Page 46 - Innovation Delaware 2019

CHANGING
These 10 Delaware companies are making a difference in the state and beyond
theWorld
BY MATT WARD
THER AV
CHANGING THE WORLD BY: HELPING AMPUTEES COPE WITH NERVE PAIN When Amira Idris interned at a pros-
thetic clinic, she noticed something: The headlines about amputees are all about bi- onic arms and legs and blade runners, but the day-to-day reality is less flashy. “No one talks about the non-glamorous aspect of it, which is pain,” Idris says. “Eighty percent of people with amputations suffer from phantom limb pain. And a lot of them don’t talk about it because they think it’s all in their head. I mean, think about it — you’re having pain in a limb that’s not there anymore. But there are actually physiological reasons why it hap- pens. And so just speaking to the patients, speaking to the amputee community, I learned this was a really big issue, and so I basically started looking for solutions.”
In her research, Idris learned that, during bouts of nerve pain, amputees
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THERAV’S ELIX DEVICE
will often hit or rub the residual limb, the same way you might rub your toe when you stub it. So, she started look- ing for a way to automate that process. In 2016, Idris established TheraV, and in 2017 she launched ELIX — a wear- able, vibrating therapy device.
After a year of developing the device, during which she continued her edu- cation while receiving small financial awards through contests, Idris says, “I made a prototype for the [UD Horn Entrepreneurship program’s Hen Hatch competition], and Charlie Horn, who started the program, took the time to talk with me about its development.” Idris was one of Hen Hatch’s winners in 2017, taking home $17,500.
After a first round of deliveries to veterans, TheraV is aiming to launch a second iteration of the device by late 2019. Currently, 53 military veterans are using it.
GREEN LINE BUSINESS GROUP/ EYE NEED A WITNESS CHANGING THE WORLD BY: STOPPING ASSAULT BEFORE
IT HAPPENS
Newark-based Green Line Business Group (GLBG) used to do software development work for hire. Now, it is building and launching its own apps. “We identified a number of problems that we wanted to address on our own and that we didn’t see anyone else addressing,” says Gabe Humphreys, GLBG’s director of technology and operations. One of GLBG’s apps is Eye Need A Witness, which allows an individual to call on a community of potential witnesses if he or she feels in danger.
“What it lets you do is sort of shoot a flare up into the sky, but it’s a digital version of that,” Humphreys explains. “You open the app and you tap a but- ton and everybody within a five-mile
WHEN YOU FEEL UNSAFE
DELAWARE STRONG