The RaniPill™, bringing oral biologics to millions
Company Rani Therapeutics
Introduction Date January 1, 2020
Project Website https://www.ranitherapeutics.com/
Why is this project worthy of an award?
Avoidance or fear of needles can derail medical treatments for millions of patients, especially those with chronic diseases such as diabetes and arthritis. Failure to adhere to treatments can lead to complications for patients, as well as soaring healthcare costs — more than $100 billion per year in excess hospitalizations stem from patient non-compliance. For over 50 years, companies have invested billions of dollars trying to replace injections, but none have cracked this huge problem, until now. Rani Therapeutics has developed the RaniPill, a safe and pain-free alternative for painful injections. With its breakthrough pill, Rani has changed the way that pharmaceutical companies deliver and patients administer much-needed drugs. When it comes to biologics - a class of drugs derived from biological sources, such as the world’s best-selling drug Humira™ - converting injections into pills has been an insurmountable challenge. Protein-based drugs can’t get through the stomach to the small intestine, where they can best be absorbed into the bloodstream. The RaniPill, which uses drug-filled sugar needles to inject the biologic, stays intact until it reaches the ideal intestinal area for administration. The intestines do not have the same sharp pain receptors as the skin or muscle, so the patient feels no pain at all. A small balloon automatically inflates to apply the requisite pressure to administer the drug. The sugar needle dissolves and any leftover material passes safely and easily through the digestive system. The RaniPill has the potential to change the way that drugs such as basal insulin, Humira, Avonex®, human growth hormones and many others are delivered. Each represents a multi-billion dollar market with over 200 million patients whose lives will be transformed by this patented technology. The company will license its technology to pharmaceutical companies and is developing its own off-patent biologics for oral delivery. Rani Therapeutics was founded by Mir Imran, a prolific medical inventor, entrepreneur and investor who has founded more than 20 life sciences companies and holds more than 400 patents allowed or issued in the U.S. Mir attended CMDNJ/Rutgers Medical School, and holds an M.S. in bioengineering and a B.S. in electrical engineering from Rutgers. This combination led him towards innovation in the medical technology space. He explored complex subjects, such as cardiology, CNS and chronic pain, and developed devices to treat chronic diseases and to radically improve patient outcomes. Many of Mir’s innovations have resulted in new standards of care, including the first FDA-approved Automatic Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator which was acquired by Eli Lilly. He was named one of the "Top 50 Medical Device Inventors of All Time" by QMed and recognized as a National Academy of Inventors (NAI) fellow in 2015. Technology and pharmaceutical giants agree: Rani is backed by investors including Google Ventures, Shire, AstraZeneca and Novartis, among others. The company has raised investment of $142 million.
What else would you like to share about your design? Why is it unique and innovative?
Rani’s oral drug delivery platform is extraordinarily novel. Nothing like it – injecting drugs directly into the intestinal wall – has been tried before. The uniqueness of the RaniPill have been recognized by the US patent office with more than 50 patents allowed or issued to date, and dozens more pending. This unique and unconventional method of delivery has demonstrated equivalent or potentially superior bioavailability versus injectables in pre-clinical trials, meaning the drug can perform as well or better than subcutaneous injections when delivered via the RaniPill. Please note that the introduction date is not accurate as the RaniPill is not yet in human trial and has not received approval from the FDA.
Who worked on the project?
Mir Imran, CEO of Rani Therapeutics and inventor of the RaniPill
View the project video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-G_nhQ6lpQ
The Read To Me Project
Company The Electric Factory Group
Introduction Date August 30, 2017
Project Website http://www.thereadtomeproject.com
Why is this project worthy of an award?
Recent studies have shown that year after year, children's reading plummets while the use of apps, games, and social media continues to skyrocket. So we decided to do something about that. We took AR, not through a Device but yes with a stand-alone product that not only enhances the experience but also helps to promote human relations. We also, believe that it changes completely the way digital books can be sold, not through a device but yes through the content itself to be projected in the room while your parents are with you.
What else would you like to share about your design? Why is it unique and innovative?
We love the concept of Invisible Technology. We strongly believe that we built something that enhances humanity, build memories and engagement in a unique and with the usage of any smartphone or tablet. It is a smart lamp to build memories and form a business perspective this product opens infinite possibilities.
Who worked on the project?
