FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SEATTLE, Wash., April 26, 2018 – Amazon Catalyst has awarded nine grants to an eclectic mix of University of Washington (UW) students, faculty, and staff to fund big ideas across diverse disciplines including: healthcare, communications, aerospace, and arts.
The Amazon Catalyst program is a collaboration between UW CoMotion and Amazon to encourage innovation within the UW community. The goal of the program is to inspire people to think big, invent solutions to real-world problems, and make a positive impact on the world.
Open to all three UW campuses and all departments, the program provides the winners with mentorship and funding. Amazon Catalyst is not a traditional research fund; it’s a different kind of model that fuels novel, scalable ideas that have the potential to make a significant impact.
”The end goal for every project must be a unique, real-world solution. Successful Amazon Catalyst Fellows are obsessed with their big idea – whether it’s related to their field of study or not,” says H.B. Siegel, who leads the Amazon Catalyst program. “They’ve done the research and are ready to take the next step.”
“This program is a prime example of public-private cooperation that CoMotion, UW’s collaborative innovation hub, cultivates, said Vikram Jandhyala, Vice President for Innovation Strategy and Executive Director of UW CoMotion. “Amazon Catalyst is one of the ways we meet our goals of strengthening the innovation mindset across the UW community and expanding UW’s societal impact.”
Amazon Catalyst launched in November 2015, and has awarded $3,554,895 to date.
The nine Amazon Catalyst Fellows and their projects are listed below by discipline:
HEALTHCARE
Air Splint
A new pressure-monitoring splint stands up to the rigors of air travel. Air Splint is a responsive air splint that doesn’t lose pressure during medevac transport can help stabilize injuries.
DAS Boot
A smart boot expedites recovery from injury by monitoring and reporting activity. The DAS Recovery Boot not only fits comfortably and protects the lower leg, but also provides daily feedback to the patient and doctor on use of limb to aid the recovery process.
fORecast: Intraoperative emergency recognition and response system
New system can predict and avert emergencies in the operating room. fORecast predicts operational and patient safety emergencies based on real-time operating room data trends and mobilizes key administrators and physicians before true crisis occurs.
Rapid Dehydration Detection Device
Novel method treats pediatric diarrheal diseases before they become fatal. A new device uses ultrasound shear-waves to report a quantitative, real-time measurement of body hydration levels for children, potentially saving thousands of lives.
COMMUNICATIONS
IslandCell
LTE network-in-a-box helps rural communities all over the world connect to their neighbors and the Internet. IslandCell lets anyone in remote areas – from farmers in eastern Washington to villagers in Indonesia – to buy, install, maintain, and operate their own cellular network.
DeepCode
Artificial Intelligence is leveraged to find the next communication algorithm. DeepCode is a deep-learning system capable of inventing coding schemes and decoding algorithms given the description of a communication channel.
GlimpseCam
A hands-free camera records live music. GlimpseCam is a wearable headband camera that allows concert-goers to capture live music without staring through a screen.
AEROSPACE
Sun-Earth Trojan Asteroid Mapper (SETAM)
A mission to find minable asteroids closer to Earth. SETAM is a satellite mission that will look for asteroids that are much easier to access than other known asteroids, providing important in situ resources for future space endeavors.
ARTS
The Encephalophone
Quality of life is improved for paralyzed individuals. UW and Swedish Medical Center have created a hands-free musical instrument that lets paralyzed individuals play music via brain waves.
For more information about Amazon Catalyst and Fellows:
- Amazon Catalyst Fellow Profiles
- Search #AmazonCatalyst on Facebook or Twitter
- Discuss the Amazon Catalyst program (Contact Gretchen to arrange interview)
- HB Siegel, Amazon Catalyst Lead
- Vikram Jandhyala, Vice President for Innovation Strategy and Executive Director of UW CoMotion
- Fellows
About UW CoMotion
CoMotion® at the University of Washington is the collaborative innovation hub dedicated to expanding the economic and societal impact of the UW community. By developing and connecting to local and global innovation ecosystems, CoMotion helps innovators achieve the greatest impact from their discoveries. We deliver the tools and connections that UW researchers and students need to accelerate the impact of their innovations.
Contact:
Gretchen Musgrove
Marketing and Communications
CoMotion at the University of Washington
p: 206.221.9362 f: 206.543.0586
e: [email protected]