Finalists competing for the 2016 InVenture Prize have invented devices to protect firefighters, give children safe drinking water, and teach us how to play “Stairway to Heaven” on guitar.

Georgia Tech’s InVenture Prize competition is designed to encourage and support undergraduate students’ interest in innovation and entrepreneurship. Once again, more than 500 students signed up for the competition.

This year’s six finalist teams have invented ways to make our lives safer, healthier, and a bit more fun. The teams are:

FireHUD: A display and data monitor that will track and display real-time information to firefighters in hazardous conditions. The goal is to decrease the level of uncertainty firefighters face.

Inventors: Zachary Braun, computer engineering; and Tyler Sisk, electrical engineering.

FretWizard: A virtual guitar teacher for students at varying levels. The inventors designed the site to give people a simpler and more intuitive way to learn how to play songs on the guitar.

Inventors: Ali Abid, computer science; and Molly Ricks, international affairs.

RoboGoalie: An automatic retrieval device that collects a soccer ball and launches it back to the player. Similar to a batting cage, this device gives soccer players the flexibility of practicing alone.

Inventors (all mechanical engineering majors): Siu Lun Chan, Ming Him Ko, Zhifeng Su, and Timothy Woo.

TEQ Charging: A power management system for electric vehicle chargers. The technology and design lowers the cost of installing current charge stations and increases efficiency by sequentially charging vehicles.

Inventors: Dorrier Coleman, computer engineering; Mitchell Kelman, computer science; Joshua Lieberman, mechanical engineering; and Isaac Wittenstein, mechanical engineering.

TruePani: A household sanitation solution, consisting of a passive antimicrobial cup and storage water device that kills harmful microbes in drinking water. This invention was designed for children in rural India who are most affected by waterborne illnesses, but it also could be used in underserved communities worldwide.

Inventors: Samantha Becker, civil engineering; Sarah Lynn Bowen, business administration; Naomi Ergun, business administration; and Shannon Evanchec, environmental engineering.

Wobble: A device to test a person’s reactive balance. It works like a mechanical bull in that it spins and tilts. It can be programmed to different levels of difficulty, which makes it useful for determining return-to-play protocols for athletes who have suffered a concussion and also for evaluating the risk of falling for elderly patients.

Inventors: Hailey Brown, mechanical engineering; Matthew Devlin, biomedical engineering; Ana Gomez del Campo, biomedical engineering; and Garrett Wallace, biomedical engineering.

The winning team scores $20,000 and the second-place team receives $10,000.

Both first- and second-place finishers will receive free U.S. patent filings by Georgia Tech’s Office of Technology Licensing and a spot in Georgia Tech’s startup accelerator program, Flashpoint.

A $5,000 People’s Choice Award will go to the fans’ favorite invention. Voting will be by text messaging during the finale.

The finale will take place March 16 at the Ferst Center for the Arts. Tickets are free and can be requested here.

The event will also be aired live on Georgia Public Broadcasting. 

Additional Images

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FireHUD
Mercury ID
497161
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FretWizard
Mercury ID
497171
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RoboGoalie
Mercury ID
497221
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TEQ Charging - InVenture Prize finalist
Mercury ID
497251
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TruePani
Mercury ID
497201
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Wobble
Mercury ID
497271