Trine University and Trine innovation 1 will assist two northeast Indiana small businesses
with product development through a $50,000 grant provided by the Indiana Economic
Development Corporation (IEDC).
The IEDC’s Innovation Voucher Program, part of legislation signed into law by Gov.
Eric Holcomb in 2019, provides grants to eligible small businesses to purchase research
services from an Indiana higher education institution or other authorized research
provider.
The grant will fund work-study opportunities for students conducting research as well
as use of specialized equipment on the Trine University campus.
“This is a great example of leveraging Trine’s network and resources to impact our
regional economy by advancing technology, while also incorporating real-world experiences
into our undergraduate engineering programs,” said Jason Blume, executive director
of Trine innovation 1.
A team of Trine innovation 1 staff and Trine biomedical and electrical engineering
students will work with Apollo Dynamics, based in northeast Indiana, to produce a
working prototype of its Sentry medical device. Sentry is designed to analyze tissue
movement beneath the skin during physical activity, in order to prevent injuries such
as ACL tears and Achilles tendon ruptures.
Kyle Craig, a 2015 mechanical engineering graduate from Trine, is developing the device
based on his personal experience with chronic knee and ankle pain.
“I’m excited to see where this goes!” he said.
Trine students will perform experimentation on the Sentry prototype and do the bulk
of the design for the first-generation model. The grant also cover the costs of using
the university’s infrared spectrometer.
Another team of Trine innovation 1 staff, university students and faculty will work
with Auburn-based Perpetual Industries to finalize and refine the design of its proprietary
vertical axis wind turbine, The WindSilo. The WindSilo is designed to allow for faster
spin speeds and greater energy output.
“We are very excited and honored to have the world-class engineering team at Trine
University assisting us in this project,” Brent W. Bedford, CEO of Perpetual Industries
Inc., said in a statement released in 2020. “Trine innovation 1 will provide unparalleled
expertise to help us finalize our WindSilo design, allowing us to bring this very
innovative green energy product to market.”
For more information on Perpetual Industries and the WindSilo project, please visit
perpetualindustries.com/windsilo.html
Top photo:
Members of Perpetual Industries leadership team and the J. Kruse Education Center’s
grant writer recently met with Trine Innovation 1’s project team, which is helping
finalize and refine the design of its proprietary vertical axis wind turbine, The
WindSilo. From left: Jeff Rhodes, Perpetual Industries advisor; Carl Dilley, Perpetual
Industries director and COO; Brandy DePriest, Ph.D., J. Kruse Education Center grant
writer; Jason Blume, executive director, Trine innovation 1; Tim Mayer, student research
assistant; Joe Thompson, laboratory management and instructor; Timerson Downing III,
project manager, Trine innovation 1; Jamie Canino, Ph.D., professor, Wade Department
of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering; and, via Zoom, Pavan Karra, Ph.D., assistant
professor of mechanical engineering, Minnesota State University. Student research
assistant Schuyler McNaughton is also part of the Trine innovation 1 team, but is
not pictured. (Photos by Dean Orewiler)
Tim Mayer and Jamie Canino, Ph.D., at right, operate the custom dynamometer developed
by Trine innovation 1 to collect data and analyze the output force generated by a
scale model of Perpetual Industries’ proprietary WindSilo Prototype while encountering
varying wind conditions in Trine’s subsonic wind tunnel. At left, Jason Blume explains
the testing process to Carl Dilley of Perpetual Industries and Brandy DePriest, Ph.D.,
J. Kruse Education Center grant writer.
A scale model of Perpetual Industries’ proprietary WindSilo prototype inside Trine
University’s subsonic wind tunnel.
