Student innovators from Clemson University swept to victory in the 2022 College Inventors Competition with a wireless device that protects patients from dangerous fluid pressure in the brain.

The Clemson team won two prizes at the annual competition – the undergraduate top prize as well as the Arrow Electronics “People’s Choice” award.

The all-women team is comprised of four bioengineering students. They invented and prototyped CatheSure, the first device that noninvasively and wirelessly detects ventriculoperitoneal shunt failure. In addition to extensive design work, the team worked late nights solving common product development challenges, including component shortages, supply chain issues, failed 3D printers and other equipment, cost projections and regulatory approval hurdles.

Shunts are medical devices meant to help prevent hydrocephalus, a potentially fatal build-up of cerebrospinal fluid within the brain’s ventricles. However, shunt malfunctions are common. CatheSure can be integrated with an existing shunt without requiring battery replacements or Wi-Fi access. It can detect a shunt problem within five minutes, alerting doctors and caregivers.

Ten finalist teams – five undergraduate and five graduate teams - represented colleges and universities across the United States in this year’s competition. They presented their inventions to a panel of judges composed of influential inventors and innovation experts from the National Inventors Hall of Fame® (NIHF) and United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) officials.

The finals were held in-person at USPTO’s headquarters in Alexandria, Va.

“For more than three decades, the National Inventors Hall of Fame has carried out our mission to help today’s students become the world-changing innovators of tomorrow,” said NIHF CEO Michael Oister. “We are proud to recognize and celebrate this latest group of collegiate inventors who are showing us how the power of intellectual property is paving the way for the future of American innovation.”

The graduate prize was awarded to Vishnu Jayaprakash, a PhD candidate at MIT. He invented a method to improve pesticide retention on crops, reducing runoff pollution and improving crop yields.

Established in 1990, the Collegiate Inventors Competition is a program of the National Inventors Hall of Fame and is sponsored by the USPTO. Arrow sponsors the Arrow Electronics People’s Choice Award as an additional prize.

In addition to cash awards, the winning teams also receive a USPTO Patent Acceleration Certificate.

About Arrow Electronics

Arrow Electronics guides innovation forward for over 220,000 leading technology manufacturers and service providers. With 2021 sales of $34 billion, Arrow develops technology solutions that improve business and daily life. Learn more at fiveyearsout.com.

About the Collegiate Inventors Competition: The Collegiate Inventors Competition encourages and drives innovation and entrepreneurship at the collegiate level. A program of the National Inventors Hall of Fame, this competition recognizes and rewards the research, innovations and discoveries by college students and their advisers for projects leading to inventions that have the potential of receiving patent protection. Introduced in 1990, the competition has featured more than 500 innovators who have created cutting-edge, world-changing inventions, and awarded more than $1 million of support to winning student teams for their innovative work and scientific achievement through the help of its sponsors. For more information, visit invent.org/collegiate-inventors.

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