IV EELISA Prototype Contest: a double success for the Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies, which won first and second place
The fourth edition of the EELISA Prototype Contest, an initiative organized by the Friedrich-Alexander-Universität (FAU), which brings together innovative projects from all the institutions of the European EELISA alliance, has come to an end.
The Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies distinguished itself by winning first and second place, with two teams competing in the JOSEPHS – The Open Innovation Lab experimentation space in Nuremberg (Germany). The prototypes were evaluated by a jury of experts and the participating public through an interactive “virtual funding” system, which simulated the decisions of potential investors based on three main criteria: degree of innovation, market success potential, and quality of the pitch and the team.
First prize: WRES – rehabilitation platform for the wrist
The first prize was awarded to WRES, the prototype of a rehabilitation platform developed for the rehabilitation of the wrist of post-stroke and orthopedic patients, under the guidance of Antonio Frisoli, professor at the Scuola Snat'Anna. The system is a modular platform, designed to accommodate a hand module for the complete rehabilitation of the distal upper limb of the patient, and is equipped with a control unit with parameterized serious games to stimulate the patient's concentration and motivation during the exercises. This allows the therapist to set up personalized therapies and modify them during rehabilitation to follow the patient's motor recovery profile.
During the “4th EELISA Prototype Context” event, the prototype was included in an entrepreneurial project called Re-HandShake, which demonstrated the current stage of maturity of the prototype, how it exceeds the current limitations of its competitors thanks to its unique selling points, how it meets market demands, and how the project is scalable and monetizable in the medium and long term. The Sant'Anna School team that presented the prototype is composed of Cristian Camardella, researcher, Alessandro Genua, and Anastasios Tzepkenlis, doctoral students.
Second prize: Capio Robotics – soft gripper for agriculture
The second prize was awarded to Capio Robotics, a technology transfer project in the seed phase created by the Soft Mechatronics Laboratory led by Matteo Cianchetti, professor at the Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies.
The team presented a prototype of a soft robotic gripper designed to support the harvesting of fruit and vegetables, reducing the need for manual labor. The project was presented by Niccolò Pagliarani, research fellow at the Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies, with the support of Alessandra De Maio, scholarship holder.
The Sant'Anna School team also includes Martina Maselli, researcher, and Radan Patha, PhD student.
