LuxNova lead engineer Miguel Vintimilla presenting at the Innovation Challenge. Photo courtesy of CSULB.
A team of forward-thinking entrepreneurial California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) students have developed a 3D printer that can replicate bone structures. They were chosen as the winner of the University’s fifth annual Innovation Challenge, which has granted the team $10,000 in seed funding and the chance to bring their concept into reality. The award also provides the team with a variety of business services including office space, marketing services and legal assistance.
“The LuxNova bone printer is a unique technology that can replicate not only bone structures, but micro and nanostructures,” said Trevor Wagner, a senior majoring in mechanical engineering and President/CEO of LuxNova, in a statement. “Our technology will hopefully revolutionize and create further solutions for medical applications.”
The bone printer can create printed bone-like material that mimics the porosity of real bone to prevent the body from rejecting it. The developers say they hope to shrink the gap between the robotic and medical industries by developing robotic technology that can be integrated into the medical field.
The Innovation Challenge is co-sponsored by the colleges of Business Administration, Engineering and the Arts at CSULB. Selected from a pool of four finalists, LuxNova was named the winner during an awards ceremony on Thursday, April 9 at the Pointe Conference Center at the Walter Pyramid.
Student participants were judged on a variety of factors including a business plan with sound marketing and sales concepts and the content and quality of their presentations. The panel of judges included professional engineering executives and CSULB President Jane Close Conoley.
“Without the Innovation Challenge, this might have been a lost idea,” added Wagner in a statement. “Winning offers us the opportunity to further our research and development and to further our company as a whole.”