(Blacksburg, Va., May 8, 2001) -- Virginia Tech faculty members, students, and staff who received 25 patents during 2000 were honored by the university and Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties Inc. (VTIP at www.vtip.org) on May 8. "The creativity, contributions to knowledge, and technology transfer that patents signify are an important form of scholarship," said Len Peters, vice provost for research and president of VTIP.
Keith Jones, director of commericialization at VTIP, and Peters presented plaques for inventions related to hosptial beds for children, livestock vaccines, pest controls, new materials, energy saving power-electronic systems, noise supression, a 3-D microscope, and better antenna, sensors, and shock absorbers.
A research collaboration between Carilion New River Valley Medical Center and College of Architecture and Urban Studies faculty member A. E. Cromer and research associate Bonnie K. Johnson seeks to improve the hospital environment for children. Anxiety influences recovery and hospital rooms are cluttered with intimidating equipment, Johnson explains. So, the researchers are creating a friendlier room, beginning with the design of a hospital bed for children between 2 months and 2 years old. Solid panels made of wood were used to provide a sense of enclosure, safety, and scale. The panels also hide technology. Even the wheels are covered to appear as playful objects. The railing is animated with toy blocks that slide along vertical posts. The block elements contain balls that spin, which, depending on the nature of the child's touch, can be soothing or playful. The footboard and headboard are easily interchangeable with alternate iterations of the playscape. "This feature will be particularly beneficial in providing a dynamic environment for long-term patients," says Johnson. Selected features of the hospital bed are protected by a collection of U.S. Design Patents 431,946; 432,330; 432,340
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Contact: Keith Jones
jones@vtip.org
540-231-3593
Virginia Tech
7-May-2001