Case Western Reserve University, School of Engineering, Team CASE

2007 NorTech Innovation Award Winners:

Case Western Reserve University, School of Engineering, Team CASE Team CASE, a consortium of student engineers, faculty, and industrial partners, are building a robotic car for the DARPA Urban Challenge. The DARPA Urban Challenge a competition for autonomously controlled vehicles capable of navigating in off-road and urban environments. DEXTER, Team CASE’s entry, is a 3200lb, SUV-sized vehicle capable of autonomous operation through an urban environment, interacting with live traffic. Applications will include robotic military vehicles, future industrial, commercial and consumer vehicle automation and safety systems, and advanced controls for a variety of future intelligent systems. Future applications of artificial intelligent road navigation apply to traffic flow management, dynamic route re- planning, and accident avoidance. The Department of Defense has an urgent need for these technologies, as Congress has mandated that by 2015, one-third of combat ground vehicles be unmanned. Partners include: ENSCO, Inc, Goodyear, and ArgonST, Inc. http://urbanchallenge.case.edu/

Analiza AnalizaDx, LLC is a Cleveland-based cancer diagnostics company that has developed a proprietary platform technology to improve cancer detection, diagnosis, progression, and prognosis. A newly formed spin-off company from Analiza, Inc., AnalizaDx’s cancer detection technology differs from conventional biomarker technologies that measure the amount of a disease-related protein, as it identifies biomarkers based on changes in their structure. Significant advantages of this type of detection include the use of readily available biological fluids, insensitivity to the significant variations in the absolute amount of biomarkers that naturally occur from patient to patient, and the ability to make screening and diagnosis affordable by utilizing existing, standard lab equipment. The company’s initial work will focus on ovarian, breast, and prostate cancers. http://www.analiza.com/

NanoMimetics NanoMimetics is commercializing platform nanotechnology for a variety of medical applications. The company designs unique polymer coatings that mimic natural biological characteristics and change the surface properties of the medical devices to which they are applied, thereby enhancing biocompatibility. This technology provides both anti-thrombogenic and anti-infective benefits without the use of active chemicals or drugs. Rather, the coating works by mimicking the natural surface of blood vessels, preventing the body from rejecting the foreign device. NanoMimetics has manufactured the coating and demonstrated its effectiveness in several investigations, including both in vitro and in vivo studies. Eye ++ According to a 2003 World Health Organization report, up to 45 million people worldwide are totally blind, while 135 million live with low vision. However, there is no standard visual substitution system that can be conveniently used in daily life. That’s why Eye ++ a start up company based in the Beachwood Business Development Center, is developing a non-invasive lightweight, yet fully functional sensory substitution device that provides rich, dynamic 2D pixilated images of objects that the user can feel on the forehead. The Forehead Retina System (FRS) technology uses tactile sensation on the forehead as a substitute retina for the blind. A small camera mounted on a pair of sunglasses captures the scene in front of the subject. A computer processes the visual image and converts it to a tactile sensation on the forehead by electrical stimuli. With the aid of an appropriate training program, the device could function as an artificial retina for visually impaired people without any surgery. The ability to avoid large objects, follow someone or something and easily locate specific objects could revolutionize the meaning of mobility and even open up new employment opportunities for the blind. Several technologies are used in the system, they include: nerve selection stimulation, high-speed switching, forehead stimulation, and image processing. http://www.eyeplus2.com/

SpineMatrix SpineMatrix, an Akron based spinal imaging company has developed a product to detect muscle tension in a patient’s back to locate the source of back pain. The product, Computerized Electrophysiological Reconstruction of Spinal Regions (CERSR), creates an image by measuring electrical activity across the back via computerized electrodes. Clinical trials showed that the new technology is better than traditional methods at determining whether pain is coming from muscles, from discs between vertebrae in the spinal column, or from the joints between facets, which are the bones along the back of the spine that can be felt through the skin. Increased accuracy allows doctors to avoid taking invasive steps that are more expensive and more painful as they try to locate the source of pain. This technology provides unique and innovative advantages. To date, SpineMatrix has received more than $10 million in venture capital investments to expand operations and move toward commercialization. http://www.spinematrix.com/

MemPro Ceramics MemPro Ceramics has combined polymer processing with ceramic production to make a new filtration technology using ceramic nanofibers to capture/filter undesirable particles while removing gaseous pollutants from the environment. The innovation will dramatically reduce the costs of using catalysts in the production of pharmaceutical and biotech products, fine and bulk chemicals, as well as food and beverages. Recently, a working prototype was built in partnership with the University of Akron to demonstrate the efficacy of the filters and the benefits of employing ceramic nanofibers to take advantage of large surface/volume ratio these nanostructures offer. http://www.memproceramics.com/ Technology Management Inc. (TMI) TMI is developing a kilowatt-size fuel cell that can run on a variety of fuels from gases emitted from decomposing animal droppings, human waste, and food-processing leftovers. TMI is looking to capitalize on Ohio’s organic waste – “biomass” – which is capable of producing at least 65 percent of the state’s residential electricity needs. TMI has partnered with the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC) to utilize the State’s biomass. In field tests, the system works by converting methane into hydrogen-rich mixture of gas that powers a solid oxide fuel cell; it is unaffected by sulfur contaminants that are common in more organic waste. The most immediate beneficiaries of this technology would be Ohio dairy farmers and the state’s 900 food processing plants; they could cut energy and waste disposal expenses and boost profits.