On Thursday, February 21st awardees of the Prototyping Fund gathered at the Tandon MakerSpace to review various methods and tools for prototyping. To kick off the session, we asked the teams to share their definitions of a prototype. Answers included, “A baby version of a product” and “a v1 of a product that helps you test early-on.” Over the span of the semester, participants will treat prototypes as “questions embodied” and translate their vision into something that can be used to collect feedback from users.

Prototyping Fund teams meet at the Tandon MakerSpace

Since 2013, the NYU Prototyping Fund has awarded teams of students up to $500 for Phase 1 and $2000 for Phase 2 to build prototypes, test and explore assumptions, and bring their ideas to life. We are excited to announce the Spring 2019 cohort - 11 teams were selected for Phase 1 and 2 teams for Phase 2. Participants represent 6 NYU schools, with the highest numbers from Tandon, Steinhardt, and Gallatin. Ideas range from: holographic pets, to sensor-enabled beehive lids, and alcoholic kombucha.

We can’t wait to see what the teams create. Learn more about the teams below and save the date for the final showcase at the Leslie eLab on Wednesday, May 1 (3- 5 pm).

Meet the teams!

Phase 1

Comma: is a reusable tampon applicator that limits waste associated with people's menstrual cycles. Emily Gordin, Gallatin BA ‘19; Nicole Acero, CAS BS ‘19; Audrey Burt, Gallatin, BA ‘19; Emma Williams, Gallatin BA ‘19; Stephanie Frieman, Steinhardt, BA ‘19

Deluge: The first massively-multiplayer board game in which players explore and discover a world of extreme climates through co-operation and tactical strategy. Jeff Petriello, Tisch MFA ‘19; Oliver Hong, Tisch MFA ‘19; Edanur Kuntman, Tisch MFA ‘19

Elixir: an 8% alcoholic kombucha that is low in sugar and calories, high in flavor and fits your lifestyle so you can indulge, feel good, and not skip a beat. Jessica Willis, Steinhardt MA ‘19 and Armaan Ahmed, Gallatin BA ‘22

Foldable Alpine Skis: design and build a pair of safe, cost-effective, and functional foldable Alpine skis. Xinyang Liu, Tandon BS ‘22; Monserrate Valdez, Tandon BS ‘22; Begum Ferdous, Tandon BS ‘22

I C: A wearable technology that integrates state-of-the-art computer vision methods and microcomputers to aid the visually impaired in navigating their surroundings. Samuel Boahen, Tandon BS ‘21 and Alula Haile, Tandon BS ‘21

PepperPet: An interactive, holographic digital pet projected in a portable box made to instill responsibility in children, and for families who are unable to adopt pets due to health or financial reasons. Tengku Hana Shafikah, Tandon BS ‘22; Belinda Che, Tandon BS ‘22; Lambert Wu, Tandon BS ‘22; Neha Vasudevan, Tandon BS ‘22

The PitchCube is designed to help kids with disabilities learn music through color, or even just a way to add color ambience to any event. Katherine McFarlane, Steinhardt BA ‘21

Placemaking Reimagined is a project that aims on changing the public perception about homelessness in New York City through a series of pop-up exhibitions. Ashley Tang, Steinhardt BS ‘19; Katya Rozanova, Gallatin MA ‘19; Kelsey Murphy, Gallatin MA ‘19; Suqi Wu, Tandon BS ‘21

Reliable Power is an uninterruptible power supply, assembled from recycled lithium polymer ion batteries, that will charge while electricity is available and provide power during blackouts or grid failures. The battery system will replace the generators already in place, reducing fossil fuel consumption and noise/environmental pollution. Somto Ejinkonye, Tandon BS ‘21

SynSpectra Bioreactor: A bioreactor that controls the production of pharmaceutical drugs in genetically engineered bacteria through the transmission of light signals. Dong Hyun Sung, Tandon BS ‘21; Ali Hasan, Tandon BS ‘20; Steven Ionov, Tandon BS ‘19

WebSight:is a company that seeks to empower the next generation of blind students by making education in coding more accessible. Alexander Rein, Stern BS '20 and Ethan Reznikoff, Gallatin BA '19

Phase 2

Beespect: Sensor-enabled beehive lid for commercial beekeepers that aims to reduce colony losses over the winter season by reporting hive microenvironment data. Octavia Larentis, Tandon MS ‘19 and Monica Mendoza, Tandon MS ‘19

Merciless Motors: Efficient, powerful and lightweight motor. Anna Kotyza, Gallatin BA ‘19 and Nader Ahmed, Tandon BS ‘19