MedLaunch

Introducing: MedLaunch Core Team 2026-2027! We have such an awesome team this year and we are so excited to build our MedLaunch community 😄〽️ More info on projects and recruitment coming soon!

Introducing: Words on Wheels 🛞📚

This year, Words on Wheels partnered with a law student at the University of Michigan with spinal muscular atrophy to develop a wheelchair attachment device, allowing wheelchair users with limited mobility to have a surface to hold class materials and devices.

The team innovatively combined a monitor arm with a metal tray to create a foldable desk tray, attached to the wheelchair with a custom-fit pole aligned to the wheelchair arm.

The device is stowable and durable, with minimal weight added to the wheelchair. It is also waterproof and functions in all weather, rain or snow!

We are so proud of what Words on Wheels has accomplished this year!

Introducing: Assistix 〽️

This year, they worked with a pediatric community partner who is quadriplegic that uses mouth sticks to complete fine motor tasks. She uses mouth sticks during activities such as playing a board game, painting, having a tea party, cooking etc.

Assistix's goal is to develop an improved mouthstick that enhances autonomy and accessibility in their pediatric community partner's daily activities, while minimizing dental strain.

After iterating through different mouth piece shapes, shaft materials, prototypes, and consulting dentists for safety, Assistix developed 3 different mouth sticks, each with a specialized function!

Assistix created a stylus stick for touchscreen use, a compass stick for holding writing utensils, and a push stick that can push from all angles.

The team is also in the process of patenting their designs and is working on expanding commercially! We are so proud of what Assistix has achieved this year!!

Introducing: Aqua Assist 🚿
This year, they worked with the U-CAN Amputee Support Group at Michigan Medicine to create a foldable, portable shower chair for individuals with limb loss to use in a variety of settings.

After iterating through concepts such as a bathtub-mounted swivel seat and a foldable step stool inspired chair, Aqua Assist created their final design, a Z-fold collapsable stool!

This stool is compliant with ADA dimensions and fits within standard carry on sizes. It is made out of polypropylene, a material that is waterproof, non-porous (resistant to water and soap degradation), and lightweight.

For their next steps, they plan on adding cushioning for members who desire it, adding a backrest, as well as designing a carrying case.

We are so proud of what Aqua Assist has accomplished this year!

Introducing: ExerVault 💪💻

This year, ExerVault worked with their community partner, Origami Rehab, to develop a web app that would allow physical therapists and staff to customize and print personalized exercise plans, while complying with HIPAA.

Their main goals are to make the web app easy to navigate for users, streamline the exercise prescription process, filter exercises by category, and being able to print the customized exercise plans.

After drawing up wireframes for all the various pages, setting up server and database communications, and repeatedly debugging, ExerVault successfully launched their web app for the team at Origami Rehab to use!

For their next steps, they plan to implement cross-account communication and scaling the database to accommodate more users. We are so proud of what ExerVault has accomplished this year!!

Introducing: Steady Stir 🥘👩‍🍳

This year, Steady Stir worked with their community partner who has hemiparesis to develop a pot-stabilizing device that enables cooking with one hand and is adjustable for different sized pots.

After iterating through many designs, from a wall attachment design with a hinge claw to having multiple lever clamps surrounding the pot, Steady Stir found their solution: A nylon based, silicone coated claw with an aluminum band to stabilize the pot, attached to a backing wall secured in the gap between the stove and the counter with suction cups.

We are so proud of what Steady Stir has accomplished this year!!

Introducing: Innovest ⚽️🎽

Throughout this year, Innovest worked with Alexia, an amputee soccer goalkeeper who competed for the USA Amputee Women's World Cup squad in 2024, to design a vest that can stabilize the arm of a goalkeeper playing amputee soccer.

After iterating through designs, optimizing fabric blends, and learning to use a sewing machine from scratch, Innovest created a lightweight, secure, and adjustable vest, tailored for Alexia to use as a goalkeeper!

Looking ahead, Innovest plans to improve the vest's adjustability to fit a wider range of players and to make it reproducible.

MedLaunch is so proud of what Innovest has done this year!!

This past Sunday, we held our annual Final Showcase!
Our six project teams presented their solutions to their community partners, faculty, and friends. Big thank you to everyone who attended 😄 We are so proud of everyone for all your hard work this year, you make MedLaunch possible!

2025-2026 Project Teams:
Innovest
SteadyStir
ExerVault
Aqua Assist
Assistix
Words On Wheels

MedLaunch cohort 2025-2026 is officially here! This year we have 53 members throughout our six project teams. We're so excited to see the solutions we design this year!

Here's a glimpse of our projects this year (more details to come):
- Assistive technologies for an amputee support group
- Quadriplegic mouth stick
- Sport-specific crutches
- Adaptive cooking equipment for user with hemiparesis
- Physical therapy app
- Adaptive book holder wheelchair attachment