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| Home : Volume 33 : Spring 2007 : | |
| Single-handed fishing kit reels in top prize at Innovation Days 2007 | |
Schoofs Prize for Creativity: First place and $10,000—Brian “Sunya” Nimityongskul for Adaptive Fishing Kit, pictured here with Dean Paul Peercy. (Large image) |
Brian “Sunya” Nimityongskul won first place and $10,000 in the 2007 Schoofs Prize for Creativity with his Adaptive Fishing Kit, a device that adapts a standard fishing rod and reel so that people with injuries, paralysis or amputation can use it with one arm. (Large image) |
The Adaptive Fishing Kit, a kit that converts a standard fishing rod and reel so that people can use it with only one arm, took the top prize and $10,000 in the 2007 Schoofs Prize for Creativity during the Innovation Days idea and invention competition on the UW-Madison campus. The kit, with an estimated retail price of $120, would provide a means for amputees, stroke victims, or others with injuries or paralysis to enjoy the sport of fishing.
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Brian "Sunya" Nimityongskul got the idea for a system for one-armed fishing while recovering from shoulder surgery last summer. “I wanted to be fishing and not sitting at home,” he says. “Being an engineer, I decided I’d do something about it.”
The greatest challenge was turning his abstract idea into a working prototype, says Nimityongskul: “It's multiple mini designs compiled into one.” He worked on the prototype during his free time, designing and machining it himself—even making a short instructional DVD on how to install and operate the kit. Then he decided to enter his invention in the Innovation Days competitions February 8 and 9.
The Adaptive Fishing Kit also won second place and $1,250 in the Tong Prototype Prize. “It's really nice to be rewarded for your work—not only in money, but also in seeing all these great designs,” says Nimityongskul. “There were a lot of other really great designs, and I wouldn't have minded losing to a number of them.”
Next, he plans to talk to contacts in industry and take steps to market the kit.
The first place Tong Prototype Prize and $2,500 went to the Ladder CAT, a device for safely lifting loads up the entire span of an extension ladder. Students Dan Goesch, Elliot Haag, Logan Hamel, Mike Sracic and Dave Tengler created the device. “We noticed that with all the ladder use that construction workers have, they tend to sacrifice their safety by carrying loads up ladders,” says Hamel.
The team members relied on their own construction experience when designing the prototype, an iterative and sometimes improvisational process. “We started off with a design that was very different from this, and we continually changed it to make it better and more usable,” says Hamel.
Schoofs Prize for Creativity: Second place and $7,000; $1,000 Younkle Best Presentation Award—Prize sponsor Matt Younkle (left) with Elliot Haag, Mike Scracic and Logan Hamel for Ladder CAT. (Large image) |
From left: Mike Sracic, Elliot Haag, Dan Goesch and Logan Hamel (not pictured: Dave Tengler) won first place and $2,500 in the 2007 Tong Prototype Prize for the Ladder CAT, a device for safely lifting loads up the entire span of an extension ladder. (Large image) |
The Ladder CAT also won second place in the Schoofs Prize for Creativity and the $1,000 Younkle Best Presentation Award. In addition, team member Sracic won the $1,000 Sorenson Design Notebook Award. The students hope to develop the product further to expand its use beyond construction.
“As of right now we have one main application that we designed it for, but as we progress and move our design further, we could consider more features that would allow it to be more cost effective and efficient for a home user,” says Sracic.
$1,000 Sorenson Design Notebook Award—Mike Scracic (right) for Ladder CAT, pictured here with prize sponsor Chad Sorenson. (Large image) |
A panel of give judges chose the winners based on creativity, innovation, and probability of market success. Twenty student teams presented their ideas and inventions during the two-day event.
Chemical Engineering alumnus Richard J. Schoofs sponsors the Schoofs Prize for Creativity, and Electrical and Computer Engineering alumnus Peter P. Tong sponsors the Tong Prototype Prize through the Tong Family Foundation.Competition alumnus Matthew Younkle, president of Y Innovation, LLC, and president and CTO of Laminar Technologies, LLC, sponsors the Younkle Best Presentation award. Chad Sorenson, a competition alumnus and judge, founding principal of Sologear Corp. and founder of Fluent Systems, LLC, sponsors the Sorenson Design Notebook Award.
Schoofs Prize for Creativity: fourth place and $1,000 (tie) Adam Anders for Smart Brake. (Large image) |
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Schoofs Prize for Creativity: Fourth place and $1,000 (tie)—Chris Meyer for Motorcycle Lighting Innovations. (Large image) |
Chemical Engineering alumnus Richard J. Schoofs sponsors the Schoofs Prize for Creativity and electrical and computer engineering alumnus Peter P. Tong sponsors the Tong Prototype Prize through the Tong Family Foundation.
