2023 Acorn Innovation Awards

ECE Assistant Professor Sarah Ostadabbas, Professor Deniz Erdogmus, and MIE Associate Professor Yi Zheng received MassVentures Acorn Innovation Awards to assist them in testing the viability of their technologies and potentially bringing their research to market.

Sarah Ostadabbas; Mohammad Moghadamfalahi, PhD’16; Deniz Erdogmus; Northeastern University

“AiWover: A Smart Way to Monitor Your Baby” The researcher is developing a first-of-its-kind AI-guided cloud-based baby monitoring system. AiWover tracks a baby’s every movement, categorizes their pose/postures, and analyzes their motor function reliably to provide parents with a smart way to monitor their baby’s activity and development.

Yi Zheng; Northeastern University

“Self-cleaning and Fireproof Fiber-based Meta Paint for Passive Cooling” The grantee invented a self-cleaning, fire-resistant, and eco-friendly cooling fiber, based on hydroxyapatite (a calcium phosphate mineral), which can be integrated into paint formulations. When the paint is applied to structures, it lowers the interior building temperature without consuming any electricity. The innovation diminishes the use of electrically-powered cooling systems, and lowers the carbon footprint of buildings. Traditional compressor-based cooling systems account for about 20% of total worldwide electricity consumption.

Related Faculty: Sarah Ostadabbas, Deniz Erdogmus

Related Departments:Electrical & Computer Engineering, Mechanical & Industrial Engineering