SU students design, prototype, and pitch in Shark Tank style showdown
SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY, N.Y. (WSYR-TV) — Eight teams are competing in Syracuse University's Invent@SU program, where undergraduate students design, prototype, and pitch devices that have never been made before.
The students work in groups of three to four people for six weeks to build their original device before pitching it to Syracuse University alumni and entrepreneurs in a Shark Tank-style environment.
'I think the pitching has been really beneficial for the future,' Gavin Lesk, one of the students participating, said. 'I'm an engineering major, I don't do a ton of talking in general. The most pitching I've done is presenting to a class for a project.'
In one week, Lesk and his team will introduce their product 'GripSync', which is a golf grip trainer that provides real-time feedback on the golfer's grip pressure and swing tempo.
'It's going to guide your fingers into the right placement, and it's going to use a grip pressure sensor to send grip pressure readings from your actual grip on your golf club which the molding grip clips onto, to your phone so you can analyze and hone into your swing,' Lesk explained.
A different team set their focus on creating an instrument that monitors pressure in dryer machine vents and detects lint buildup.
They called their device 'VentIQ'.
'So, essentially we created a piece of device for the consumer so their clothes are drying efficiently, they're saving money, and they're stopping fires from happening in their house,' Suraj Parida, one of the contraption's creators, said.
When a dryer vent is clogged, it can take multiple cycles for the clothes in the machine to dry properly, which, by extension, costs consumers more money. Additionally, dryer lint is a fire hazard, so having a buildup you don't know about poses a risk.
In a demonstration, the VentIQ team showed us how, when a dryer vent is clogged, the liquid in the manometer rose to show that.
The third device shown to NewsChannel 9 was called 'Third Eye'.
'We're inventing a device that can watch your back and alert you when someone is approaching from behind by sending a sound to your headphones,' team member Angelo Fernandez said.
The contraption hooks onto the back of a belt or backpack, and its sensors are so specific that if a person is approaching on your left, your left headphone will alert you.
The designs are complete, the prototypes are nearly finished, and now teams will put on the final touches before taking to the stage to show the judges why their product deserves to win the cash prize.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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