Driving with Diabetes

Low blood sugar, or hypoglycemia, can lead to confusion, delayed reaction, visual disturbances and even loss of consciousness. Research shows that drivers with diabetes are 12 percent to 19 percent more likely than other drivers to have a car accident. In another study, it was found that 60 percent of drivers with diabetes report never testing their blood glucose before driving.

Progress Bar

Class research identified the idea of a daily "progress bar" that informed people with diabetes of their likely blood glucose level at any given moment based on factors like previous blood tests, food intake, and energy exertion.    

Bayer Inform/React

The idea of a progress bar was taken a step further by redesigning the often ignored diabetes lance to provide a visual indication of current blood glucose status. Taking a credit card form factor allows the smart lance to be easily carried at all times. Integrating the progress display into the lance means people with diabetes are not required to carry around yet another device. The system would involve bluetooth connection between a users glucometer(what tests the blood), lance(the progress display card and what pricks your finger), and a smartphone app(to track food intake/energy exertion. The smart lance keeps diabetics informed of their conditions, providing them with opportunity to react accordingly

Electronic Gear Shift

For decades, the location and movement of the typical ubiquitous automobile shift lever has been located where it is convenient for manufacturers to create a linkage between the cabin and the transmission. Electronic controls and a rapid evolution of the ways consumers interact with many different interfaces have changed their expectations of what could be normal. 

Logical Interface

With automatic transmissions one is no longer shifting through individual gears, we simply select between park and drive mode. An automatic appears to have a specific order, but why should one have to go through "Reverse" and "Neutral" to get to "Drive"?

Connecting Input with Driving Direction

The overhead shift concept re-imagines the conventional gear selector in an aviation-inspired form and function. It provides a fluid and logical movement between driving positions while at the same time completely freeing up the center console for other uses. The overhead concept introduces a completely new interaction between driver and machine by directly translating hand motion into driving direction.

Wyandotte County

A large gap exists between the marketplace prosperity of Kansas City, MO and Kansas City, KS though they are only separated by a highway. The lack of available opportunities for business promotion and growth are creating a visibility wasteland that traps businesses in stagnant revenue streams.

Interviews and Observation

After visiting with local businesses throughout the area, we were able to identify a few consistent problems: the lack of exposure to larger markets, the current perception of the community, a lack to competitive entrepreneurial experience, and finally a lack of customer awareness.

WyCo ShareStream

Our final business plan proposed the idea of creating a double-sided platform in which a multidisciplinary group of KU students would collaborate with willing businesses in Kansas City, KS. Together they would create scaled-down versions of each business to travel to various locations within the Airstream trailer. Through the use of digital displays and a modular interior, the trailer would allow each participating business to customize signage and interior space specific to their offering. WyCo Sharestream provides businesses with a mobile first impression throughout the city in exchange for a small portion of revenue made while using the trailer. 

View full presentation here

Return of house call

Rural populations across Kansas are growing older and the need for primary care is quickly increasing. Care providers in these areas are often stretched across multiple counties in order to provide for every community. The WellCar concept would bring healthcare directly to patients homes to provide preventative care with the goal of keeping people from having to travel to hospitals unnecessarily. 

Rural Kansas

The estimated population of Kansas in 2013 was approximately 2,893,957. Of that population, 25.8% or roughly 746,641 people live in what is considered rural areas of Kansas. Because of the distance between major hospitals in these areas, there are often fewer than 3 physicians per 1000 persons in Kansas.

WellCar

The WellCar will provide advanced healthcare solutions to rural, elderly, ethnic minorities, and mobility challenged populations. This enhanced level of health care using healthcare professionals and mobile point of care diagnostics technology will result in early preventative care and treatment for rural areas. 

Trimming Pet Nails

Nail trimming is an important part of a regular grooming routine for pet dogs. Allowing nails to exceed normal length can cause them to break, leading to pain for the animal and often times infection as well.

Professional Groomers

A routine nail trim involves cutting longer nails with shears and then honing the nails further with a hand-held grinder: all while restraining an animal. 

Grip Grinder

The integrated handle of the Grip Grinder allows it to be held in multiple configurations while at the same time freeing up fingers that can be used to restrain the animal if needed. The Grip Grinder also provides flexibility at the grinding tip for further control by using an internal flex-shaft extending from the motor.

Timepiece

"Men's watches as we now know them were not very popular until after World War II, when millions of men were issued small wristwatches by their respective armies as a means of coordinating missions and generally keeping them organized. After the war, these men continued to wear their watches -- rather than carry them -- and the global wristwatch market was born. Since then, advancements in movements and materials have allowed watchmakers to create fashionable, utilitarian, and elegant timepieces for the various needs (or rather, wants) of men throughout the world."
 

Market Exploration

Visited local businesses to understand the existing watches currently available on the market, as well as to identify a specific market and lifestyle to focus on.  

Single Body, Multi-Band

The Clip Watch is designed to allow the user to purchase a single watch body that is able to attach to a variety of watch bands, even ones made my the user themselves. Bands are easily swapped on and off and secured via a clip mechanism integrated into each watch body. The hub-less clock mechanism means the band becomes the background of the clock-face. Time read like any analog clock, with a single dot indicated 12 o'clock.