I thought about writing about tomorrow’s election, but I’m too anxious – and a little terrified – about it, so I’ll take a pass. I was intrigued by Oracle Health’s promise of an AI-driven, “next-generation” EHR, or the news that OpenAI was introducing ChatGPT search, but I felt that each was inevitable and yet that both would prove underwhelming in the short term.
So I
decided to write about invention.
Credit: Bing Image Creator
The November
issue of IEEE Spectrum magazine is all about invention, starting with
the tantalizing overview Why
the Art of Invention Is Always Being Reinvented. “Invention doesn’t
come from some innate genius, it’s not something that only really special
people get to do,” says Stephanie Couch, executive director of the Lemelson MIT Program.
Still,
authors Eliza Strickland and Peter B. Meyer warn, “…the limits of what an
individual can achieve have become starker over time. To tackle some of the
biggest problems facing humanity today, inventors need a deep-pocketed
government sponsor or corporate largess to muster the equipment and collective
human brainpower required.”
Tell that
to UTEP student Tayia Oddonetto. While an undergraduate, she had
an epiphany. “During
class, the professor said that if someone discovered how to turn brine, water
with a high salt concentration, into something of value, it’d be revolutionary
for the planet. At that moment, I told myself I was going to be the one who
found the solution for brine, and that thought has never left me.”
And she
did it. Instead of the more common reverse osmosis (RO) method of desalination,
which at best converts 85% of salt water into fresh water and leaves a problematic
15% of concentrated brine, Ms. Oddonetto used something called salt-free,
electrodialysis metathesis. As the press
release describes it: “Salt-free electrodialysis metathesis treats brine by
passing it through ion exchange membranes, thin sheets or films, and electrical
currents that work to separate salt from water at the molecular level.”
Her approach
produced over 90% fresh water, and generated higher levels of valuable metals
and minerals that can be repurposed across several industries including
technology, health and food.
“Tayia’s
research will help public utilities save money while enabling people nationwide
to reduce their utility bills in a meaningful way, advancing society's aim of
water conservation,” said Ivonne Santiago, Ph.D., an associate professor in the
Department of Civil Engineering at UTEP and now Ms. Oddonetto’s doctoral
advisor. “In the next few years, I anticipate that we will see Tayia’s research
applied on a large scale and fully see the tremendous benefit her work can have
on humankind. Her journey is a testament to her perseverance, the importance of
working on challenging problems and the value of a strong work ethic and
positive attitude.”
“Earning
an award and funding for my research is incredibly validating. This is a
complex and difficult challenge to tackle and the journey has been full of
roadblocks and setbacks,” said Ms. Oddonetto. “But I kept at it, and to be
recognized for the value of my work is proof that all my effort and belief in
this project was worthwhile.” She’s now working with the National Alliance for
Water Innovation (NAWI), El Paso Water, the Kay Bailey Hutchison Desalination
plant, New Mexico State University and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to refine
the process.
 |
| UTEP doctoral student Tayia Oddonetto (right) and doctoral advisor Ivonne Santiago, Ph.D., (left). Credit: UTEP |
Ms.
Poletaev, a material science student, was having coffee with Parth Mahendru, an
aerospace-engineering student while discussing the competition. They enlisted Asad
Ishaq, a robotics student, and Michael Acquaviva, an electrical engineering student.
Instead of
using flashy approaches like lasers, the team used sound to take down drones. “Not
everything has to be violent or… destructive,” Anna Poletaev said.
“[Our technology can make a drone] think that it’s 5,000 feet off the ground
when it’s actually just a few metres above,” Mr. Mahendru explained.
According
to the
UT press release, “the system can also disrupt visual feeds for drones
relying on cameras, making navigation nearly impossible. It can reduce visuals
to mere pixels or even disable the camera.”
They did
all this spending $17,000 of their one money, mostly via credit cards.
The
students have founded Prandtl Dynamics as
they seek to commercialize their product, as well as make it more robust (for
example, extending its range from 100 meters). “We have a different market that
does not… conflict with anyone else, just because of the novelty of the idea,” Mr.
Mahendru noted.
The team is also actively seeking partnerships and expertise from industry
experts.
They have
some challenges ahead. As WSJ notes: “Funding for earlier-stage
companies, though, is often hard to come by. Globally, only two seed-capital
investments, worth a total of $14.2 million, were made in defense startups last
year, according to the data provider PitchBook. The federal government has
spent billions in recent years on technology from top national-security
startups, but most U.S.
defense spending continues to go to traditional military contractors.”
Still, Mr.
Mahendru insists,
“Working for ourselves, that’s what’s most exciting.”
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| Prandlt Dynamics team. Credit: Joel Rodriguez |
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In the IEEE
Spectrum invention issue, inventor Dean Kamen warned: “Today,
while invention is getting easier and easier, I think there are some aspects of
innovation that have gotten much more difficult.” He defines innovation as when
something reaches the scale to impact or transform the world. For software,
that’s easy; for physical objects, not so much. He blames competition and
regulatory environments.
If any
sector inhibits inventions from becoming actually innovations, it has to be
health care. All anyone has to say is “patient safety” and inventors get cold
feet. The hoops inventors have to jump through to get FDA approval or to be
covered by health insurers is daunting. Innovators beware.
But I’m
reminded of people like Susannah Fox, who writes about the Maker movement
in health care, where patients and their families aren’t willing to wait for “the
system” to get around to solving their problems. Instead, they invent solutions
on their own. We need more Makers in health care, and we need to help them reach
Mr. Kamen’s innovation stage of transforming the world – or, in this case, the
healthcare system.
More of us
need to take Ms. Oddonetto’s attitude: “I told myself I was going to be the one
who found the solution.”