Competition alumnus Matthew Younkle, president of Y Innovation, LLC, and president and CTO of Laminar Technologies, LLC, sponsors the Younkle Best Presentation award. Chad Sorenson, a competition alumnus and judge, founding principal of Sologear Corp. and founder of Fluent Systems, LLC, sponsors the Sorenson Design Notebook award.
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Schoofs Prize for Creativity: Third place and $4,000; Tong Prototype Prize: Third place and $700—Paul Grogan, Mike Tupek, Kevin McMullen, Ryan Larson, Jacob Notbohm and Colin VanDercreek for BugsTOP. (Large image) |
DAVE FRANCHINO is the president and an owner of Design Concepts Inc., a nationally recognized new product innovation firm in Madison, Wisconsin. Design Concepts has collaborated with hundreds of clients on new product innovation programs through the integrated application of design strategy, user-focused product research, human factors, mechanical and electrical engineering and 3-D prototyping. Franchino lectures on engineering and project management at UW-Madison and frequently speaks on new product design and innovation. Prior to joining Design Concepts, he worked for 12 years for GM/Saturn as a project leader, engineer and engineering manager on Saturn's first generation of automobiles. Francino holds a BS in mechanical engineering from UW-Madison and an MS in manufacturing systems engineering from Stanford.
JIM FRATER is president and partner in BIT 7 Inc., a strategic product development firm with offices in Madison and Mundelein, Illinois. One of the fastest growing companies in Dane County, BIT 7 partners with clients on all aspects of product direction, from early management decisions and innovation through full implementation and verification. Typical services include strategic mapping and gap analysis, user and science research, product design and engineering (mechanical, electrical and software), chemistry and process development, working prototypes and customized verification testing. Frater has experience in manufacturing, product and packaging design, marketing, entrepreneurial and turn-around situations, and executive management for established corporations such as Menasha Corporation, MicroQwik, Design Concepts and Placon Corp. Frater received his BSME from Marquette University and taught product design while working on graduate degrees in business and engineering. He served as president of the Carded Packaging Institute for two years, is a registered professional engineer, and holds numerous patents.
ELLEN JOHNSON is vice president of product development for Madison-based Pacific Cycle, a Dorel Industries Inc. company. Pacific Cycle is the leading bicycle supplier in the United States, selling bicycles and recreational products under the Mongoose, Schwinn, Pacific, GT and Roadmaster brands. Johnson heads the product development team, which designs and develops bicycles and wheeled products for major retailers. Johnson's responsibilities also entail collaboration across diverse groups—customers, sales, suppliers, engineering and quality. Key areas of focus include trend-spotting, visual innovation, rapid product execution, and continuous cost improvements. Prior to joining Pacific Cycle, she worked for five years at Huffy Corporation as vice president of product development for bicycles, wheeled toys and sporting goods. Johnson holds a BS from the University of Illinois.
CHRIS RICHARDSON received his BS in mechanical engineering in 1997 and an MBA in 2005 from UW-Madison. He began his career at MicroStrategy Inc., a software company based in McLean, Virginia. During his six years at MicroStrategy, Richardson held various leadership roles in the company's consulting practice before becoming a product manager for the intelligence server product. As a product manager, he led the introduction of new product features and received a patent for his contributions to the user interface. After earning his MBA, he joined GE Healthcare as a Lean Six Sigma Blackbelt in the diagnostic imaging business. In this role, he leads Lean and Six Sigma projects across different business functions to improve and simplify business processes. Currently, Richardson is a member of the diagnostic imaging pricing team, where he creates and leads strategic pricing plans across all product families.
CHAD SORENSON is a founding principal of Sologear Corporation, a Madison-based consumer products start-up focused on developing new convenience-oriented products in the barbecue grilling industry. Prior to this responsibility, Sorenson founded and managed an agricultural technology company, Fluent Systems, LLC, which was based on an invention he conceived while a student at UW-Madison. The device allowed farmers to remotely monitor the fluid level and application rate of anhydrous ammonia, a common nitrogen fertilizer. His invention won first place in the 2000 Schoofs Prize for Creativity, first place in the 2001 Tong Prototype Prize competition, second place in the G. Steven Burrill Technology Business Plan Competition, and awards at international business plan competitions. Fluent was sold to Raven Industries, a public corporation in South Dakota, in December 2003 for about $1.3 million in cash.
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Date last modified: 05-Jun-2007
Date created: 05-Jun-2007
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