Engineering students took home first and second prize in the recent InVenture@ Georgia Tech competition. The InVenture competition was created and organized by faculty to initiate incentives, resources, and provide a structure for undergraduate student innovation and entrepreneurship. There were eight teams in the finals comprised of 22 inventors. Twenty of the 22 inventors were engineering students.

The Winning Project

The winning project was presented by Mechanical Engineering student, Patrick Whaley, for his “Omega Wear” strengthening apparel. Whaley engineered workout wear to incorporate hydro-gel weights into the clothing. By placing the weights over major muscle groups, wearers increase calorie burn and improve muscle endurance. According to Whaley, “People can wear the clothing without any limitations on movement. People can work out in the shirt (which weighs about 15 pounds) and not damage their joints.”

Whaley won $15,000 for his invention and also received the People’s Choice Award of $5,000, voted on by the public during a live broadcast on Georgia Public Broadcasting. Second place in the competition was awarded to Sarah Vaden, an Aerospace Engineering major, for her novel drum. By using compressed gases which blow air into the head of the drum, Vaden created a drum which can produce different sounds. Vaden won $10,000 for her invention.

The two winning inventions also receive a free U.S. patent filing by Georgia Tech’s Office of Technology Licensing.

InVenture Prize

The InVenture Prize @ Georgia Tech was established for undergraduate students at Georgia Tech and students work independently or in teams to develop and present inventions, which are judged by an expert panel. To qualify the inventions must be original student inventions. The judging panel ranks the entries on expertise in engineering, science, computing, and business. Criteria for evaluation were innovation, (2) marketability, (3) market size, (4) inventor passion, and (5) probability of becoming a successful business. Along with the prize money, the winning students receive the assistance of the Georgia Tech Research Corporation (GTRC) who will provide patent counsel to work with the winners. The students also receive a paid summer internship to develop their ideas further with these resources.