Juan Ciapessoni - Chief Creative Officer Federico Cibils - Creative Director Gustavo Etchandy - Creative Director Juan Diego Vispo - Art Director Nicolás Cirillo - Designer Martín Astori - Art Director Marcelo Montes Deoca - Head of Production Martín Gava - Electric Engineer Santiago Angles - Developer Piter Moreira - Film Director Milena Mariño - Producer
View the project video: https://vimeo.com/235815241
The RNDR Network
Why is this project worthy of an award?
From the haunting introduction to HBO’s Westworld to the supernatural imagery seen in Avatar, beautiful graphics and magical worlds that we see in movies and video games have the power to transport us to other worlds that could only ever exist in our imaginations. However, the complex process and expensive technology that is used to bring these masterpieces to life are often overlooked. The company responsible for many of these iconic images is OTOY, the leader in cloud-based graphics rendering. Founded in 2008, OTOY has seen tremendous success with partners such as Facebook and Unity, and they are now taking their technology a step further with the introduction of RNDR. RNDR takes the foundation that OTOY has already built and advances it to a blockchain-based rendering platform with the mission of accelerating an immersive, virtual future. Utilizing blockchain, RNDR leverages a distributed network of idle GPU power, which enables rendering to be done more quickly, and at a lesser cost, which both increases the rate in which virtual worlds can be created and designed, and democratizes this sophisticated technology that was previously only available to big-budget Hollywood studios. For example, just a decade ago, every animated frame from the first Transformers movie took 40 hours to render, taking many months to complete. With the power of RNDR’s peer-to-peer network, it is possible to scale rendering speed by orders of magnitude and simplify the transactional process of rendering and streaming 3D environments, models, and objects-- bringing imaginative designs to life in a fraction of the time. If Transformers were to be made today with RNDR, it would take 6 minutes to render each animated frame, completing the job in much less time. Rendering technology is also facing major challenges regarding accessibility and affordability. Up until now, the biggest differences between a major Hollywood film that uses computer graphics and a hobbyist artist is the millions of dollars of servers needed to render complex sequences. Prior to RNDR, no system has existed that scales rendering speed across many dimensions of work in order to allow content creator to tap into the vast pool of graphics cards from an online network. As virtual and augmented realities become adopted more and more by the mainstream, RNDR solves many of the key issues that are standing in the way of scaling the design and creation of these worlds. RNDR has received public support from key players in the entertainment world that have recognized its value, including Hollywood director and producer J.J. Abrams, Google’s Eric Schmidt, and famed talent agent Ari Emanuel. With its open, global rendering system, RNDR makes high-performance tools affordable and more efficient for everyone on the blockchain and the Render Network will eventually evolve to include crowdsourced 3D projects to digital rights management, creating a vibrant new marketplace to fund digital ideas, assets, and applications that anyone can access and leverage.
What else would you like to share about your design? Why is it unique and innovative?
There are around 265 million GPUs in circulation today, but less than 50,000 functioning on the public cloud. Currently, if a film studio or even an amateur creator wishes to render complex graphics, they would require a warehouse full of GPUs to process the digital assets. For large budget studios, perhaps this is feasible, but the cost is of course, impractical for amateurs or everyday users. RNDR acts as a platform to tap into these 265 million GPUs and essentially rent them at a fraction of the price of purchasing this computing power outright. Users will be able to modify the speed and time of their render job through RNDR, and the cost of a render and/or steam job will be based by analyzing supply of GPUs available and the demand for rendering work. The algorithm will analyze the amount of available GPUs vs. the scale, concurrency and the complexity of the work that the user requires. This process will also allow RNDR to always allocate a render job in the most efficient way possible, ensuring that the network is working at peak capacity and that there is no wasted GPU power. In addition to benefiting creators and those requiring rendering efforts, the RNDR network also acts as a substantial income source for the owners of these GPUs. In exchange for lending their idle processing units, network contributors are compensated in render tokens. Any laptop or desktop with a GPU can lend power to the network and rather than being idle for half of the day, can earn around $100 per week for their contributions. With RNDR, GPU-powered computers could pay for themselves in a matter of weeks or months. RNDR allows for a fully functional, widespread way of exchanging information and content through millions of available GPUs around the world affordable and available for all. The possibilities are endless in a world where physically correcting rendering tasks are completed quickly and efficiently in a blockchain based peer-to-peer network with no error or delay and with securely protected property rights. While Hollywood and entertainment is a natural first use case, implications and use cases for RNDR’s technology goes far beyond the movies and video games. Architects rely on accurate rendering for their 3D modeling software to showcase textures, lighting and minute details. Surgeons rely on high-quality renders of organ scans to accurately diagnose and treat their patients. RNDR will provide better, more efficient tools to help with the design needs across all of these industries, taking a step further into the future.
