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Lawrence Technological University Unveils Michigan’s First Wearable Technology Innovation Center to Drive Cutting-Edge Solutions in Health, Safety, and Productivity
Lawrence Technological University is establishing Michigan’s first Wearable Technology Innovation Center (WTIC). Through the planning and establishment of WTIC, innovators will access resources provided to design, research, develop, manufacture and commercialize their technologies and products, as well as establish and scale their companies. These new consumer products will combine artificial intelligence, big data analytics, robotic sensing, mobile networking, tracking and navigation into assistive devices that augment the human body.
WTIC will encompass a robust entrepreneurial ecosystem, innovation center, and regional economic development engine. It will coalesce innovative companies, entrepreneurs, start-ups, manufacturing firms, industry leaders, university researchers, and workforce development stakeholders to foster the development and production of wearable technology solutions in the areas of:
Over 30 Leading Industry Partners and more than 20 Innovative University Faculty and Staff have joined together in collaboration to structure and launch the Wearable Technology Innovation Center through a two-year planning process. WTIC will:
The goal of the Wearable Technology Innovation Center (WTIC) is to collaborate with technical experts, designers, users, educators and industry to develop the frameworks for the mechanical, electrical and control systems that are necessary for the next generation of wearable technology consumer products.
Wearable technology promises new devices that combine artificial intelligence, robotic sensing, control and feedback, mobile networking, tracking and navigation into an assistive device that augments the human body for tasks like gait and activities of daily living. Technology revolutions have automated many aspects of mechanical labor and human cognitive tasks, leading to improvements in safety, health and well-being for humanity. Industry 4.0 promises autonomous robots/vehicles that target to reduce the repetitive/mundane tasks that people do while improving productivity. Wearable technology systems are another application of these technologies that will allow development of human-computer-interface devices for a variety of at home or workplace tasks. One example is a whole-body fitness tracker, like an advanced “Fitbit”, that would provide athletes with real time biomechanics tracking for sports performance training and injury prevention.
For more detailed list of equipment and facilities visit ltu.edu/engineering/experimental-biomechanics-lab
Lawrence Technological University (LTU) is establishing Michigan’s first Wearable Technology Innovation Center (WTIC).
WTIC will encompass a robust entrepreneurial ecosystem, innovation center, and regional economic development engine. It will coalesce innovative companies, entrepreneurs, start-ups, manufacturing firms, industry leaders, university researchers, and workforce development stakeholders to foster the development and production of wearable technology solutions.
The following Working Groups have been established with over 30 Industry and Community Partners and over 18 LTU Faculty & Staff as part of a two-year planning and development phase to fully launch the Center.
The purpose of the Wearables Technology Innovation Center (WTIC) Leadership Team and its activities is to guide the teams through WTIC planning activities garnering and leveraging additional expertise and support for the development of WTIC. These leaders will be responsible for creating a monthly meeting schedule and planning site visits (local and non-local), coordinating focus group meetings, working with consultants to help develop determined market assessment, questionnaires and surveys; and performing other work as determined by each of the teams.
The Leadership Team will also help craft and initiate a plan that identifies additional resources, partners, and collaborators that can provide guidance and support for the implementation of the WTIC and its larger ecosystem including:
The WTIC Leadership Team is composed of the Co-PI Eric Meyer PhD, LTU; Co-PI Mark Brucki, LTU; Caryn Reed-Hendon PhD, LTU; Dr. Nicole Kennedy, ArborHive; Jennifer Guarino, ISAIC; Melody DeBolt, Great Lakes Safety Training Center; Yuliya Gaydayenko, Jewish Family Services; and Colleen Hau, Newlab.
The purpose of the Organizational Development Team and its activities will focus on creating the organizational structure; a long-term sustainability plan that incorporates a multi-tiered revenue streams consisting of venture capital investments, foundation and corporate grants and sponsorships, earned income through revenue sharing partnerships, state/local and federal government support and internal LTU annual budget allocations; and to develop an organization operation plan and processes.
The Organizational Development Team has the main priority of organizing and incorporating all of the teams’ inputs into a comprehensive and cohesive organizational structure, and creating a sustainability implementation plan.
