Overview
Technology Transfer University (T2U) brings real-world, NASA-proven technologies into the classroom. T2U helps educate tomorrow’s industry leaders about the benefits of using federal government technology assets in commercial applications. During this seven-week innovation project, the STEM and CREATE students build market assessments and business plans by working with a high-tech patent portfolio. In addition, students receive access to the NASA scientists and innovators, giving them a unique look into the fine-grained details of the technology they are working on.
The NASA patent portfolio contains fifteen different topics of patents, ranging from aeronautics to manufacturing to communications. Each topic includes numerous pages of actual NASA patents. After deciding on a topic, students then design an innovation project around their choice of patent.
The NASA patent portfolio contains fifteen different topics of patents, ranging from aeronautics to manufacturing to communications. Each topic includes numerous pages of actual NASA patents. After deciding on a topic, students then design an innovation project around their choice of patent.
Previous Projects
Spring 2020
Snake Eyes
Group Members: Kailey Henson, Miles Thomas, Jackson Byrd, Braeden Given, Bradley Taylor
Description: Snake Eyes implements NASA’s Cognitive Oculomotor Behavioral Response Assessment (COBRA) developed at NASA Ames Research Center which senses eye movement in response to a variety of stimuli (e.g. visual, audio, etc.) to quantify visual processing times and thereby assess subject reaction times. How It Works: Snake Eyes will place the COBRA technology in virtual reality goggle simulations to measure an individual’s reaction time throughout certain simulated athletic training activities. Awards: Snake Eyes was chosen to present to NASA project coordinators and STEM MBA Alums, Corey Efird & Kyle Costabile of the NASA Technology Transfer Office. This group received the Gold Level of Excellence. |
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Sense
Group Members: Megan Scott, Zach Miller, Grace Turk, Courtney Harris, Joah Moore
Description: SENSE utilizes NASA’s patent on Sans Electrical Connection sensors (Sans EC) and incorporates them into plastic containers to let users know when food has spoiled or if it has been contaminated. Sense plastic-ware is specifically designed to allow for easy use in the home and can also be beneficial in restaurants to help reduce food waste and improve food safety. How It Works: The Sans EC sensor detects changes in electric and magnetic fields without having to be in contact with the substance it is measuring. Additionally, a magnetic field measurement device wirelessly powers and attains measurements from the sensors to identify if food has spoiled. Awards: Sense was chosen to present to NASA project coordinator and STEM MBA Alums, Corey Efird & Kyle Costabile of the NASA Technology Transfer Office. This group received the Gold Level of Excellence. |
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Relieve
Group Members: Andre Farnet, Abby Fickel, Kayla Consola, Maryam Moradi, Ryland Scott
Description: Relieve utilizes RFID sensors created at NASA to record intracranial pressures in order to detect shunt failure in patients with hydrocephalus. How it Works: Relive will integrate the NASA RFID sensors into the shunt ventricles so that once the shunt is placed, the patient or doctor can check intracranial pressures via an app. Awards: Relieve was chosen to present to NASA project coordinator and STEM MBA Alums, Corey Efird & Kyle Costabile of the NASA Technology Transfer Office. This group received the Gold Level of Excellence. |
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Tracer
Group Members: Grace Beauchamp, Madeline Brooks, Hannah Gross, Jessica Konrad, Jonathan Stueker
Description: Tracer is an adaptation of NASA’s Traffic Aware Strategic Aircrew Requests (TASAR). Awarded “2016 NASA Software of the Year,” TASAR uses weather and air traffic control data from airports to optimize aircraft flight. Tracer adapts this software for use in drone swarms for military and commercial use, such as for surveillance or for package delivery. How It Works: Tracer uses NASA’s TASAR software to link all drones in a swarm together, creating a large communication network. From this web, any drone can receive information on weather and telemetry from any other drone in the swarm. Coupling this with future weather data allows drones to autonomously and continuously update their trajectories. This results in battery life savings, increased range, mitigation of mid-air collisions, and improved flight time. Awards: Tracer was chosen to present to NASA project coordinator and STEM MBA Alums, Corey Efird & Kyle Costabile of the NASA Technology Transfer Office. This group received the Gold Level of Excellence. |
