ASUio
Reel Free team members (Austin Pollack left and Alex Pollack right) presented with check with ASUio judge Dr. Dave Mayer, Director Emeritus, MedStar Institute for Quality and Safety, MedStar Health.
Arizona State University’s Innovation Open (ASUio) awards ceremony was held on February 9 on ASU’s campus. Twenty-six finalists traveled from across the U.S. and abroad representing students from Arizona, Michigan, Illinois, Texas, and Rhode Island, as well as Germany, Austria and the UK.
Reel Free won the $10,000 prize for the best tech-enabled patient safety solution, sponsored by the Patient Safety Technology Challenge with funding from the Pittsburgh Regional Health Initiative (PRHI).
Reel Free team members Austin and Alex Pollock created a medical device that retracts 50-feet of oxygen tubing to prevent falls among supplemental oxygen users this was inspired by their grandfather who fell and broke his hip after tripping on his oxygen tubing.
Alex Pollock expounded on the inspiration behind Reel Free, “Given [our grandfather’s] reliance on supplemental oxygen and frequent alarming falls resulting in visits to the Emergency Room, he expressed a need for a device capable of reeling in oxygen tubing. Leveraging the engineering knowledge of my brother, Austin Pollock, the "Reel Free Remote” was born. Recognizing its potential in enhancing safety and elevating the quality of life for countless individuals globally, our passion to make a difference continues to grow.”
Alex Pollock also shared the next steps for Reel Free, stating “the Reel Mate Remote has the potential to revolutionize the way individuals on supplemental oxygen manage their tubing, significantly reducing fall risk and enhancing mobility. The subsequent stages for Reel Free entail securing funding, progressing through FDA regulatory processes of quality and safety testing, and ultimately getting this product to market to mitigate fall risks as soon as possible.”
"It was a great honor to represent the Pittsburgh Regional Health Initiative and their leadership role at the recent Arizona State University Innovation Open (ASUIO). Serving as lead judge for the Patient Safety innovation category, I was excited to learn about all the exciting risk reduction patient care innovations being created by these passionate future healthcare leaders,” ASUio judge, Dr. Dave Mayer, Director Emeritus, MedStar Institute for Quality and Safety, MedStar Health said.
Eric Leahy, the Director of the ASU Innovation Open said, "PRHI is an ideal partner. They are organized, engaged, thoughtful, and highly knowledgeable. Working with them really improved our event and inspired many innovators to advance their technologies. We couldn't be more thankful for their support."