On August 31st, Engineering World Health celebrated the accomplishments of our 2023 Design Competition winners at Engage, our annual year-in-review and awards ceremony. 

The EWH Design Competition, which is open to EWH Chapter members, invites university students to submit innovative designs for medical technology that can make a difference in low-resource settings. Our 13th annual competition received thirteen exciting proposals from nine universities in five different countries. 

After a difficult deliberation process, we are excited to congratulate the University College Dublin EWH Chapter as the first place winner for their design PneuDetect, an easy-to-use device for diagnosing pneumonia in infants (pictured right).

PneuDetect utilizes an exhaled breath condensate (EBC) analysis module and an electrochemical sensor to enable healthcare workers to make quick and accurate pneumonia diagnosis. EBC samples have a composition similar to blood and lung fluid and contain compounds which can be examined for potential biomarkers for non-invasive pneumonia diagnosis. Through the use of a face mask, EBC may be effectively collected from newborn infants. Using a 3-D printer, PneuDetect costs just €102 (about $109 USD) to create - making it much cheaper than other options currently available. The PneuDetect team hopes to establish the device as a start-up enterprise and leverage partnerships with charities, NGOs, and entrepreneurship programs to establish a sustainable business model and bring the device to market. 

The University of Texas at Austin EWH Chapter took second place in the Design Competition with their design, ThermoRevive, a low-cost neonatal incubator, and the University of Minnesota EWH Chapter took third place with A Low-Cost Autoclave Temperature and Pressure Monitor.

View the winning proposals for the 2023 Design Competition by clicking the links below:

 

Modeled on our college Design Competition, EWH’s High School Design Competition is open to high school students around the world. During the 2023 High School Design Competition, students developed solutions to low-resource healthcare challenges posed by EWH and submitted 3-5 minute videos outlining their ideas. 

View the winning submissions for the 2023 High School Design Competition by clicking the links below:

 

EWH would like to congratulate our 2023 Design Competition winners and all of the students who participated for their hard work and dedication to improving healthcare delivery around the world!

Interested in sponsoring next year’s competition? Contact us to learn more!