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Submit your best new product ideas for a chance at $25,000, other great prizes, and global recognition. If you already are registered, log in to access the entry form. Otherwise, click here to get started.

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Since Tech Briefs magazine launched the Create the Future Design contest in 2002 to recognize and reward engineering innovation, over 15,000 design ideas have been submitted by engineers, students, and entrepreneurs across six continents. You can also join the innovators who dared to dream big and build a better tomorrow by entering this year’s contest.

Read About Past Winners’ Success Stories

Over the past 20 years, many innovators have used the recognition afforded by the contest to advance the development and marketing of their technologies. We highlight some success stories of past winners who have brought their inventions to the marketplace.

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A ‘Create the Future’ Winner Featured on ‘Here’s an Idea’

Spinal cord injury affects 17,000 Americans and 700,000 people worldwide each year. A research team at NeuroPair, Inc. won the Grand Prize in the 2023 Create the Future Design Contest for a revolutionary approach to spinal cord repair. In this Here’s an Idea podcast episode, Dr. Johannes Dapprich, NeuroPair’s CEO and founder, discusses their groundbreaking approach that addresses a critical need in the medical field, offering a fast and minimally invasive solution to a long-standing problem.

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Thank you from our Sponsors

“At COMSOL, we are very excited to recognize innovators and their important work this year. We are grateful for the opportunity to support the Create the Future Design Contest, which is an excellent platform for designers to showcase their ideas and products in front of a worldwide audience. Best of luck to all participants!”

— Bernt Nilsson, Senior Vice President of Marketing, COMSOL, Inc.

“From our beginnings, Mouser has supported engineers, innovators and students. We are proud of our longstanding support for the Create the Future Design Contest and the many innovations it has inspired.”

— Kevin Hess, Senior Vice President of Marketing, Mouser Electronics

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Vitalflo

Votes: 9
Views: 15254
Medical

Over 25 million Americans have been diagnosed with asthma, and of those, 16 million are between the ages of 18-64. Due to the longevity of asthma, it is ranked as one of the top five most expensive diseases, costing the US over $63 billion annually according to WebMD. Over 60% of asthmatics own a peak flow meter (PFM); however, only about 35% actually use their PFM due to varying factors. Regular use of a reliable PFM and monitoring of one’s respiratory vitals would create a better asthma management plan, and in-turn, reduce the effects and severity of their asthma. A rapidly aging population, rising incidences of COPD, technical advances in the respiratory care devices market and tight budgets of healthcare institutions are among the major factors influencing the US market. Convenience and comfort in a home-care environment, coupled with cost advantages are the major factors driving the home healthcare market for respiratory care devices.

The vitalflo device was first conceived using situational analysis tools, moved to product development, then engineering through technical advancements and finally completed with a business plan including financial analysis and a marketing plan. The advantage of having professionals from a variety of backgrounds allowed for the simulation of a real-time company and the conception of a fully functional, market-ready device.

The total component cost per unit for vitalflo is $17.37, and we are proposing a retail price of $49.90. According to our pricing strategy we have $31.68 for contribution margin per unit. Although we do not have data that indicates price points of products or price elasticity of customers, we conducted sensitivity analysis on different contribution margins that can serve as a guide for understanding different contribution margins to our NPV of $39.34 million. The NPV is based on a 3 year time period with market shares ranging increasing from 2.9% in year 1 to 7.5% in year 3.

Our final product offers a reliable monitoring solution that helps consumers monitor their breathing, while delivering an education solution showing the best ways to manage and treat changes in their breathing through integration with their smart phone. It fills current unmet needs by utilizing the most accurate lung capacity measurements, reducing overall device size for ease of transport and storage, integrating wireless technology to seamlessly transmit data to any smart phone or PC, functioning fully as a standalone device and offering a dashboard of additional features and benefits. Together, these benefits increase the usability and value of the device for the user and their doctor and allows the patient to live life on their own terms.

Video

  • Awards

  • 2013 Medical Category Winner
  • 2013 Top 100 Entries

Voting

Voting is closed!

  • ABOUT THE ENTRANT

  • Name:
    James Dieffenderfer
  • Type of entry:
    team
    Team members:
    Mike Brown
    Leigh Johnson
  • Software used for this entry:
    Rhino, LabVIEW, PCB Artist
  • Patent status:
    none