Ariana Bruno, CoE junior, represented the University of Michigan at the 2014 ASME iShow this April in Washington D.C. Bruno introduced the audience to a new shock absorbing technology developed by a company called New Aegis that both she and her brother, a PhD candidate of Chemistry, cofounded.
The siblings founded New Aegis in 2012 and have since developed a new material that absorbs thirty percent of the initial impact forces and reduce all after shock forces. Bruno dubs the material “smart padding.” In the future, New Aegis hopes to be able to install the smart padding into football helmets to make the traditional, yet high-stakes sport safer by preventing concussions.
ASME’s eighth annual iShow featured ten teams from nine different colleges this year. Graduate and Undergraduate students compete together in the competition, showcasing their engineering designs as well their entrepreneurial skills. They pitch their designs to a diverse panel of judges comprised of innovators, industry experts, and intellectual property specialists.
The winning team receives a grand prize amount of $25,000, which goes toward developing their product. The runner up receives $15,000, and third place wins $10,000. In addition to cash prizes, each team will benefit from industry recognition.