The Innovatiecluster Drachten organized the second time last Tuesday the Invention Contest together with the municipality. The assignment was: design a product that reduces stress. Thirteen entries competed for the grand prize of €3000. The jury unanimously chose the FlexInSole from a group of students from the Hanze University Groningen. The FlexInSole is an insole that measures the heart rate via the foot reflex to let the user know how high the stress level is. The required battery recharges while walking due to the heat and friction created. Via an accompanying app, the user can then learn what to do about a stress level that is too high, the six of them Bastiaan Rijsenbrij, Ingrid Schuiten, Ivan Milovamovic, Jennifer Yang, Bart Schot and Stenz Bandringa came up with. The jury found that concept complete and useful in everyday life.
The second prize (€ 2000) went to Diane Betoux of Windesheim University of Applied Sciences. She developed a Breathing Box to teach more regular breathing. The third prize (€ 1000) was for Esther Kakes (also Windesheim University of Applied Sciences). She developed a ”Healphone” that stimulates pressure points on the head and neck to help resolve pain.
The Inventor's Competition provided dozens of students with inspiration to show how new techniques can be part of everyday life. They enthusiastically shared it with the audience present. Groups of students from Hanze University of Applied Sciences Groningen, Windesheim University of Applied Sciences, Stenden University of Applied Sciences from Emmen, HIT Assen and the University of Groningen took part. You will find a photo impression of the day here.
2014 Inventor Competition winners (Photo: Erna van der Wijk)