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HazmaDS
Group Members: Hannah Crutchfield, Jack Houser, Spencer Virtue, Alexander Chen, Ashton Holley
Description: HasmaDS utilizes NASA's Solid and Liquid Waste Drying Bag technology which sterilizes and contains potentially hazardous materials through the use of vacuum vaporization and filtration membranes. How it works: HasmaDS looks to place the Solid and Liquid Waste Drying Bag technology in quick-sterilization receptacles suitable for frequent and cost-efficient use in medical facilities. Awards: Relieve was chosen to present to NASA project coordinator and STEM MBA Alums, Corey Efird & Kyle Costabile of the NASA Technology Transfer Office. This group received the Gold Level of Excellence. |
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COBRA
Group Members: Brock Donnelly, Hannah English, Jack Harbin, David Strickland
Description: COBRA implements NASA’s Cognitive Oculomotor Behavioral Response Assessment (COBRA) developed at NASA Ames Research Center which senses eye movement in response to a variety of stimuli (e.g. visual, audial, etc.) to detect brain injury in patients that cannot have an MRI How it Works: COBRA's eye tracking technology allows doctors to locate affected brain regions following trauma and disease and diagnose brain injury in patients that are unable to have an MRI due to pregnancy, metal implants, etc. Awards: COBRA was chosen to present to NASA project coordinator and STEM MBA Alums, Corey Efird & Kyle Costabile of the NASA Technology Transfer Office. This group received the Gold Level of Excellence. |
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Spring 2019
Fiber Motion
Group Members: Jessica Crawford, Noah Zahm, Daniel Murphree, Jack Sledge, Carson Burgin
Description: Fiber Motion employs the use of NASA's real-time, shape rendering fiber optic cables as a method of 3D human motion capture. How It Works: NASA has developed fiber optic cables that record and transmit displacement data at high speeds. Fiber Motion incorporates these cables into a full body suit, accompanied by user-friendly software in the form of an application. The polymer-infused fiber optics are woven into the fabric of the suit, and they send data to a sensor pod on the wearer's back. This technology would be applicable in the world of athletics. It could allow for more informed coaching, better athlete technique and performance, and a decrease in risk of injury. Awards: Fiber Motion was chosen to present to NASA project coordinator, and STEM MBA Alum, Corey Efird of the NASA Technology and Transfer Office. This group received the Gold Level of Excellence. Additionally, Fiber Motion participated in the Edgar K. Aldag Jr. Business Plan Competition in March of 2019 and won Crowd Favorite, which came with a $500 prize for preliminary research on furthering their product. |
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VisiVein
Group Members: Laura Carrasquilla, Sarah Chenevert, Luke Navarro, Ian Tiatia
Description: VisiVein implements the usage of subcutaneous structure imagers as a method of efficiently finding veins for blood draws. How It Works: NASA has formulated a subcutaneous structure imager. This device works using a camera-processor-display apparatus. It employs an innovative image-processing method to provide two or three-dimensional visualization of veins. VisiVein aims to commercialize this product due to a high percentage of failed first-time blood draw attempts. Awards: VisiVein was chosen to present to NASA project coordinator, and STEM MBA Alum, Corey Efird of the NASA Technology and Transfer Office. This group received the Gold Level of Excellence. |
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Avis Oculus
Group Members: Oakley Prell, Jacob Paul, Tyler Husko, Om Hirurkar
Description: Avis Oculus has the goal of improving learning techniques for shooting a gun. When learning to shoot, people have higher stress levels which ultimately has a negative impact on the accuracy of the shot. Their solution comes in the form of a product that is a size-changing target. This target connects to additional equipment that adjusts the target size based on the shooter's physiological state. This adaptive learning tool would increase accuracy, while improving concentration and consistency. How It Works: Avis Oculus employs NASA technology known as ZONE, standing for Zeroing Out Negative Effects. ZONE is a biofeedback training tool for optimizing athlete performance. It allows users to master muscle memory while increasing awareness of, and therefore improving, mental state to reach an optimal mentality for the task at hand. |
