Students help those with limb loss enjoy the outdoors

Ann Arbor, MI - The University of Michigan’s Tauber Institute for Global Operations hosted the Fall 2022 Integrated Product Development Trade Show, featuring innovative products created by graduate students to help people with limb loss enjoy the outdoors without limitation.

Taught jointly by Eric Svaan of the Ross School of Business and Stephanie Tharp of the Stamps School of Art & Design, the Integrated Product Development course challenges students from the College of EngineeringRoss School of BusinessStamps School of Art & Design, and School of Information to work together to design, build, and market a brand new product, and then to face free market competition through the IPD Trade Show. This semester marked the 31st offering of the popular course.

The five student teams built websites to advertise their products for an online trade show, then presented one product to consumers at an in-person event at the Ross School of Business (view photos). Volunteer customers could select as many products as they desired to "buy" within their trade show budget of $200. At the conclusion of the trade show, all five teams were profitable!

Trade show sales are now closed, but you can still view products and explore student websites below:

Hikease

Hikease is a shoe add-on that absorbs shock and increases your comfort.

Magicle

Magicle is a prosthetic attachment that makes biking more accessible for people with upper limb loss.

HapticSoul

HapticSoul provides the user with the ability to feel minute and sudden changes and react accordingly which is crucial when navigating variable terrains. 

Rolipoli

Rolipoli is the perfect sleeping bag storage system for people with upper limb loss, weakness, and fatigue to quickly and effortlessly pack their sleeping back with a simple crank turn.

Zenith

Zenith is a mat that is specifically designed for people with disabilities to practice balancing in a safe environment. 

The Tauber Institute for Global Operations is a joint venture between the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business and Michigan Engineering, working with industry partners to facilitate cross-disciplinary education in global operations management. The Tauber Institute is an inaugural recipient of the UPS George D. Smith Prize for effective and innovative preparation of students to be good practitioners of operations research, management science, or analytics. For more information visit tauber.umich.edu.