Inventors (and Innovators) Wanted

Nov 5, 2024

By KIM BELLARD

I thought about writing about the election, but I’m too anxious – and a little terrified – about it, so I’ll take a pass. I was intrigued by Oracle Health’s promise of an AI-driven, “next-generation” EHR, or the news that OpenAI was introducing ChatGPT search, but I felt that each was inevitable and yet that both would prove underwhelming in the short term.

So I decided to write about invention.

The November issue of IEEE Spectrum magazine is all about invention, starting with the tantalizing overview Why the Art of Invention Is Always Being Reinvented. “Invention doesn’t come from some innate genius, it’s not something that only really special people get to do,” says Stephanie Couch, executive director of the Lemelson MIT Program. 

Still, authors Eliza Strickland and Peter B. Meyer warn, “…the limits of what an individual can achieve have become starker over time. To tackle some of the biggest problems facing humanity today, inventors need a deep-pocketed government sponsor or corporate largess to muster the equipment and collective human brainpower required.”

Tell that to UTEP student Tayia Oddonetto. While an undergraduate, she had an epiphany. “During class, the professor said that if someone discovered how to turn brine, water with a high salt concentration, into something of value, it’d be revolutionary for the planet. At that moment, I told myself I was going to be the one who found the solution for brine, and that thought has never left me.”

And she did it. Instead of the more common reverse osmosis (RO) method of desalination, which at best converts 85% of salt water into fresh water and leaves a problematic 15% of concentrated brine, Ms. Oddonetto used something called salt-free, electrodialysis metathesis. As the press release describes it: “Salt-free electrodialysis metathesis treats brine by passing it through ion exchange membranes, thin sheets or films, and electrical currents that work to separate salt from water at the molecular level.”

Her approach produced over 90% fresh water, and generated higher levels of valuable metals and minerals that can be repurposed across several industries including technology, health and food.

“Tayia’s research will help public utilities save money while enabling people nationwide to reduce their utility bills in a meaningful way, advancing society’s aim of water conservation,” said Ivonne Santiago, Ph.D., an associate professor in the Department of Civil Engineering at UTEP and now Ms. Oddonetto’s doctoral advisor. “In the next few years, I anticipate that we will see Tayia’s research applied on a large scale and fully see the tremendous benefit her work can have on humankind. Her journey is a testament to her perseverance, the importance of working on challenging problems and the value of a strong work ethic and positive attitude.”

“Earning an award and funding for my research is incredibly validating. This is a complex and difficult challenge to tackle and the journey has been full of roadblocks and setbacks,” said Ms. Oddonetto. “But I kept at it, and to be recognized for the value of my work is proof that all my effort and belief in this project was worthwhile.” She’s now working with the National Alliance for Water Innovation (NAWI), El Paso Water, the Kay Bailey Hutchison Desalination plant, New Mexico State University and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to refine the process.

Or take a group of four engineering students at the University of Toronto. As profiled by The Wall Street Journal, the four students entered into an anti drone technology competition (Counter Uncrewed Aerial Systems Sandbox 2024) hosted by the Canadian military, and – against competitors like Boeing and Teledyne — tied for second, winning some $375,000 (Canadian). First place was C$1 million.

Ms. Poletaev, a material science student, was having coffee with Parth Mahendru, an aerospace-engineering student while discussing the competition. They enlisted Asad Ishaq, a robotics student, and Michael Acquaviva, an electrical engineering student.

Instead of using flashy approaches like lasers, the team used sound to take down drones. “Not everything has to be violent or… destructive,” Anna Poletaev said. “[Our technology can make a drone] think that it’s 5,000 feet off the ground when it’s actually just a few metres above,” Mr. Mahendru explained.

According to the UT press release, “the system can also disrupt visual feeds for drones relying on cameras, making navigation nearly impossible. It can reduce visuals to mere pixels or even disable the camera.”

They did all this spending $17,000 of their one money, mostly via credit cards.

The students have founded Prandtl Dynamics as they seek to commercialize their product, as well as make it more robust (for example, extending its range from 100 meters). “We have a different market that does not… conflict with anyone else, just because of the novelty of the idea,” Mr. Mahendru noted. The team is also actively seeking partnerships and expertise from industry experts.

They have some challenges ahead. As WSJ notes: “Funding for earlier-stage companies, though, is often hard to come by. Globally, only two seed-capital investments, worth a total of $14.2 million, were made in defense startups last year, according to the data provider PitchBook. The federal government has spent billions in recent years on technology from top national-security startups, but most U.S. defense spending continues to go to traditional military contractors.”

Still, Mr. Mahendru insists, “Working for ourselves, that’s what’s most exciting.”

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In the IEEE Spectrum invention issue, inventor Dean Kamen warned: “Today, while invention is getting easier and easier, I think there are some aspects of innovation that have gotten much more difficult.” He defines innovation as when something reaches the scale to impact or transform the world. For software, that’s easy; for physical objects, not so much. He blames competition and regulatory environments.

If any sector inhibits inventions from becoming actually innovations, it has to be health care. All anyone has to say is “patient safety” and inventors get cold feet. The hoops inventors have to jump through to get FDA approval or to be covered by health insurers is daunting. Innovators beware.

But I’m reminded of people like Susannah Fox, who writes about the Maker movement in health care, where patients and their families aren’t willing to wait for “the system” to get around to solving their problems. Instead, they invent solutions on their own. We need more Makers in health care, and we need to help them reach Mr. Kamen’s innovation stage of transforming the world – or, in this case, the healthcare system.

More of us need to take Ms. Oddonetto’s attitude: “I told myself I was going to be the one who found the solution.”

Kim is a former emarketing exec at a major Blues plan, editor of the late & lamented Tincture.io, and now regular THCB contributor