Development
Mitigating the global risk from volcanic eruptions
Inventors: Michael Cassidy, Associate Professor of Volcanology, University of Birmingham & Lara Mani, Cambridge Centre for Study of Existential Risk At any one time, there are typically 15 live volcanic eruptions around the world. As well as local impacts on homes and livelihoods, there is always the risk of an eruption causing a cascade of…
Analysing the need for a tool to promote social cohesion
Inventors: Gustavo Almeida & Dr. Joao Costa, VOI Social Impact More information: Making peace & VOI website VOI Social Impact is new social enterprise based around Dr Costa’s PhD research, which was carried out at the Institute of Criminology in Cambridge. VOI, which stands for “Veil of Ignorance” is a proven methodology to promote social cohesion in fragile…
Identifying the market potential for a compact self-contained sterilisation system
Inventor: Katie Pascavis, Engineering & Arizona State University During the COVID pandemic, the inventor was based at Arizona State University and investigated the issue of sterilisation of medical equipment. The emergency standard for sterilising N95 masks at the start of the pandemic was to use vaporised hydrogen peroxide in large-scale systems, which is expensive and not portable. The inventor…
Exploring the need for low-cost cell testing and second-life applications
Inventors : Eleni Papafilippou, Melissa Watt and Robert Petrie, Centre for Doctoral Training in Sensor Technologies for a Healthy and Sustainable Future, Department of Chemical Engineering & Biotechnology, University of Cambridge Website : LiFETIME The global market for electric vehicles (EVs) is growing exponentially. While this will reduce CO2 emissions and help address climate change,…
Investigating the potential for novel fetal ECG monitoring to enhance
Inventors : Huy-Dung Han and Loan Pham-Nguyen, Hanoi University of Science and Technology Globally there are estimated to be over three million perinatal deaths a year, almost all in low- and middle-income countries. In fact, perinatal mortality is one of the key indicators of a country’s socio-economic status and level of development. In high-income countries…
Identifying the market need for translating Braille to print
Inventor : Gregory Hargraves, Paige Demonstration : Video Paige was founded by five engineers from Imperial College London, whose goals are to make braille affordable for everyone, and to enable communication and collaboration with sighted peers, parents and teachers. In the UK, 64% of children who are blind or partially-sighted are educated in mainstream schools.…
A smart ophthalmoscope for traumatic brain injury in resource-limited settings
Inventor: Dr. Brandon Smith, Clinical Neuroscience Mentor: TBC Direct ophthalmoscopy is an indispensable diagnostic tool to evaluate adults and children with suspected intracranial hypertension. Optic nerve oedema (papilloedema) has been well defined as an objective and important sign that suggests central nervous system pathology requiring urgent evaluation with brain imaging methods. However, direct ophthalmoscopy is…
Assessing the need for a battery health monitoring system for
Inventor: Solar E-Cycles, Nairobi, Kenya Mentor: TBC A Kenyan e-mobility startup is collaborating with students from the University of Cambridge to design and prototype a battery health monitoring system for the lithium-ion batteries used for electric motorbikes. While battery charging is seen as most appropriate for private cars, a battery-swap system is needed for the…
Investigating the market need for regenerating medical oxygen concentrators in
Inventor: Ben Moore, OVSI Mentor: TBC The medical oxygen concentrators typically used by health facilities in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) were designed for home use in developed countries with temperate climates, reliable electricity access and regular maintenance services. When these devices are operated in harsh environmental and challenging infrastructural conditions, including high humidity and…
