2 grant winners, $25,000

This E-Team is developing a simple, energy efficient, safe, reliable and inexpensive way to provide biphasic positive airway pressure or Nasal Intermittent Positive Pressure Ventilation (NIPPV) for infants with Respiratory Distress Syndrome in hospitals with limited resources. The technology reliably delivers clinically relevant pressure waveforms at an affordable price point.

University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, $25,000

Concussions are a top concern for football players across America. The medical community has demonstrated that both concussive and sub-concussive head impacts increase a player’s risk for long-term health and mental health issues, such as Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy. This team is developing a new foam composite capable of reducing both the initial magnitude of impact forces by 30% and the resulting shockwave when compared to traditional foam lining, offering better protection against concussions.

University of Massachusetts, Lowell, $20,000

A low cost, durable prosthetic for developing countries that can “grow” with a child, decreasing the number of prosthetics s/he requires over time.

http://www.nonspec.org

University of Rochester, $25,000

Ovitz is developing a hand-held diagnostic instrument for prescribing corrective lenses that is smaller, less expensive, faster and more accurate than currently existing devices.

http://o-vitz.com

Stanford University, $20,000

For the 4 million people suffering from palmar hyperhidrosis—excessive sweating of the hands—treatment is costly and time consuming. palmm developed a convenient at-home treatment using a wearable electrical current delivery system. The company is projecting to attract three percent of 1.8 million potential customers within their third year of sales. The team from Stanford University participated in our E-Team program in 2016 and 2017, ASPIRE for Life Sciences/MedTech in 2018, and OPEN Minds in 2018. VentureWell invested in the company in 2019 alongside individual angels.

University of Pittsburgh, $20,000

A device that can measure compliance of sidewalks and pathways for current Americans with Disabilities Act Guidelines such as cross slope, running slope, roughness and level change, aimed at helping the entities responsible for development, construction, and evaluation of pathway surfaces comply with government regulations.

http://www.pathvu.com

Duke University, $25,000

Physao is building a platform to help individuals with chronic lung conditions like asthma and COPD better manage their condition.