BioDesign Sprint Awards $12,000 to Student Innovations for Healthcare

A student team dedicated to improving bandages for pedatric wounds won $6,000 for their proposal at the BioDesign Sprint, a competition creating real-world solutions for the healthcare industry. 

The team, Bandage Buddies, designed a material that was fun and engaging for kids, which encouraged them to keep the bandage on. They also created a design that makes it more difficult to fully remove the bandage, which helps provide longer protection to the wound.  

Shivani Koundinya, a senior biomedical engineering student, said several people on the team have family members in the medical field who work with children, and that first-hand, personal experience inspired them to find a solution. 

"Throughout the process, we focused on the needs of the end users: the kids and their parents. We held multiple team meetings, constantly asking ourselves if the solution we were developing would be helpful from a parent's or healthcare provider's perspective," Koundinya said.  

"By keeping the users' needs at the forefront, we were able to refine our approach and arrive at a design that addresses the issue in a practical and effective way." 

Bandage Buddies won the top prize at the competition — worth $5,000 — and secured an additional $1,000 through an audience vote. 

Focused on brainstorming and designing medical devices, the BioDesign Sprint is part of the Northwest Arkansas BioDesign Sprints (NABS) program, led by the U of A Office of Entrepreneurship and Innovation, the College of Engineering and HealthTech Arkansas to identify as many problems and create as many solutions as possible in the healthcare field.    

Students formed teams to innovate on one of three healthcare challenges identified by local healthcare partners, over a week's time. 

"Programs like the BioDesign Sprint empower students to innovate and solve real-world problems," said Phil Shellhammer, executive director at OEI. "The work of teams like Bandage Buddies is a great example of how students are addressing critical challenges in healthcare, from improving wound care for children to creating more effective solutions for the future."

• $3,000: ElctroNerds — Amanda Veiga Basora, senior, biomedical engineering; Daniela Vasquez Justiniano, junior, biomedical engineering; Nathaniel Liu, senior, biomedical engineering; Samira Radjabova, sophomore, biomedical engineering 

  • This team envisioned a modular system that integrates with existing monitors, featuring wireless connectivity, long battery life with indicators and a compact, sterilizable design. Designed for reliability and easy storage, their device would include a built-in notification system to ensure real-time alerts and seamless operation.  

• $2,000: Patch Protect — Vitali Maldonado, doctorate, biomedical engineering; Maximilian Pardo, senior, biomedical engineering; Isabella Roberts, sophomore, data science 

  • Patch Protect redefines wound care with a durable, tamper-resistant design that stays in place and discourages kids from picking. Fun patterns enhance appeal while providing reliable protection, addressing common issues with traditional dressing.  

• $1,000: Streamline Urodynamics — Nickolas Gustavison, master's, biomedical engineering; Joey Hobbs, master's, biomedical engineering

  • Streamline Urodynamics is revolutionizing urodynamic studies by developing a Mobile Urodynamic Kit that allows for realistic, at-home testing. The innovation addresses the limitations of traditional clinical urodynamic studies, which are uncomfortable, time-consuming and fail to reflect real-life scenarios. 

JUDGES  

• Kevin Hall, associate dean for academics and University Professor, U of A College of Engineering 

• Spencer Jones, founder of XO Medtech and CEO of Lapovations, LLC 

• Dr. Marti Sharkey, VAERS physician and CDC consultant; former city of Fayetteville health director