| Outcome/accomplishment:
The QoLT Foundry generated significant interest from media and other attendees
of the January 2011 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, NV.
The QoLT Foundry is the commercialization arm of the Quality of Life Technology
Center (QoLT) – an Engineering Research Center (ERC) funded by NSF and
headquartered at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) and the University of
Pittsburgh (UPitt).
Impact/benefits:
In its third year attending CES, the QoLT Foundry created an exceptional
booth presence within the Digital Health Summit – a subset of the Silver
Summit TechZone, which is focused on emerging technologies that support
the baby boomer generation. At the January 2010 CES, the Chief Technology
Officer of the United States, Aneesh Chopra, took a strong interest in
the Foundry as a catalyst for innovation and described in on the White
House website. Such high-profile exposure helps the public understand,
in tangible terms, how QoLT's work could someday help them.
Explanation/ background:
QoLT Foundry was launched in 2008 with the goal of creating companies that
market new-technology products based on ERC research and associated projects.
The CES is one of the world's premiere events for showcasing leading-edge
technological innovations that impact the consumer market.
At the CES, 11 students associated
with the QoLT Center demonstrated 10 QoLT innovations to a range of audiences
including industry representatives, investors, media, analysts, celebrities,
and everyday consumers. QoLT attracted especially large crowds to
the Digital Health sector with its display of helpful robots for home or
assistive care use. Included were soft, inflatable robots that can
assist with everyday tasks such as bathing; a beefy robot arm that responds
to the voice commands of stroke patients and others with limited arm mobility;
and First Person Vision, which analyzes a user’s gaze to determine his
or her intentions. Modular snake robots that can revolutionize
search and rescue missions with their versatility also appeared at the
QoLT booth by special invitation to Carnegie Mellon’s Robotics Institute.
Curt Stone, QoLT’s Industrial
Liaison Officer, an experienced entrepreneur who founded and leads the
Foundry, organized the Foundry’s presence at the CES. QoLT Center Director
Takeo Kanade made a special guest appearance as a visionary of the technology
industry and greeted guests.
More than 100 companies requested
follow-up information on QoLT, and promising partner opportunities surfaced
among significant brand-name entities.
More than 30 media contacts
visited the QoLT booth, resulting in coverage that spans more than 60 outlets
to date. (See, for example http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IlWdwknKdl0.)
Lean&Zoom, the first commercialized product of the QoLT Foundry, itself
appeared on national television in more than 400 viewing markets on ABC
and CBS news; its potential in the Personal Healthcare and Fitness Technologies
sector was also cited in a CES wrap-up report by Gartner Research. |
