Health Technology Showcase
Congratulations!
Each year, we're impressed by what our students learn and accomplish in Stanford Biodesign’s project-based courses.
Some motivated teams compete for and are awarded Biodesign NEXT extension funding to continue working on their projects after the courses in which they originated. With mentorship and support from Biodesign, the students de-risk their early-stage technologies and business plans, with the hope of ultimately making a difference for patients.
We celebrate these teams at our annual Health Technology Showcase – a gathering where students share their inventions with other students, faculty, and staff across Stanford. While we weren’t physically able to convene in 2020 due to COVID-19, we’re no less proud of our NEXT teams!
Some of these projects are still ongoing, with students continuing to move forward beyond the academic year. Explore them below!
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Monitoring Shunt Performance in Hydrocephalus
Patients with hydrocephalus have excess cerebral spinal fluid that must be continuously drained through an internal shunt. However, these shunts are prone to blockages that are hard to detect. To better manage the condition, a team of students from the Biodesign Fundamentals course designed Shunt Clip, a monitor that can detect shunt failures early and non-invasively.
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Better Outcomes for Injured Athletes
Athletes often struggle to complete the tedious at-home physical therapy required to fully recover after an injury. This motivated a team from the Biodesign for Digital Health course to build a digital platform and sensor-equipped sleeve to deliver a customized rehab program, monitor progress, correct form, and provide friendly competition to keep athletes engaged through full recovery.
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A Digital Approach to Fracture Prevention
Osteoporosis affects nearly one-third of women over 65 and results in significant fractures, in part, because patients don’t adhere to their treatment plans. When students in the Biodesign for Digital Health course learned that insufficient patient education was part of the problem, they developed Osteotec, a one-stop digital shop for disease information and management.
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Bridging the Employment Gap
85 percent of college-educated individuals with autistic spectrum disorder are unemployed. One team of students from the Biodesign for Digital Health course is helping address this challenge with a digital platform that helps recruiting teams better understand and engage with these unique job candidates.
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Preventing Concussion in High-Impact Sports
Sports-related head injuries remain common despite the use of protective helmets. After learning that most helmets are designed to absorb only one of the two types of force that cause most concussions, a team of Biodesign Club students developed a helmet that uses multiple layers to protect against both.
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Improving Onchocerciasis Diagnosis
Onchocerciasis is a parasitic disease that causes severe itching and can lead to blindness. While effective treatments are available, obtaining them relies on a painful and often inaccurate diagnostic protocol. To help patients get treatment with less pain and more precision, a team of students from the Senior Engineering Capstone course developed a new approach.
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Helping Parents Care for Preemies
Bringing a preterm infant home from the hospital can be a stressful experience for parents as they struggle with detailed care instructions and the need to monitor multiple health parameters. To address this challenge, a team of students from the Biodesign for Digital Health course built an app-based care platform that eases the transition by providing clinically-validated resources and support.
THANK YOU!
On behalf of the Stanford Biodesign team, thank you for all of your hard work this year. We’re inspired by your dedication and enthusiasm, and we wish you the best of luck as you continue these projects and/or tackle other important healthcare needs.
