Celebrate Invention 2012

October 18, 2012

Photography by Leisa Thompson

Governor Snyder, after being introduced to the inventors by
U-M VP for Research Steve Forrest, and U-M Innovation Partnerships Executive Director Ken Nisbet, said the event felt like a “homecoming” for him. “What we’ve got here is incredible,” said Snyder. “There are some inspiring, exciting, and great new ideas.”

Snyder, prior to being elected Governor, was the first Chairman of U-M Innovation Partnerships’s National Advisory Board, a position which he held from 2002 to 2006.

Celebrate Invention 2012 included eight technology kiosks, highlighting the work of U-M inventors. The work featured was selected from across the University to demonstrate the breadth of innovation and entrepreneurship currently underway.

Arborlight, LLC

Solutions within the lighting paradigm have been dominated by common form factors for the past 50 years. Advancements in the lighting industry have focused on familiar metrics such as cost reduction and efficiency improvements. Only recently, through the combination of advancements in materials, controls, and LED technology, has the opportunity to emulate environmental lighting characteristics emerged as a possibility. For spaces that cannot feasibly access daylight, we intend to emulate the exact conditions one would experience via windows and skylights throughout the course of the day.

Principals:
Max Shtein,
P.C. Ku,
Michael Forbis, Jon Mapel and Albert Boehnlein

Arbor Ultrasound Technologies, LLC

We found a way to marry low-cost, modular ultrasound data acquisition hardware with high-performance software and signal processing capabilities. This will allow us to create a family of devices targeting a broad range of diseases and body systems. Arbor Ultrasound Technologies LLC was formed to develop the research platform that will allow rapid commercialization. Numerous collaborators at U-M make the cooperative development effort possible. The R&D effort is now funded by NIH STTR (Small Business Technology Transfer Research) grants, and the U-M’s Coulter Translational Research Partnership funds a key mechanical feature of our current prototype system.

Principals:
William (Rick) Weitzel,
Grant Kruger, and Leo Koziol

Spider9 Energy Operating System

Spider9’s Energy Operating System (OSE) offers real-time, dynamic control of all elements within an energy system, providing visibility and optimization for battery storage, solar, wind, smart-metering facilities, and utility power plants. Systems with an OSE produce more energy and have lower stresses across all key components. This results in longer component life, reduced maintenance costs, and improved long-term reliability. The Spider9 OSE improves the viability of commercial and grid-scale renewables integration.

Principals:
Kang G. Shin,
Hahn Sang Kim, Dave Park, Dave Smith, Glynne Townsend and Bill Beckman

U-M 3D Lab

When one talks of the vast quantities of data, and the research, education, and clinical challenges currently encountered at the University of Michigan, new methods of discovery, exploration, integration, and innovation become necessary to ensure that progress is made toward better understanding and resolution. As an interdisciplinary service facility of the Library, the UM3D Lab provides the
U-M community access to high-end technologies and professional expertise throughout a project’s life-cycle to lower barriers and encourage the creativity and freedom of exploration needed to develop ideas into innovative solutions.

Principals:
Eric Maslowski,
Michelle Meade,
Alexandre DaSilva, and
Arthur Verhoogt

U-M 3D Lab Projects
SCI Hard
Those suffering from spinal cord Injuries must go through an intense learning process after their life-changing injury. This game aims to ease this transition by re-introducing the world to them in a fun and light-hearted way.
PainTrek
An innovative mobile app that measures pain area and progression in a particular subject using a unique and accurate anatomical 3D system. Users can easily “paint” their pain, identify patterns, and share results with their physician.
PictureIt
Many of the world’s rare collections are stored away and difficult to access by the general public. This effort created an iOS, template-based system to allow for the exploration and sharing of rare tomes.

Therapeutic Antibody for the Treatment of Fibrotic Diseases

Respiratory diseases represent a heavy health burden on society. The World Health Organization (WHO) in 2000 reported that the top five respiratory diseases accounted for 17.4% of all deaths worldwide. IPF is a lethal lung disease that is progressive and irreversible. There are 5 million patients worldwide affected, with 150,000 in the U.S. There are an estimated 40,000 new cases per year and 45,000 death per year in the U.S. The mortality rate is 80% within the first five years of the disease and there are, currently, no FDA approved therapeutics available to treat IPF. The inventors are in the process of launching a company, named Opsidio, to bring this technology to market.

Principals:
Nicholas Lukacs,
Cory Hogaboam, and
Steve Kunkel

Regenerative Peripheral Nerve Interface for Prosthetic Control

Our overall goal is to design the optimal long-term electrode-tissue interface to acquire control signals for amputees to control replacement robotic prostheses. Within our research group, we have developed a regenerative peripheral nerve interface (RPNI) that creates a biologically robust and functional connection to the nerve in an amputated limb through the use of free muscle graft. The graft is then sutured to the severed residual nerve, and electrodes are affixed allowing signals to be recorded from the nerve or the muscle. The entire construct is wrapped in a small intestinal submucosa acellular matrix to improve biological integration.

Principals:
Paul S. Cederna,
Melanie G. Urbanchek,
Nicholas B. Langhals,
Daryl R. Kipke, and
R. Brent Gillespie

New Standards and Automated Classification System for Bone Age X-ray Images

Bone Age is a key indicator of skeletal maturation. Current standards are biased and outdated. We propose a new standard based on morphing and data collection for a new, modern database, and a fully automated Bone Age determination system that would allow for the better evaluation of short stature for the consideration for growth hormone treatment, better information for orthopedic and orthodontic decision making, etc.

Principals:
Anouck Girard,
Josephine Kasa-Vubu,
Jinwoo Seok and Baro Hyun

Tracheal Splint

This bioresorbable external splint supports the trachea and bronchi in young children with tracheobronchomalacia. No effective treatment currently exists for severe cases, which require a tracheostomy and long-term ventilator support, leading to significant complications and exorbitant costs. In February 2012, the technology was successfully implanted at U-M in a three month-old child with life-threatening tracheobronchomalacia. The child continues to do well. Preclinical studies in pigs have occurred. A HUD Designation Request has received positive feedback from FDA and is under final review.

Principals:
Glenn Green and
Scott Hollister

For further information on the technologies listed above, please contact U-M Innovation Partnerships.