Convergence Innovation Competition Names Two Winners

Both fadpad and NaloPack won this year’s Georgia Tech Convergence Innovation Competition (CIC) for fall 2023. The CIC judges felt both teams deserved to be named winners based on their innovative ideas. Sponsored twice every year by Georgia Tech’s Institute for People and Technology (IPaT), the Convergence Innovation Competition is dedicated to helping students create and showcase innovative, viable products and experiences with the support of campus and industry resources along with guidance.

Fadpad is a multilayered add-on that goes directly on top of a menstrual pad to collect a blood sample. The blood sample is then shipped to a lab for testing. The fadpad team has shown that their approach can effectively detect biomarkers present in diseases like HPV, HIV, and other sexually transmitted infections. They recently earned one of the top prizes at the 2023 Collegiate Inventors Competition at the National Inventors Hall of Fame.

The fapad team includes Rhea Prem, who graduated with a bachelor of science in computer engineering; Netra Gandhi, who graduated with a bachelor of science in biomedical engineering; Ethan Damiani, who will graduate with a bachelor of science in biochemistry this fall; and Girish Hari, who will be completing a master of science in computer science this fall. Each team member will win a cash prize for winning.

NaloPak is a design-driven carry sling bag allowing a wearer to quickly access two Naloxone nasal sprays to quickly reverse an opioid overdose. The specially designed bag system also advertisers that the wearer is carrying this lifesaving medicine. Instructions to use Naloxone are also highly visible if the medicine needs to be rapidly deployed to save a life.

NaloPak was envisioned by Rae Bloom who is an undergraduate industrial design student graduating next spring 2024. By winning, Bloom will gain entry into the Georgia Tech CREATE-X program along with a cash prize. Fadpad has already participated in the CREATE-X program at Georgia Tech.

This year’s sole finalist was a product application named “becalming.” The future vision of her app is to combat bad mental health practices. It’s a product that is still in the early stages of design and development. Becalming is spearheaded by Sai Sanjana Prakash, who is pursuing a bachelor of science in both biomedical engineering and computer science.
 

This year’s fall 2023 competition judges were:

• Russell Clark, Institute for People and Technology at Georgia Tech
• Rahul Saxena, CREATE-X at Georgia Tech