Innovative tracking bracelet: project by students from the Faculty of Biotechnology among the best at the Health INNOVAtion Awards
SafeBrace, developed by students from the Faculty of Biotechnology, made it into the top 5 of the best projects in the final of the 2023 edition of the Health INNOVAtion Awards, in the bachelor's and master's student category.
It's an innovative tracking bracelet, via Android APP, for people with neurological comorbidities (Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, etc.) and for children, which through an alarm system indicates to the family that the person has moved away from a certain safety perimeter with high precision, regardless of the surrounding environment.
It was developed by Martim Silva, Mariana Reis and Greta Di Pasquale, students on the Bioengineering Degree - Biomedical Engineering branch - under the supervision of Pedro Miguel Rodrigues, lecturer at the Faculty of Biotechnology (ESB), and co-supervised by Patrícia Batista, lecturer at the Faculty of Education and Psychology (FEP).
"It is crucial to actively encourage our students' participation in technological competitions," emphasises Pedro Rodrigues, adding "these competitions enable students to push the boundaries of current knowledge, but also provide a crucial platform for transforming innovative ideas into tangible technology."
"Over the years, the Faculty of Biotechnology has stood out as a higher education institution committed to promoting and boosting student participation in these types of initiatives that serve as real catalysts for innovation," says Paula Castro, director of the Faculty of Biotechnology.
Pedro Rodrigues also says that "each line of code, each project, represents a bold step towards a future where technology not only evolves, but takes society to new heights. The competitions act as fertile ground where ideas flourish and the students' participation is the light that illuminates the path to a tomorrow full of infinite technological possibilities. By competing, collaborating and creating, students not only prepare for the future, but also become architects of the next technological era, where innovation is the universal language and the potential is limitless."
The 2023 edition of the Health INNOVATION Awards, an ideas accelerator that promotes innovation in the health sector, took place in Funchal between 29 November and 1 December.