Prototypes and patents: Purdue Engineers and IU Maurer Law students team up on innovations
A house united
At first glance, Norman Hedges might seem like a house divided: he has a degree in mechanical engineering from Purdue University (1995), and a law degree from Indiana University (1998). He now serves as a clinical professor of law at Indiana University Maurer School of Law. During a recent visit to his alma mater (the black-and-gold one), he asked if there were opportunities for IU Maurer law students and Purdue Engineering students to collaborate.
“I was teaching a section of ME 463, which is our Senior Design class,” said Beth Hess, associate professor of engineering practice at Purdue and assistant head of undergraduate student well-being for the School of Mechanical Engineering. “The students team up in their final semester to design a new product, create a prototype, and sell it to industry judges, Shark Tank-style. Norm and I thought this would be a perfect opportunity for our students to learn from each other.”
Hedges directs the Intellectual Property Law Clinic, which provides second- and third- year IU Maurer law students the opportunity to work pro-bono with real-world clients applying for patents and trademarks with the United States Patent & Trademark Office. The clients gain valuable advice in intellectual property, and the students gain hands-on experience advising and advocating for their clients.
Hess and Hedges decided to team up their respective students as part of a pilot program for the spring 2024 semester.
“The traditional senior design process is pretty grueling,” said Emma Balevic, then a senior in mechanical engineering who was part of the pilot program. “Compressing the whole design process into 14 weeks, sometimes we as engineers get too focused on creating a product that just ‘gets the job done.’ The IU Maurer law students taught us that creative, and sometimes untraditional, problem-solving is an incredible strength.”
Balevic’s team created Sea Sweep, a conveyor-belt like device designed to clear seaweed from waterfront property. Meeting over Zoom, the Purdue students in West Lafayette shared some of their early concepts and designs with the IU Maurer law students in Bloomington. Based on their consultations, the Purdue team changed several aspects of their design to make the product more patentable and marketable.
“Creativity can be helpful to those seeking patents, but it can also foster innovative designs that improve efficiency and user experience,” said Balevic. “Our team is so grateful to Professor Hess and Professor Hedges for orchestrating such an enriching experience.”
Unique insight
Another senior design team, HydroSight, created a unique solution for people with visual impairments. A crucial method of exercise, lap swimming, often presents difficulties because visually-impaired swimmers cannot sense when they are approaching the wall of the pool. In competitive swimming, the solution involves a sighted person outside the pool jabbing the swimmer with a stick. The HydroSight team believed they could develop a more technological solution: a stationary device with ultrasonic sensors, which senses when a swimmer is approaching the wall and emits auditory cues to alert them.
“My team was motivated to create something novel that would help real people, not just fulfill a class requirement,” said Elizabeth Colip, then a senior in mechanical engineering who was part of the HydroSight team. “Upon meeting with our IU Maurer law student team, we confirmed that our design had market potential. They were instrumental in teaching us how the process of obtaining a patent would work and what to avoid from an intellectual property side.”
“I was extremely impressed by the knowledge the students exhibited,” said Srija Dutta, a third-year IU Maurer law student who worked with the HydroSight team. “It was apparent that they were eager to learn more about how their work could be applied in the real world, and that they were not just doing this for a grade. Every student who worked on Hydrosight has a real passion for their branch of study, and they will undoubtedly go on to become great mechanical engineers in the future.”
The collaboration resulted in multiple successes. HydroSight placed 3rd in the Malott Innovation Awards, given to the best senior design projects in mechanical engineering every semester. The team also received the Social Impact Award from Purdue’s College of Engineering at their annual Design Expo.
“IU Maurer School of Law's collaboration with Purdue's School of Mechanical Engineering is an excellent example of how Indiana's leading research institutions can contribute to both universities’ experiential learning programs,” said Hedges. “IU Maurer students introduced Purdue ME students to patent law and Purdue ME students introduced IU Maurer students to the engineering design process, with both learning how the two are intertwined.”
“This collaboration worked so well,” said Hess. “I’m thrilled to see how the two perfectly complement each other, adding strength to strength. We definitely plan on continuing this partnership in the future.”
“With the knowledge shared by the IU Maurer law students, we have begun the process of patenting HydroSight through the Purdue Innovates Office of Technology Commercialization,” said Colip. “We are excited to see what this has in store for us!”
Sources:
- Beth Hess, bethhess@purdue.edu, assistant head of undergraduate student well-being for the School of Mechanical Engineering
- Melissa Berry, berrym@indiana.edu, associate director of the Center for Intellectual Property Research
Writer:
- Jared Pike, jaredpike@purdue.edu, 765-496-0374