Meet the new InnovationRCA Start-ups
Eight amazing RCA graduate start-ups have been selected for our InnovationRCA start-up incubation programme. From relieving symptoms for Parkinson’s sufferers to eliminating food waste with pH sensitive packaging – each of these innovative projects tackles a pressing issue or social challenge.
InnovationRCA supports students and graduates to transform compelling ideas into successful businesses. They invest in and incubate compelling graduate start-up companies with design-led technologies and provide business support and mentoring to help them get to market and transform into investable businesses.
1. TheMoment by Lucy Soo Min Jung
MA / MSc Innovation Design Engineering, 2019
The Moment is developing a wearable device which emits a low-voltage impulse on-demand, in order to relieve the symptoms of Parkinson’s and other neural transmission disorders. The vibrotactile stimulation device sits on a user’s sternum and helps decrease stiffness, slowness and improve the fluidity of their movements. Pilot testing has showed 100% of the users showed increased speed in their movements and has been shown to overcome hesitancy and immobilisation in Parkinson’s sufferers – enabling them to live richer lives. Trials are showing that The Moment’s technology might have similar benefits to sufferers of other neural transmission disorders.
2. Cavamo by Esmeralda Tuomi
MA / MSc Global Innovation Design, 2019
Horses suffer extreme levels of stress during training and when performing in equestrian sports events. Cavamo is developing a remote monitoring system which evaluates rising levels of stress in the horse by measuring its blinking rate; communicating this through a light-based feedback system to the rider.
3. Revive Innovations + by Urshita Gautam and Abhisheik Kamal
MA Critical Writing in Art & Design, 2019 and MA Design Products, 2019
An adrenaline auto-injector (AAI) is prescribed to people who are susceptible to severe allergies that puts them at risk of anaphylaxis. Despite medical advice to carry the injector on person at all times, user studies have shown that people do not carry them nearly as much as they should and that not receiving adrenaline for an anaphylactic reaction is the biggest common factor in fatalities.
Revive Innovations + is developing a lightweight, compact and stylish device which can be slipped effortlessly into a pocket or handbag and carried around unobtrusively, counteracting the identified problems of barrier to carriage: size, an obvious medical form and associated stigma.
4. Inhaler+ by Eva Petrikova
MA Design Products, 2019
Existing asthma inhalers on average deliver barely half of the expected dosage to the patient. The use of spacers is recommended – to enhance the level of dose effectiveness – but this requires users to carry around a further large piece of equipment. Inhaler+ is developing an integrated patent-pending unit which combines the functions of both inhaler and spacer into a neat and compact product.
5. FreshTag by Rui Xu
MA Textiles, 2019
FreshTag is developing sustainable food packaging that is biofilm-based and pH-sensitive. FreshTag’s packaging technology dynamically changes colour as food freshness decreases – signposting when the packaged food is safe and unsafe to eat, thus eliminating food waste and reducing consumer dependence on plastic-based packaging and unreliable “Use-by” dates.
6. Pentaform Computers by Samuel Wangsaputra
MA Information Experience Design (XD Pathway), 2019
Pentaform is developing Abacus – a small, integrated hard drive and keyboard unit for use with television sets. It is being developed to meet increased demand for affordable computing due to the prohibition of importing second-hand computing equipment, particularly in South East Asia.
7. ACcU Accurate Acupressure by JianBo Zhao
MA / MSc Global Innovation Design, 2019
Work-based stress levels are rising, leading to increased numbers of productive days being lost. ACcU is developing a smart, screen-based stress-busting system that combines ancient Chinese acupressure techniques with advanced computer vision technology. By evaluating the user’s own facial features to identify and communicate acupressure points, it guides the user, in real-time with specific, localised massage and acupressure techniques.
8. Quirk Money by Niko Melachrinos and Nafeesa Jafferje
MA Service Design, 2019
Dough Financial is developing a fin-tech app which aims to take the stress out of managing personal finance.
Through a series of questions, the platform will identify the psychological profile of the user. It will then place them into a personality group for which an appropriate range of partners, products and services are recommended.
Find out more about InnovationRCA.
Applications for the 2020 start-up programme will open Friday 5 June 2020.