Koraganji
Photograph courtesy of Indiana University.
Students at Indiana University won an innovation award for design of an upper-limb prosthesis that replicates the most frequently used human grasps. The project, Modular 3D-Printed Elastomeric Prosthetics (M3DE Pro), was designed to make upper-limb prostheses affordable and readily available. The prosthesis, designed by Veda Narayana Koraganji and Vakar Ahmed, graduate students in intelligent systems engineering in the Luddy School of Informatics, Computing and Engineering, was a co-winner of the challenge and received $7,500 in prize money.
Sixteen students across a variety of academic disciplines showcased eight projects during the fifth annual Cheng Wu Innovation Challenge, which encourages students to use technology to address compelling problems.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, teams pitched their work to judges via eight-minute-long videos rather than in face-to-face conversation. Teams outlined the problem they were attempting to address and how their innovative projects worked.
“With the money we receive from the competition, Vakar and I will purchase simulation software and raw materials, which will allow us to make and test the designs rapidly,” Koraganji said. “We have connected with Jim Dewees, founder of Prosthetic Center of Indiana, and we intend to work with his patients to test the prototypes and optimize the design based on their feedback. Once we have a working prototype, we plan to apply for additional funding to make M3DE Pro available in the market.”
