To address phantom limb pain (PLP), DEBUT has created a sense-and-response system, called BPLP, that perceives an individual limb’s location in the walking cycle, and sends an electrical stimulation using a TENS device during critical pain points in the cycle. PLP occurs when the amputated limb would normally bear the highest amount of weight during the walking cycle. To identify this point, the design includes a gyroscope, which continuously discerns the amputated site’s position in the walking cycle. Then, at the midpoint of the cycle, a small electrical signal is fired by the TENS device, counteracting the pain signals of the severed nerves at the amputation site. By sending an electrical signal, our device mitigates PLP by “distracting” the severed nerves from firing pain signals to the brain. The main specifications for our device include an arduino-gyroscopic circuit and a TENS device, which are wired together to create this sense-and-respond system.

To address the rapid progression of pancreatic cancer and the need for early detection, DEBUT has created a “lab-on-disk” device that uses a colorimetric assay to detect biomarkers of pancreatic cancer. Specifically, the device is patterned with microfluidic channels and mounted on a motor to allow the disk to spin at a rate of 2000 revolutions per minute in order to push the analyte radially. Utilizing centripetal force and capillary action, the movement of the analyte is accelerated through the device and into the reaction matrix. Additionally, the device uses gold nanoparticles in conjugation with either one of the target biomarkers (miR-143, miR-223, and miR-30e) for the optimized production of a colorimetric signal.