A ‘smart’ walker could become the intelligent solution for elderly and disabled people thanks to the grand prize its inventors won in this year’s LaunchPad $50K competition.
Sentry Scientific, a Cambridge-based company founded by a team of Waterloo mechatronics engineering students and others, took first place in the competition held May 3 at Conestoga College.
The ‘smart’ walker’s iCanWalkNow technology involves embedding electronic sensors that can tell when the user is about to hit an object, slip on ice or sit down on a walker that has a seat, but isn’t properly locked in place.
The team began working on its product last September and built a prototype for the 2013 fourth-year mechatronics engineering design symposium held in March. Besides four recent mechatronics engineering students, Sentry Scientific also includes a University of Waterloo Faculty of Arts student and a Wilfrid Laurier University student.
Only eight of 40 companies made the finals in this year’s competition that awards winners with equity investment prizes delivered as mentorship, coaching and advice.
Third prize and $20,000 went to Lumotune, a company comprised of Waterloo nanotechnology engineering students who have created light-scattering display technology. Among the finalists were three practicum teams from Waterloo Engineering’s Master of Business Entrepreneurship and Technology program. [Eng-e-News article]