An early-stage business idea to commercialise a non-contact device to measure eye movement as an indicator of brainstem activity has won the 2015 UCD Engineering Innovation Sprint Programme held at NovaUCD.
Ocular microTremor (OMT) is a tiny, involuntary movement of the human eye which occurs even when the eye is apparently still and is caused by constant activity of brainstem oculomotor units. OMT measurement can be used to give an indication of brainstem activity or alertness, including the effect of concussion or head trauma; predication of coma outcome; optimising drug dose delivery associated with anaesthesia; and treating patients with multiple sclerosis or Parkinson’s disease.
The current method of measuring OMT is to place a sterilised, single-use piezo-electric probe or needle firmly and uncomfortably against the white of the eye and to measure the resulting qualitative signal.
The winning business idea, the indirect Brainstem Activity Monitor is a non-invasive, fast and portable device which combines optical engineering hardware and software algorithms to provide a single number result similar to a ‘pulse’ measurement.
The promoters of this early-stage business idea are Prof John T. Sheridan, Professor of Optical Engineering, UCD Earth Institute and UCD School of Electrical, Electronic & Communications Engineering and Dr James P. Ryle who completed his PhD under the supervision of Professor Sheridan.
The UCD Engineering Innovation Sprint Programme is a one-day initiative designed and delivered by the University’s technology transfer and enterprise development teams at NovaUCD in collaboration with the UCD Earth Institute.
The programme aims to encourage the development of commercial outputs arising from engineering research taking place at UCD by engaging with researchers at an earlier stage in the commercialisation process.
At the end of the programme, which involved a total of four early-stage business ideas, Prof Sheridan and Dr Ryle were presented with an award and a €1,000 prize fund to assist them to further develop the idea into a business.
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