Each year, College of Engineering students actively compete for the InVenture Prize, an innovation competition for Georgia Tech undergraduate students who work independently or in teams to create inventions that will be presented and judged by a panel of experts.
Seven finalists have been selected to compete for this year’s InVenture Prize at Georgia Tech. Students will present their inventions during a live Georgia Public Broadcasting program televised from the Georgia Institute of Technology’s Robert Ferst Center for the Arts on March 9 at 7 p.m.
The seven finalists and the 20 inventors are:
AdsCreated – An automated, cutting edge e-commerce computer program that creates online advertisements: Roger Pincombe, College of Sciences, Peachtree City, Ga.
AutoRhexis - An innovative instrument designed to improve cataract surgery: Christopher Giardina, BME, Alpharetta, Ga.; Rebeca Bowden, BME, Athens, Ga.; Jorge Baro, BME, Duluth, Ga.; Kanitha Kim, ME, Gaithersburg, Md.; Khaled Kashlan, BME, Suwanee, Ga.; and Shane Saunders, ME, Moultrie, Ga.
Magnetic Assisted Intubation Device (MAID) – A creative approach to facilitate the procedure of placing a breathing tube into the trachea: Alexander Cooper, BME, Atlanta, Ga.; Shawna Marie Hagen, BME, Middletown, N.J.; William Jacob Thompson, BME, Cornelia, Ga.; and Elizabeth Ann Flanagan, BME, Douglas, Ga.
Proximer – A device that cleverly detects hard plastics in the body: Jenny Taylor, BME, Greenville, S.C.; Megan Richards, BME, Suwanee, Ga.; and Michael Zhao, BME, Alpharetta, Ga.
Velociryder – A motorized, self-balancing skateboard that takes the activity to a new level featuring two wheels instead of four: Aaron Fan, EE/CS, Ocoee, Fla.; Xo Wang, EE/CS, New York, N.Y.; and Jamison Go, ME/EE, Orlando, Fla.
Slide Capo – A new twist on a guitar capo that can create unique sounds: Daniel Chaney, Industrial Design, Tucker, Ga.
Waste to Watts – Capitalizing on sustainability, this apparatus is created by reusing discarded parts to devise a system that will provide much-needed power in third world countries: James Molini, BME, Newark, Del.; and Patrick Caputo, EE/Physics, Gahanna, Ohio.
Two winning inventions will be selected on March 9 and the inventor or group will receive a cash prize of $15,000 for first place or $10,000 for second place and a free U.S. patent filing by Georgia Tech’s Office of Technology Licensing (each valued at approximately $20,000). In addition, a $5,000 “People’s Choice” award, sponsored by NCR Corporation, will be presented. The live audience and broadcast viewers will have the opportunity to help select the winner of this award by voting on the Internet or by text message.
