The Labriola InnoHub is thrilled to announce the awardees for the Fall 2025 ProtoFund! With support from the E&I Foundation Fund, this program provides teams of students with up to $500 or $2000, in the second phase, to bring their ideas to reality by building prototypes.

We are excited to share that this semester, we received a total of 21 applications and we have awarded funding to 15 teams. Among them are 12 new teams, bringing fresh perspectives and ideas to the table, as well as 3 teams continuing their journey from the previous cycle.

Over the semester, these awarded teams will dedicate their time to exploring, testing, and iterating on their prototypes. The kick-off of this 2nd edition, held on August 22nd, set the stage for a diverse set of projects. Selected initiatives span across frontier technologies, accessibility, and next-generation mobility. Some projects include a trenching mechanism for lunar helium-3 mining, a modular hybrid rocket engine with a custom-built test stand, and a synthesis platform for novel materials using acoustic levitation and induction melting. Other teams are advancing low-cost electric mobility with open-source skateboards, affordable 3D facial scanning technologies, and customizable RC cars designed for education and repairability.

Stay tuned for updates on the progress of these teams and mark your calendars for the final showcase event, scheduled for Monday, December 8th, 2025, time TBD in the Labriola InnoHub Atrium. Join us to witness the incredible prototypes crafted by these talented teams!

Bellona Robotics* – Regolith Trenching Excavator (R-TE): This project pioneers a trenching system to mine lunar regolith for helium-3, a rare isotope with the potential to revolutionize clean energy on Earth. Using advanced robotics and large-scale engineering, the project envisions the moon as humanity’s next energy frontier.

Team: Adam Solovay, Daniel Heiberger

FaScan* – A One-Click 3D Facial Scanner: FaScan aims to create an affordable 3D facial scanner by removing bulky mechanisms and replacing them with arrays of cameras that work together to capture scans in a single click. The development process combines low-fidelity prototyping, CAD modeling, Raspberry Pi integration, and custom software development.

Team: Navdeep Bhusri

Pit Crew* – Educational RC Car Platform: This team is developing a customizable RC car platform that prioritizes durability, repairability, and cost-effectiveness. By enabling students to fabricate parts at Mines, the project reduces waste and improves accessibility compared to traditional RC car kits.

Team: Ryan Lam, Hunter Miller, Juani Dassie, Zac Snyder, Owen Duffert

Bearing Witness – CIMmer Down: Designed with affordable, accessible components, this electric skateboard project delivers premium performance at a fraction of the commercial cost. Featuring 3D-printed hubs, cast polyurethane wheels, and brushed motors, the board serves as an open-source platform for low-cost electric mobility.

Team: Josiah Hamm, Austin Haas, Digo Gutierrez-Raghunath

DornuBudgetCorp – Yugioh EX Thin Scan: This device uses a Raspberry Pi and a 16-channel PCIe Camera Multiplexer to link up to 16 cameras for multi-angle scanning. It allows efficient, simultaneous scanning of images and objects across diverse computing architectures, supporting applications from AR to text recognition.

Team: Dornu Nornubari Inene, Sorbari Inene, Daniel Inene

Building Stars – Building Stars AR Repair Assistant (BSARRA): BSARRA is a mobile AR app that overlays step-by-step repair instructions directly onto a user’s environment. By making DIY repairs approachable and informative, it reduces costs, stress, and reliance on professionals while empowering users to take control of their living spaces.

Team: Esther Egbe, Kendal Sund

Cloudy with a Chance of Particles – Peltier-cooled Cloud Chamber for Visualization of Cosmic Rays and Radioactive Sources: This project prototypes a Peltier-cooled cloud chamber that visualizes particle streams from cosmic rays and radioactive decay. With integrated data logging and future experiments using electric and magnetic fields, it offers both clear visualization and new insights into particle behavior.

Team: Eliot Wright, Ethan Burkey, Miguel Wills, Jose Dominguez

Cricket Robotics – Small Palm Omnimobile Robotic Kat (SPORK): This project is creating a small, handheld robotic cat under six inches in size that can perform agile, dynamic movements similar to Boston Dynamics robots. It blends compact design with high mobility to deliver a playful yet advanced robotic platform.

Team: Asher Edwards, Diego Gutierrez-raghunath, Josiah Hamm, Benjamin Lange, Noah Landen

Destination Imagination – Pneumatic Adjustable Stilts: Originally designed for a performance piece, these backpack-powered pneumatic stilts allow wearers to grow in height with the press of a button. The design has potential applications in construction fields, offering a new level of adjustability compared to traditional stilts.

Team: Ryder Fine, Tanzhen Deru, Ren Deru, Ming Deru, Amelia Keyser, Liam O’Rourke

iChu – “I Can Hear You”: iChu is a futuristic hearing device that lets users selectively block or amplify certain sounds through AI-driven audio filtering. Combining features of headphones and hearing aids, it supports both entertainment and medical applications, enhancing comfort and focus in noisy environments.

Team: Lydia Tan, Kyle Nguyen

Novu Multra – Look, no hands!: This system combines acoustic levitation, magnetic alignment, and induction melting to precisely manipulate and synthesize new materials without contamination. It accelerates discovery by enabling purer, more controlled material creation compared to traditional methods.

Team: John-Austin A. Little

Overlay Optics – Arc AR: This project develops affordable AR glasses that overlay safety cues, live checklists, and step-by-step guidance in a user’s field of view. The glasses tether to a smartphone for computing power and can integrate third-party applications, expanding their range of uses.

Team: Cade Kaminski, Sam Wolpert

SignalSense – Guardian: SignalSense is an all-in-one alarm system designed for Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing individuals. Using bed shakers, strobe lights, and a smartphone app, it delivers reliable alerts for emergencies like smoke, break-ins, and disasters while replacing costly retrofits.

Team: Alaina Clar, Aiden Malensek, Bennet Lindseth, Muhammad Tayyab

Staerz Research Group – Automatic IR Sample Repeater: This project automates sample placement, focusing, and replacement in an IR spectrometer. By enabling precise, timed sample swaps every 15 minutes, it increases efficiency and reduces manual intervention during testing.

Team: James Goza, Anna Broussard, Naufal Pratama

Stelle Space Labs – ASTRA Rocket Engine: ASTRA is a modular acrylic/O2 hybrid rocket engine designed for quick iteration and testing. Paired with a custom aluminum test stand equipped with thrust, pressure, and temperature sensors, the system is now in its sixth design iteration.

Team: Vince Lucich, Johnathan Silva

*These teams are in the second phase of the ProtoFund.