The Organizational Development Team Leader is Co-PI Mark Brucki, Associate Vice President for Economic Development at LTU and the initial team members includes: Laurie Arora, Vice President of Public Affairs, Philanthropy and Organizational Development at PACE Southeast Michigan; D’Wayne Edwards HD, President of Pensole Lewis College of Business; John Elliot, Principal AMI Holding Corp. and Jacob Ward, Founding Member of Ward Law.
Additional team members will be brought aboard as determined by the team and an expert consultant in organizational development will help to guide the planning process as relates to the engine’s structure, operations, strategic planning and sustainability plan.
Team Activities Include:
The purpose of the Worker Safety Team and its activities will focus on identifying gaps, needs, and opportunities where wearable technology can be of use to help to improve worker safety, and mitigate accidents, injuries and deaths in such workplaces as construction sites, factories, and warehouses.
The Worker Safety Team will also help craft and initiate a plan that identifies additional resources, partners, and collaborators that can provide guidance and support for the implementation of a wearable technology concept creation, product development, manufacturing, and commercialization with the focus on workers safety.
The Worker Safety Team Leader is Melody DeBolt, Director of Operations at Great Lakes Safety Research Center and initial team members includes: Ahmed Al-Bayati PhD, Director of the Construction Safety Research Center at LTU; Franco Delogu PhD, Associate Professor of Psychology at LTU; Lauren Helbig-O’Reilly, Sr. Manager of R&D Advanced Development at Carhartt; and Tracey McLenon, Vice President of Operations at the Construction Association of Michigan.
Team Activities Include:
The purpose of the Elder Care Team and its activities will focus on identifying gaps, needs and opportunities where wearable technology can be of use to help improve elder care support and safety. The population of people over age 65 is growing rapidly in the U.S. Many caregivers, such as friends and family who are already stressed, are not always able to provide consistent care. Long-term care of the elderly has created burdens on caregivers and financial and social burden on individuals. Wearable Technology allows real-time monitoring and assistance, early intervention, and expedited medical care. Collecting activity data with varieties of sensors to recognize simple and complex activities such as walking, sitting, running and other activities of daily living are very important to provide real time feedback for medical rehabilitations and to caregivers.
The Elder Care Team will also help craft and initiate a plan that identifies additional resources, partners, and collaborators that can provide guidance and support for the implementation of a wearable technology product development, manufacturing, and commercialization that focuses on enhanced elder care support.
The Elder Care Team Leader is Yuliya Gaydayenko, Chief Program Officer of Behavioral Health and Older Adults Services at the Jewish Family Service of Metropolitan Detroit. The initial team members include: Oreihi Edisemi Anyaiwe PhD, Assistant Professor of Computer Science at LTU; Roxana Jafariroozabadi PhD, Assistant Professor of Architecture at LTU; Arnold Kravitz, Chief Innovation Officer at Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing Institute (ARM); Donna Fry, Dean of the College Health Science at UofM Flint and Kari Sederburg, Director for Healthy Aging for the Michigan Health Endowment Fund. Additional collaboration should also include Wayne State University’s Institute of Gerontology Department.
Team Activities Include:
The purpose of the Youth Recreation Team and its activities will focus on identifying gaps, needs and opportunities where wearable technology can be of use to help improve youth safety and help to prevent sports and recreational injuries. Participation in sports, recreation and exercise is increasingly popular and widespread in American culture. Wearable technology devices provide ways for youth, coaches and parents/guardians to use information in real time to prevent injuries and/or mitigate further injuries.
The Youth Recreation Team will also help craft and initiate a plan that identifies additional resources, partners, and collaborators that can provide guidance and support for the implementation of a wearable technology product development, manufacturing, and commercialization with a focus on enhancing youth safety.
The Youth Recreation Team Leader is PI Eric Meyer PhD, Director of the Experimental Biomechanics Laboratory at LTU and the initial team members includes: Casey Alford, Managing Partner at Tree Town Tech: Austin Bennett, Director of Championships at the National Association for Intercollegiate Athletics; Dan Radomski, Executive Director of the LTU Centrepolis Accelerator, Antonio Robles, Licensed Athletic Trainer and the Founder and Director of Functional Athletic Sequence Training (F.A.S.T.); and Hamid Vejdani PhD, Director of the Bio-Inspired Robotics and Dynamics (BIRD) Laboratory at LTU. Collaboration conversations in process include Detroit PAL, Michigan High School Athletic Association among others.
