Project Description:

Think back to when you were a kid — lying on the cold, crinkly paper of a doctor’s chair, your legs dangling and your heart racing. You’re told to sit still, lie back, and keep your eyes open for dilation drops. But your instincts take over: you squeeze your eyes shut, squirm away, and the fear builds.

One nurse becomes two, then three. One holds your eyelids open, another aims the drops, and another pins down your legs. You’re shaking, terrified, and just wishing it would stop. And after what feels like forever, when the first drop finally lands, the whole battle starts again for the other eye.

For many children, this isn’t a rare or dramatic story — it’s routine. The fear, resistance, and physical restraint often escalate to the point where sedation becomes the only path forward. One pediatric ophthalmologist estimated that 80-90% of his young patients are sedated before surgery, not for the procedure itself, but simply for eye drops.

But sedation is costly and risky. Beyond the steep financial burden, prolonged exposure to anesthesia has been linked to long-term neurological risks. Some medical professionals, like one NICU nurse, have even described the use of eye speculums on children as “the most barbaric thing we did.”

We’re treating little eyes with big problems using methods that just don’t fit.

That’s why we created DuckDose — a child-friendly, stress-free alternative. DuckDose uses a fun rubber duck design to house an atomizer that delivers medication to both eyes at once, no wrestling, no sedation. Simply hold DuckDose 8-12 inches from the child’s face, align the “hairline,” spray — and it’s done. Tested for first-time success and dosage accuracy, DuckDose replaces fear with familiarity, saving time, money, and childhood trust.

Because medicine shouldn’t be a memory they fear — just a duck they love.

Our Enhanced Donor Lung Transport System tackles these challenges with an innovative design that combines active cooling, periodic rotation, and negative pressure maintenance. An integrated cooling system keeps the lungs at a stable 8–10°C, while the organ containment unit periodically rotates them to prevent fluid accumulation in gravity-dependent areas.

In contrast to current solutions that use positive pressure—posing risks of barotrauma and tissue damage—our device employs negative pressure, more closely replicating the lungs’ natural respiratory mechanics and thus allowing for longer preservation times.

Additionally, our proposed system is fully compliant with commercial airline regulations, allowing for flexible and cost-effective transport without the need for private or chartered flights—reducing logistical costs by over 90%.

Pre-operatively, our device would help free Intensive Care Unit (ICU) capacity by increasing lung utilization, reducing the number of patients awaiting transplants. Longer preservation times give surgeons more flexibility to schedule procedures at optimal times—allowing them to operate with a clearer, more rested mind.

Better lung preservation would also lower the risk of post-operative complications and shorten recovery, improving patient outcomes while reducing hospital costs. Even a single day less in the ICU for a patient can save a hospital thousands of dollars.