You probably have never heard of a pupilometer or know what the small kaleidoscope-looking object actually does. If you have heard of the breakthrough device, then you also may know that its design and correlating app is the result of months of collaboration among Full-time Kogod School of Business MBAs, students from the International Design Business Management (IDBM) program at Finland’s Aalto University, and a team from the Sheikh Zayed Institute for Pediatric Surgical Innovation at Children’s Hospital.
Together, this group of minds helped create an instrument that takes a measurement of the viewer’s pupil before sending diagnostic information to a smart phone. Information that doctors will use to diagnose everything from the level of opiates in the bloodstream to a mild concussion.“This project has definitely given me a new perspective,” said Nick Elefante, MBA ’14. “[The Aalto students] really made me realize that a good product isn’t just about cost and profit, but [also] about user experience and paying attention to what the customer needs.”
Most MBAs aren’t experts in medical device construction and, to be honest, most designers might not be the most well versed in creating a business plan, and determining the best way to get the pupilometer into the market and create a sustainable business plan were the MBA students.
By bringing designers and business school students together, the three teams created a functional device that will enter the market quickly and be of use to a broader audience.
Pending regulatory approval, project supervisors expect the device to enter the market within the year.
“Projects like this are an incredible opportunity for our students and our partners,” said Mark Clark, Faculty Program Director for the Full-time MBA. “A successful collaboration produces good fruit for all involved and really shows our students what kind of professional partnership to strive for.”
