UCC innovators develop wireless device to monitor babies for brain injuries
Mark O’Sullivan, Neurobell and William Nolan, Addaptiv at the annual awards and showcase for the IGNITE programme at UCC. Picture: Darragh Kane
A diagnostic medical device for the early detection and monitoring of brain injuries in newborns has been named as the best business at Ignite at UCC's latest awards, which showcase the best of burgeoning Irish innovation and invention.
Mark O’Sullivan of NeuroBell scooped the top prize after developing a portable and wireless device that monitors the brain in babies.
The compact device can be placed near the baby’s head and streams the electroencephalogram (EEG) recordings to a phone or tablet. Medical staff can view and listen to the EEG which is easy to read and interpret using NeuroBell’s custom app.
The technology aims to help doctors detect brain injuries where the need for diagnosis and intervention is greatest, according to Mr O'Sullivan, a PhD researcher at the INFANT Research Centre and Embedded Systems Research Group in UCC.
The device will allow medical staff to assess brain health immediately after birth, and will improve the care and outcomes for babies who need additional care.
Mr O'Sullivan said taking part in Ignite has been "the most rewarding part of my career so far".
Best business plan was won by Willian Nolan of Addaptiv, which is developing new products using both plastic and metal 3D printing.
Mr Nolan, a manufacturing and operations engineer with 15 years of experience across the medical device, automotive and manufacturing industries, develops new products and provides a localised, digital supply chain using both plastic and metal 3D printing through Addaptiv.
The Ignite programme at UCC, which has supported 120 new start-ups since its inception, assists companies from startup to commercial reality.
It held its autumn awards and showcase via webinar, where attendees heard from the nine start-ups who are completing the programme and heard about the progress made by the start-ups that joined the programme in April.
The Ignite programme is hosted by UCC and supported by Bank of Ireland, the Local Enterprise Offices of Cork City, South Cork and North & West Cork, Cork City Council and Cork County Council.
Ignite director Eamon Curtin said: “In what have been challenging circumstances for many businesses we are very proud of the Ignite graduates this year. This has certainly been an unusual year but we have seen how hard work and dedication is vital to ensuring a business grows and develops."
Manager with Bank of Ireland, Derek Horgan said his firm is "always inspired by the founders, their ideas and the quality of their pitches and business plans".
"Ignite is a fantastic programme that helps to support entrepreneurs and we are very proud to be a part of it," Mr Horgan said.
