Reinvented Remote Learning and Accelerated Patient Monitoring System Come Out on Top at COVID HealthHack II

(Hoboken, N.J. – June 18, 2020) – Stevens Venture Center, Stevens Institute of Technology’s startup incubator, is proud to announce the winners of COVID HealthHack II, the second phase of a two-part virtual hackathon aimed at developing innovative, real-world solutions to tackle the challenges of safely reopening the economy in the midst of a global pandemic.

The first-place winners, selected by a panel of industry experts, include Maia, a web application that reinvents remote learning through live animation; and Discover, a wearable patient monitoring system that enables nurses to quickly assess patients’ vital signs at a safe distance and instantly diagnose symptoms of disease.

HealthHack II drew over 500 participants during the 10-day event in May, with more than 100 teams of students, researchers and business professionals working together to develop solutions in a number of different tracks, including virtual experiences, crowd monitoring, telemedicine and symptom tracking. The competition, which awarded $5,000 in prize money for first, second and third place, included both new teams and those who had participated in HealthHack I, the initial event held in April.

“Stevens’ COVID Health Hackathon was organized to create an environment for students, academics and industry experts to collaborate, discover and help overcome the challenges presented by the pandemic as the world begins to reopen,” said Premal Kamdar, Stevens entrepreneur-in-residence and creator of the COVID HealthHack, along with Stevens students Justin Trugman ‘20, Hayden Daly ‘21, Frank Pinnola ‘22, and Maor Mashiach ‘23. “The groundbreaking innovations developed at this hackathon provide evidence-based solutions that can solve the real-world issues we’re currently facing.”

The virtual event drew participants from around the US and around the world, many from leading academic institutions and organizations including Columbia University, Harvard, MIT, Stevens Institute of Technology, Stanford, Facebook, Verizon, Mt. Sinai Hospital and Siemens AG.

Details on Winners and Runners-up

Winners

• Maia (New Projects): Created by sisters, Allyson and Samantha Clark, and inspired by their mother, a high school teacher who has been struggling to keep her students engaged while delivering lessons online, Maia is a web application that uses facial tracking and motion capture tools to create animated avatars representing both teachers and students. Teachers can write on a virtual whiteboard; add sound effects, stickers, and videos to their lesson; and easily start polls, assignments, and games. Students can click on their character to raise their hand at any time and write on the interactive board when called on. Currently designed for elementary school classes, it has the potential to be used for all different educational levels.

• Discover (Existing Projects): The Discover team began their project at the April Health Hack and completed it during Health Hack II. Discover is a wearable patient monitoring system that minimizes physical contact between nurses and patients, reducing the amount of personal protective equipment needed. Using the device, a single nurse can monitor up to 100 patients in the time it usually takes to check the vital signs of one patient. The data were immediately transferred to a dashboard, where doctors and nurses can oversee many patients at once and an automatic alert system instantly identifies deteriorating symptoms so they can be immediately responded to.

Runners Up

• Interspace (New Projects): A revolutionary social distancing application that leverages social media location data to determine the population density in a given area so people can make informed choices about whether it’s safe to go to that location.

• Sesame (New Projects): A mobile application that allows customers to reserve a timeslot for entry into retail stores for rewards. Automatic people counting, density tracking and QR code features eliminate the need for retailers to employ door attendants, while reserved time slots do away with long lines for customers.

• ClearFit Mask (Existing Projects): ClearFit Mask is a 3D printed reusable clear mask that is custom made for each user to ensure proper fit for comfort and protection. The mask also improves communication by revealing people’s facial expressions.

• Hopeful Home (Existing Projects): The Hopeful Home app aids and supports victims of domestic abuse by allowing users to safely log their feelings and experiences while empowering them with information on their legal rights, protective actions and resources.

“When you bring together a group of inventive individuals from diverse experiences and backgrounds, as we have for this hackathon, it’s amazing that in just a matter of days, ideas develop into unique solutions to address a whole new set of issues brought about by the pandemic,” said David Zimmerman, director of technology commercialization at Stevens. “Difficult times require new thinking, which is why Stevens has stepped up in this effort to create products and launch startups that will help us reemerge safely and in new ways from the pandemic.”

For more information about Stevens Venture Center’s COVID HealthHack, please visit https://www.covidhealthhack.com/.

About Stevens Institute of Technology

Stevens Institute of Technology is a premier, private research university situated in Hoboken, New Jersey. Since our founding in 1870, technological innovation has been the hallmark of Stevens’ education and research. Within the university’s three schools and one college, 7,300 undergraduate and graduate students collaborate closely with faculty in an interdisciplinary, student-centric, entrepreneurial environment. Academic and research programs spanning business, computing, engineering, the arts and other disciplines actively advance the frontiers of science and leverage technology to confront our most pressing global challenges. As Stevens celebrates its 150th anniversary, the university continues to be consistently ranked among the nation’s leaders in career services, post-graduation salaries of alumni, and return on tuition investment.

Stevens media contact: Thania Benios, [email protected], 917-930-5988