2023 Award-winning Capstone Design teams
The Department of Systems Design Engineering is proud to announce awards received by Capstone Design teams from the Systems Design Engineering and Biomedical Engineering programs.
Ojala Prize Best Overall Project
waIV by Naomi Terhljan, Breah Tanner, Karla Pinzon, Benjamin Clayton
Tangled hospital lines are responsible for a variety of medical complications and cost each nurse 30 minutes per day to untangle.
This results in approximately $180 million of wasted time in nurse salaries across Canada. IV lines are the primary culprits of tangling, which is most often created during intrahospital transport. The waIV aims to organize and separate IV lines surrounding bedridden adult intensive care unit patients during intrahospital transport, to improve the efficiency of treatment while increasing patient safety.
Best Prototype
Percepta by Alex Fricke, Sadia Azmal, Tom Yan, Julianna Deveau
Distal symmetric polyneuropathy (DSPN) is a debilitating nerve damage condition of the hands and feet that is commonly seen in individuals with diabetes. Early screening is crucial, as progression can lead to complications such as foot ulcers and amputations. However, screening–typically consisting of a monofilament test performed on the feet by a physician–is often neglected for various reasons. Percepta is an automated at-home screening device that mimics the gold standard monofilament test to enable patients to monitor their feet for DPSN in their own home.
Eggwa by Kirsten Ehlers, Elizabeth Janes, Akanksha Joshi, Krystal Li
Chorioallantoic membranes (CAMs) are biological assays used for cancer, pharmaceutical, and imaging research. Eggwa, in collaboration with PhotoMedicine Labs, aims to improve the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of cultivating CAMs for biomedical research by eliminating labour-intensive routine maintenance for biologists. Eggwa is a modified chicken hatcher that leverages deep learning and mechatronics design to remotely complete daily care for CAMs. It consists of a self-filling humidity system to maintain a suitable environment and an auto-rotating shelf and classification algorithm to identify CAM death amongst specimens.
UN Sustainable Development Goals Award
MILKit by Aarzoo Chennan, Megan Ricker, Camryn MacDougall, Leah Veldhuis
In the past decade, the transmission rates of HIV have increased in Canada, in part due to the lack of funding and awareness. To mitigate the spread, our team aims to design a medical device to be used by HIV-positive, breastfeeding mothers that prevents perinatal transmission by deactivating HIV with UV-C light while preserving the taste, nutritional value, and immunity aspects of breastmilk. We are applying an existing pasteurization technique in a portable and user-friendly design to potentially provide HIV-positive mothers the choice to breastfeed.
Norman Esch Entrepreneurship Award
extensiLE by Cedric Attias, Milena Galaszewicz, Rebecca Groves-Wylie and Teresa Marotta (Biomedical Engineering)
Our team is developing a preventative solution for tennis elbow based on early intervention and education. This injury is caused by repeated stress on tendons from incorrect wrist mechanics, muscle overuse and improper form during tennis play. Our concept includes tensile inserts that reduce the degree of flexion at ball impact. Additionally, IMUs collect data to calculate wrist angle and classify tennis strokes. An app analyzes play and provides education on how to improve form to prevent the onset of this debilitating injury.
2023 Esch Pitch Competition Event
Velocity Pitch Contest - People's Choice Award
Milk it! by Aarzoo Chennankunnath, Camryn MacDougall, Megan Richer and Leah Veldhui (Biomedical Engineering)
In the past decade, the transmission rates of HIV have increased in Canada, in part due to the lack of funding and awareness. To mitigate the spread, our team aims to design a medical device to be used by HIV-positive, breastfeeding mothers that prevents perinatal transmission by deactivating HIV with UV-C light while preserving the taste, nutritional value, and immunity aspects of breastmilk. We are applying an existing pasteurization technique in a portable and user-friendly design to potentially provide HIV-positive mothers the choice to breastfeed.
Full recap of the 2023 Velocity Pitch contest