Who worked on the project?
Jules Urbach, CEO of RNDR Alissa Grainger, President of RNDR Kalin Stoyanchev, Project Lead of RNDR Charlie Wallace, Chief Science Officer of RNDR Akram Abdou, Project Manager of RNDR Kevin Bockman, Developer of RNDR Phil Gara, Strategy of RNDR
View the project video: https://vimeo.com/231572056
The Sky Lab
Company C2 International
Introduction Date May 24, 2017
Project Website https://www.c2montreal.com/post/getting-lab-comfort-zone/
Why is this project worthy of an award?
Every year, leaders from all over the world come to C2 Montréal to find inspiration, learn, meet people, make deals and live genuinely transformative experiences. Last year, the Sky Lab left a memorable feeling to many participants who expressed their amazement towards our extreme brainstorming concept and our unexpected design. Three futuristic rings of five chairs suspended in the air, were challenging people to get their feet off the ground as a way of capturing the ideas floating in the stratosphere. Since then, the creative concept travelled and raised enthusiasm in many different cities: Melbourne, Dubai, Frankfurt, and soon Las Vegas. Especially designed as a metaphor for business challenges, participants are inspired to generate creative ideas by playing and experimenting with the analogy itself. A unique brainstorming experience, the Sky Lab invites participants to shoot for the stars and dream big. Not only do we ask them to think about moonshots while dangling 20 feet in the air, but to think about ways to cultivate moonshot thinking. The Sky Lab’s concept is simple: unexpected environments lead to unexpected ideas. By putting their bodies in unusual situations, participants get out of their heads and comfort zone. We believe the best learning happens when boundaries are pushed away, imagination is excited, senses are stimulated, and collaboration is enhanced. The Sky Lab plays on all these components and brings the concept even further. Just like the structure articulates from launching to landing, participants take a trip to the moon and back. How does it work? Step one: Elevate your ideas. Once participants are secured on their flying seat, they are invited to think about their last breakthrough achievement, as well as the capacities, skills, technologies, and state of mind they had at that time. Letting ideas elevating at the same time as the structure raises, they benefit from a wider vision and different perspective on their successes. Step two: Look far ahead. Imagine a world free of stress, without penalties for errors, where you are in full possession of your field of creation and where your radical and innovative ideas do not jeopardize your career. In this special space, 20 feet in the air, you have power to collaborate, leave judgements on the ground and aim for the stars. Step three: Come back to earth. Beginning your descent to the ground, you enjoy a different look around you, let the ideas hang and mature in the atmosphere until your landing on the ground. We truly believe the Sky Lab constitutes a true pioneering design intended to push boundaries, inspire and stimulate innovation with an unprecedented design reproducing and supporting the journey of ground-breaking ideas.
What else would you like to share about your design? Why is it unique and innovative?
Over the past years, C2 team has been researching and testing ways to take us outside our usual frame of reference in the belief that experimentation leads to a culture of innovation. We’ve been designing and fine-tuning experiences that encourage participants to think differently about a problem, shifting their mindset in a way that will help them find new solutions to their business challenges. A core element of that experience are atypical brainstorming experiences, here represented in their finest way by the Sky Lab. The Sky Lab is not only an impressive architectural structure, it also presents in the most surprising way key content in a thought provoking context. It envelops and isolate a curious audience from daily worries to transform it into a group of engaged participants ready to change the world. Surrounded by an expansive cylindrical projection surface that allows participants to “travel” throughout their experience, three groups of five people are lifted in the air to enjoy a rather different environment. The futuristic aspect, yet designed with elegant lines and colours, plunges the participant in an “out if this world” journey. A mirrored floor forming the basis helps to create an impression of depth to the scene and serves as a metaphor reflecting the ideas and collaboration produced. This extreme form of brainstorming is built in a way that participants, helped by facilitators, discuss the importance of risk-taking while taking themselves a risk, hanging 20 feet off the ground. In addition to serve as a collaborative and experimental lab, this imposing structure is also an artistic gesture designed to captivate the public with its size and volume. In spite of this fact, the Sky Lab remains an agile construction easy to travel and set-up on different sites (the Sky Lab has been presented in more than five cities across the globe). By partnering with local companies before and during the set-up, we also ensure a unique design as well as adapted content to each target audience. Security processes and permits are always included and updated to provide the best and more secure experience. Furthermore, the Sky Lab is simple to operate and allows the experience to be offered twice an hour to different groups. The Sky Lab represents figuratively and literally the elevation of ideas through risk taking. The whole concept, the design and the lead discussions are all studied to push off limits and discover new perspectives on burning questions. It highlights the need of collaboration for innovation, and challenges us to live and think outside the borders we commonly accept. Winning the Innovation by Design Awards would be way to congratulate and encourage our teams to keep on innovating and inspiring through explosive concepts. It would also be the best way to reach and exchange with a recognized community of creative leaders.