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SunFrost
Group Members: Victoria Morrison, Bryant Long, Nicole Arnold, Alex Slataper
Description: SunFrost adapts NASA's battery-free solar refrigeration technology for usage on refrigerated, food-transporting trucks and trailers. How It Works: Currently, the refrigeration on food-transporting trucks is powered by unregulated diesel engines. Due to this, refrigerated trucks are costly and they negatively impact the environment heavily. SunFrost proposes replacing the diesel engines that currently power cooling, with NASA's battery-free solar panels. The panels would be placed atop the trailer and provide the energy necessary for refrigeration. Awards: SunFrost was chosen to present to NASA project coordinator, and STEM MBA Alum, Corey Efird of the NASA Technology and Transfer Office. This group received the Bronze Level of Excellence. |
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Spring 2018
Smart Escape
Group Members: Olson Cannon, Elise Kaminski, Eric Sahli, Reagan Molloy
Description: Smart Escape uses Radio Frequency Identification Devices (RFIDs) to create both a virtual and physical escape path in the event of a fire in a building. How It Works: The RFIDs measure temperature in a building. These sensors communicate with each other about the temperature in their location in order to build a real-time map that is updated based on the conditions of the fire. This is accomplished using an audiovisual system and a smartphone app to transmit information of the building like the temperature, chemical concentrations in the air, and structural integrity to inhabitants and firefighters in the event of a fire emergency. This information could be crucial to firefighters who have to make split-second decisions when in a fire. Awards: Smart Escape was chosen to present to the NASA Director of the Office of Technology Transfer at Marshall Space Flight Center, Terry Taylor. This group received the Bronze Level of Excellence. |
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iSight
Group Members: Michael Glaser, Hardy Graham, Tyler Klein, Robert Morgan, Sierra Perrine
Description: Sold in the form of both fashionable sunglasses and prescription lenses, iSight allows for instantaneous changes in light transmission based on brightness, head orientation, and even changing weather. The frames of these glasses are also connected via Bluetooth to an app that allows users to personalize various settings of the glasses, including battery life, light transmission thresholds, and orientation detection levels. Technology: iSight is based off of the Variable Visibility Glasses for Instrument Flight Training patent by NASA. Future Innovation: The goal for this product is to replace the current transition lenses model and, at the same time, create an entirely new style of electro-lense sunglasses through partnerships with pre-existing brand name companies. Awards: This group presented iSight to NASA engineers and received a Gold level commendation. In addition, they participated in a competition of undergraduate presenters at AIME day. |
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Tire-Less
Group Members: Trevor Glantz, Tristan Diermann, Grace Trulove, Julie Warchol
Description: Using self-healing polymers, Tire-Less has implemented this NASA technology into tires. If the tires are punctured or damaged in some way, these self-healing polymers are activated through the heat of the punctures and kinetic energy of the tires to repair whatever damage was caused. Market Strategy: This group decided to sell and create tires from their own company and sell to local dealerships. They also partnered with large companies in the automotive industry. Awards: Tire-Less participated in the presentations to NASA representatives and received Honorable Mention. |
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Spring 2016
Mikros
Group Members: Reid Mallette, Nick Garrett, Nick Stastny, Jake Shuptrine, Jacob Brookins
Description: Mikros is a small synthetic chip that can mimic the behavior of organic tissues in order to portray and observe real-life human reactions to certain drugs and substances. Using this chip eliminates the need for testing of cleaning, drug, and makeup products on animals. Market Research: This team called testing labs around the nation to speak with the lab technicians about the methods they use as well as smaller companies who produced animal-friendly cosmetics. In addition, they called national senators and representatives who had backed anti-animal testing bills to inform them of their findings. Awards: Mikros presented to the NASA representatives and received a Silver commendation from the executives. |
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