Learn About Our 2020 Collegiate Inventors Competition Finalists

This year’s Collegiate Inventors Competition^® (CIC) is a little over a week away, and for the 30^th anniversary of the competition, we are excited to announce our Finalists!

On Oct. 27 and 28, five Undergraduate and five Graduate teams will compete in an online format and present their inventions to a panel of Judges including National Inventors Hall of Fame^® Inductees and intellectual property experts from the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

This year, we are especially pleased to have contestants from some of the top colleges and universities from across the country. These students represent the next generation of innovators and are leading the way to future solutions that have the potential to improve the lives of people everywhere.

To learn more about the incredible student innovators and their inventions for this year’s competition, we invite you to read on:

Undergraduate Finalists

Benegraft, Johns Hopkins University

The Benegraft Rapid Dicer is an easy-to use, disposable tool that reduces the time it takes to dice the tissue required for rhinoplasty surgery from 40 minutes to under five.

Dyad Syringe, Stetson University

The Dyad Syringe is the first syringe that allows the administration of medication and sanitation of the device in a single action — both saving time and decreasing the chance for infection.

Primus Roof Removal, Brigham Young University and Utah State University

The Primus Roof Removal system is the first self-propelled roofing teardown tool that increases teardown capacity by more than 75%, saving contractors significant time and money.

TrachTech, Tulane University

TrachTech is a novel device used to efficiently remove biofilms and debris from intubation tubes while maintaining continued airflow from ventilators during the cleaning process — reducing the likelihood that patients will develop ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP).

Universally Friendly Obturator (UFO), Rice University

The Universally Friendly Obturator is a customizable device that simplifies the brachytherapy procedure (a type of radiation therapy used to treat late-stage cervical cancer) and makes this lifesaving treatment more accessible to women worldwide, regardless of their economic status.

Graduate Finalists

Hearo, Johns Hopkins University

The Hearo is a self-powered, flexible electrostatic transducer that can be optimized to produce higher- quality communications and recordings, even in noisy environments.

LightAnchors, Carnegie Mellon University

LightAnchors uses LED lights to both anchor virtual interfaces and transmit dynamic data, allowing “dumb” devices to become smarter through augmented reality with essentially zero extra cost.

Quantum Lock, University of Tennessee

Quantum Lock technology increases hotel lock security by pairing a quantum random number generator (a device that generates unpredictable numbers by measuring the random behavior of subatomic particles) with a customized set of communication protocols.

Robo-thread, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

The Robo-thread is a soft-robotic guidewire that can be magnetically controlled to enable safer and quicker access to hard-to-reach lesions in the brain’s blood vessels, thereby reducing the time it takes to treat stroke patients.

SanaHeal, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

The SanaHeal bioadhesive is a dry strip of tape that has the unique ability to bind wet tissues together and can potentially replace the staples or sutures used to close surgical sites following an operation and provide healthier healing.

Learn More About This Year’s Collegiate Inventors Competition

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