Who worked on the project?
Génifère Legrand - Chief Creative Officer, Guillaume Lord - Production Designer, Antoine Roy-Larouche - Senior Creative Director, Events
View the project video: https://www.dropbox.com/s/r5f8eml1puf8prx/sky_lab.mp4?dl=0
The SoundShirt
Company CUTECIRCUIT
Introduction Date June 26, 2016
Project Website https://cutecircuit.com/soundshirt/
Why is this project worthy of an award?
Currently on display at the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum. The Sound Shirt is the first of its kind - a wearable device that allows deaf audience members to experience a symphony orchestra. (See the system in action: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8V3XQZZCED4 ) The SoundShirt brings music to life in a way that it can be felt physically, live, in-realtime, on the body in a tactile language unique to each piece of music being performed, opening new and diverse ways of enjoying music for the audience. Using the SoundShirt, it is now possible to feel each passage of the music and each section of the orchestra as a unique and separate haptic sensation while the orchestra performs. During a live performance by the orchestra the wearer of the shirt will physically experience each musical passage and phrase as an individual sensation. Different instruments correspond to different locations of the sensation; for example the sounds from the violin section being more energetic and lighter are felt along the shoulders and clavicle, while deeper sounds of bass or kettle drums are felt deep in the lower areas of the body. The entire composition comes to life as a sensory language composed of a series of haptic, tactile, vibratory, and touch-like sensations across the body of the person wearing the shirt. The shirt is wirelessly connected to a computer on stage that is running the translation algorithms in real time, so the sensations of the music is always perfectly synchronised with the live performance of the orchestra. TECHNOLOGY CuteCircuit spent over 6 months creating the unique garment technology for this piece of wearable technology. The fashion design, hardware design and software development for the SoundShirt were all done by CuteCircuit. The shirt itself contains over 18 individual, powerful but miniature microprocessors. CuteCircuit also developed the ultra-low latency computer software that translates the music captured from the instruments into haptic data that gets streamed to the shirts of the audience members. DESIGN In order to create the most comfortable experience for the wearer, the SoundShirt is created incredibly without any wires inside; there are no wires at all in this piece of wearable technology. Instead all of the conductive pathways within the garment are composed of woven conductive textiles that are seamlessly integrated into the actual fabric of the garment itself. All of these design details contribute to making a smart garment that wears like a normal garment and feels exactly like a garment should. The exterior decorative elements in the first prototype were precision laser cut appliqués to create the visual appearance of the garment. In subsequent iterations this decorative element was replaced with high resolution digital fabric printing to create the striking design. The visual design itself is a metaphor for the relationship between vibrations and sound waves undulating in different frequencies. The connecting lines also serve as a tacit diagram of the underlying data network present within the garment to control the plurality of different actuators inside the SoundShirt.
What else would you like to share about your design? Why is it unique and innovative?
SoundShirt makes incredibly effective use of CuteCircuit's award winning Wearable Haptic Technology and uses it in an exciting, relevant and innovative new format. CuteCircuit is the pioneering design leader in the field of wearable technology; the company was formed in 2004 and is the world's first wearable technology fashion brand. This project has allowed the company to create something that is simultaneously good design and is an effective new solution for experiencing music. Often innovation in design or fashion is described as a solution without a problem. Here with the SoundShirt we have an elegant and effective marriage of form and functionality in a way that genuinely creates a new experience for the wearer. When Frank Lloyd Wright said that “form and function are one”, this was an axiom that can be applied to all fields of design, but arguably this has not been effectively explored in the field of fashion. Wearable technology like this lights the way for what great wearable experiences should be and have the potential to be. While the intricate smart fabric and micro-electronics design is not visible from the outside, it is a design that exemplifies the advancements in wearable technology developed by CuteCircuit. The garment features a perfect mix of fashion design, 3D printed details, microelectronics, and stretchable circuitry that make the SoundShirt the world’s most advanced wearable device.
Who worked on the project?
CUTECIRCUIT Video by Jung Von Matt
View the project video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8V3XQZZCED4