Team Activities Include:
The purpose of the Improved Productivity Team and its activities will focus on identifying gaps, needs and opportunities where wearable technology can be of use to help improve human productivity. Wearable technology devices and now advance humans’ productivity in a wide variety of areas. Devices can now reduce visual impairments, decrease distracted driving, improve navigation, assist with dieting, and minimize sleep disorders.
The Improved Productivity Team will also help craft and initiate a plan that identifies additional resources, partners, and collaborators that can provide guidance and support for the implementation of a wearable technology product development, manufacturing, and commercialization with a focus on solutions for enhanced and improved human productivity.
The Improved Productivity Team Leader is Colleen Hau, Vice President of Product Realization at Newlab and initial team members include: Steve Gamach, Vice President of Engineering Velocity at Lear Corp.; Gene Parunak, Managing Director at in2being; Lisa Prasad, Vice President and Chief Innovation Officer at Henry Ford Health Innovation Center; Dan Shargel PhD, Associate Professor of Philosophy at LTU; Bilge Nur Saltik, Director of Industrial Design at LTU and Art Wall, Director of Fab Operations at NextFlex.
Team Activities Include:
The purpose of the Entrepreneurship/Innovation Team and its activities will focus on identifying gaps, needs and opportunities where wearable technology entrepreneurship and innovation can be integrated in social and industry-related issues across all teams (Elder Care, Youth Recreation, Worker Safety and Improved Productivity). Real-world evaluations of wearable technology throughout different phases of the innovation process will be conducted and activities will be implemented to determine the approach that WTIC will eventually use to translate the innovations identified from the aforementioned use-inspired research into practice.
Team activities will ensure that the approach eventually used is rooted in a deep understanding of the area resources available, cutting-edge national best practices, and opportunities to collaborate both within and beyond SEM. These activities will also ensure that the Engine is knowledgeable of the needs of its future key stakeholders encompassing a diverse, inclusive, and equitably treated population of entrepreneurs, startup founders, businesses leaders, investors, K-12 students, entrepreneurial support organizations, corporate innovation department leaders, and all those connected with LTU including students, faculty, staff, alumni, and corporate partners.
The Entrepreneurship/Innovation Team is Dr. Nichole Kennedy, Chief Executive Office of ArborHive and the initial team members include Ty Faulkner, Director of the Pathways/Grand Challenges Program at LTU; Stacey Frankovich, Program Officer at MedHealth; Heidi Morano PhD, Director of Entrepreneurial Engineering Design Curriculum at LTU; Chris Pearson, Dean, College of Innovation & Technology at UofM Flint; Jerry Roston, Director of Engineering at LTU; and Ross Sanders, Director of Industry Partnerships and Entrepreneurship at LTU.
Team Activities Include:
The purpose of the Industry/Workforce Development Team and its activities will focus on identifying gaps, needs and opportunities where industry and workforce development can support the wearable technology ecosystem development in Southeast Michigan (SEM). WTIC will create innovation sector jobs both short-term and long-term through providing necessary training resources and opportunities for small businesses, entrepreneurs, clinicians and those involved in wearable technology innovation. Great capacity exists in SEM to educate a capable workforce in the topic area.
The Industry/Workforce Development Team will also help craft and initiate a plan that identifies additional resources, partners, and collaborators that can provide guidance and support for the implementation of a Wearable Technology workforce. Specifically, this team will focus on workforce development including building opportunities for current, transitioning, and new workers through the offering of badges, certifications, credentials and micro-credentials, apprenticeships, degree programs and others that span across the career pathway spectrum.
The Industry/Workforce Development Team Leader is Jennifer Guarino, President and Chief Executive Office of Industrial Sewing and Innovation Center (ISAIC) and initial team members include: Nadia Absunasser, Federal Opportunities Director at Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC); Peter Davis, Co-Director of Transportation Design at LTU; Genevieve Dion, Director of Pennsylvania Fabric Discovery Center and the Center for Functional Fabrics at Drexel University; Richard Feistman PhD, Director of Education/Workforce Advanced Functional Fabrics of America (AFFOA); James Mynderse PhD, Director of Mechatronics Systems Laboratory at LTU and John Sammut, Chief Executive Officer of LACROIX Electronics.
Team Activities Include:
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