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Ana Duarte

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Father creates heart model inspired by his daughter

The Living Heart Project consists of building a realistic virtual version of the human heart. It works by using computational modeling and a virtual-holographic platform, and can be a glimpse into the future of medicine, whereby cardiovascular experts can interact with a “high-fidelity multiphysics model” of the human heart, generated by MRIs and CT scans.

Man invents tattooing prosthetic arm

JC Sheitan Tenet, a tattoo artists, lost his right arm when he was a child. JC was right-handed, so he had to learn how to perform tasks such as drawing and tattooing with his left arm. It was not easy for the tattooing artist to teach himself and to draw and tattoo using his non dominant arm. However, it didn’t get on the way of his dream of becoming a tattoo artist.

Mother creates infant rocket chair inspired by her son

Babocush consists of a swaddling cushion with soothing sounds and motion designed to replicate the comfort a baby gets from lying on its mother's chest. It comes with shaped foam mattress, outer fleece cover with harness, quilted mattress protector and 3 x speed vibration with heartbeat sounds (rocker and batteries must be purchased separately).
The inventor created this device after realizing that there was nothing similar on the market. It took her 10 years to develop this product.

Physician invents affordable voice prosthesis inspired by patient

Vishal was moved by his patient’s condition and decided to help by contacting pharmaceutical companies and trying to get discounts and donations in order to help this patient. A traditional voice prosthesis costs around 450 dollars.

However, a friend of the doctor, Shashank Mahes, suggested that he invented his own prosthesis, so that he wouldn’t have to depend on others.

Cerebral palsy patient creates app to help disabled people communicate

“I've had some very positive feedback from users and speech therapists alike. The main objective is to provide an affordable but professional solution to everyone. I have no intention of stopping development. I will continue to improve and implement features. This project is so close to my heart because I actually use the application every day”, Owen explained.

SayIt! Consist of an augumentative and alternative communication app that uses a functioning word prediction system that works by allowing the patient to type what they want to say at a fast rate.

Wheelchair user creates blog to help wheelchair users know about the accessibility of places

“There wasn’t really anything out there for people in wheelchairs and with disabilities in general. I created the site to help others and give positive feedback for different destinations. If changes need to be made, then I hope they take what I’m sharing and make those changes”, he explained.

According to Nick, his website already made a difference, as in two occasions his reviews and comments made the owners of different venues change their space so that it would be more accessible to wheelchairs.

Amputee develops device to help swim

Swim Again consists of a swim joint designed by Quade that makes swimming with fins easier for people who wear prosthetic legs.

Quade had a motorcycle accident in 2006 that led him to lose one leg. As he was always an active person, he never stopped doing sports. But when he wanted to go scuba diving, the options on the market were not ideal.

Man invents device that allows user to control mouse with eyes and mouth

Boy invents himself a prosthetic arm using Legos

David was always obsessed with Legos: he built toys and vehicles ever since he was a kid. That led him to develop a prosthetic limb. He started creating his prosthetic arm when he was nine years old – and he is constantly improving his creation.

"When I move the arm, the hand opens and closes, which allows me to grab things. With what was a toy I have managed to get achieve my dream”, the inventor explained.

Diabetic creates diabetes bags and accessories

Man invents retinal prosthesis system inspired by his grandmother

Mark teaches at Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California and invented a bionic eye: the Argus® II Retinal Prosthesis System (“Argus II”), which is an intraocular retinal prosthesis that allows the blind to partially restore their useful vision.

“When I was going through medical school, my grandmother went blind and there was really no cure for her. And it made me rethink my career and focus more on how to restore sight to those who are going blind”, the ophthalmologist explained.

Boy creates word search book inspired by his grandmother who suffers from dementia

Student creates app to improve communication and care coordination for caregivers

Boy invents software to help his grandmother regain cognitive functions

Matthew and his grandmother were close. After the stroke, the inventor’s grandmother was having trouble in communicating and understanding things. After noticing that, in therapy, the grandmother was failing to respond to flashcards of stick figures and random images of houses and cars, Matthew developed a PowerPoint computer program that included pictures of his grandmother’s home, family members and dog. This ended up being a good idea and the beginning of Grey Matter.

“After making it very personal, she was starting to progress”, the boy explained.

Visually impaired man creates 3D-printed eye prosthesis

Ondřej had the idea for this device during a 3D printing lecture at his university. He thought that he could use this technology to produce cheaper and more customized ophthalmic prostheses.

Student creates e-Reading device for his grandmother

The idea for this invention came up at TAGlab (Technologies for Aging Gracefully Laboratory), from University of Toronto, a line of research that adapts information technology to help people learn more effectively or assist those who have a cognitive or communications challenge. "Our mantra is 'Technologies for the journey through life'. We look at the needs people face as they age. Then we look around in our grab bag of nifty technologies and we play with them, matching people's needs with adaptations of the technology.

Grandmother creates clothing line inspired by granddaughter with Down Syndrome

Karen contacted a designer and founded her own company: Down Designs. The company produces 18 different styles of jeans with elastic waistbands for easy dressing and shirts for men, women, teens and children.

"When people with Down syndrome are forced to wear clothes from everyday stores, the clothing makes them look different. All you see is the Down syndrome. When they wear our pants and they fit and they look and feel more comfortable, they can be confident in themselves. You don't see the Down syndrome anymore", the entrepreneur explained.

Boy creates bicycle that can be ridden using hands

"There is a kid in my class, in 4th grade, and he was in a wheelchair. He couldn't walk so I thought: well, he mustn't exercise because he is in an electric wheelchair so if he could do hand power it would work a lot better and he would get to do exercise", he described.

Using old parts he found in the garage, stuff from the city's recycling center and a wheelchair bought online (that cost 25 dollars), with the help of his grandfather, the boy created the GoGo bike.

Mother develops app to help manage food allergies

The app is called Spokin. It consists of a forum for the food allergy community that can be personalized according to each user's preferences (allergies, interests and location). It helps to spread the word about ingredients that may not be listed on a restaurant's menu. There are also recommendations for restaurants, groceries, hotels, airlines and resorts. It also allows the user to find advice and resources from people who also have allergies.

Susie, an app developer, created Spokie because there was no solution that helped her daughter manage her allergies.

Girl invents mobile app to help keep her grandmother's mind sharp

The app is called Grandma's Game (aka Match Gold). The application consists of a digital version of the grandmother's favorite game: a matching card game. This works as a tool for brain training for seniors and adults that can be customized with family photos.

Chloe and her grandmother used to play this game together for hours to keep the grandmother's mind sharp.

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