This summer, Olivia Coyne '17 and three of her classmates in Trine University's biomedical engineering program were awarded a patent for their protective prosthetic sleeve, RipStop. They designed RipStop to improve the daily lives of lower-limb amputees.
According to a news article on Trine University's website, the patent first began as a senior design partnership with Quality of Life Plus, a program that works to empower the lives of veterans with disabilities. Coyne and her classmates, Colleen Bell, Lauren Cline, and Devon Kelly, sought to address a common challenge faced by lower limb amputees: the tendency of prosthetic devices to catch on clothing. This challenge often leads to discomfort and wear and tear on individuals' garments. Their solution, RipStop, is a prosthetic accessory designed to protect clothing and enhance the user's overall comfort.
After completing their project, the team felt there was more potential for RipStop and that obtaining a patent would allow them to market their design and improve everyday life for the amputee community. They all graduated from Trine and pursued their respective careers but remained committed to advancing RipStop, navigating the patent process for nearly three years before receiving approval in July 2024.
Coyne is now a research engineer at the University of Pittsburgh, responsible for implementing new technology into ongoing experiments. On how her experiences with RipStop have had an impact on her career she said: “Much like the senior design process, I must take an idea and workshop ways of how to make it come to life while staying within various constraints...I am not afraid to ask questions or suggest out-of-the-box ideas.”
Coyne says that the group of women are currently "enjoying the accomplishment of being first-time patent holders" and they hope to license their patent to a company that can bring Ripstop to a larger population of lower-limb amputees.