Dayton Inno: UC alumni develop wearable safety device for runners
Flying Pig Marathon winner launches safety beacon startup with fellow UC graduates
Inspired by his experience running with a friend who had a medical emergency, University of Cincinnati graduate Jack Randall is developing a wearable safety device for runners and cyclists. Randall, who earned his bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering from UC in 2017, was featured in a Dayton Inno story about his startup, Zoza.
The small, wearable SOS device can be attached to a shoe or zipper and is intended for endurance athletes who often don’t carry a phone or who travel through remote areas. A user can press a button to send an emergency alert to as many as 10 predefined contacts. The device even works in locations where cell service isn’t available.
An avid long-distance runner, Randall is a two-time winner of the Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon, taking the top spot in 2017 and 2019. He’s set to race again in this year’s marathon on October 31.
Zoza is led by Randall and fellow runners and Bearcats: Phillip Horn (B.S. electrical engineering ’18, M.S. mechanical engineering ’21), Sean Kane (B.S. electrical engineering, M.S. computer engineering ’20), and Bryce McGuire (B.S. industrial design ’21).
The team hopes to have a controlled market release to test the device in the spring of 2022.
Read the full story at Dayton Inno.
Featured image at top of a man running on a road. Photo/Isaac Wendland/Unsplash.
Related Stories
UC education allowed couple to make mark on Cincinnati
April 24, 2024
As a native of Defiance, Ohio, John Deatrick, CEAS ’79, says arriving in Cincinnati to attend the University of Cincinnati in 1963 felt like landing in New York City.
Engineering student studying flight physics of birds
April 24, 2024
After earning a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering in Nepal, Sameer Pokhrel came to the United States to further his education. From an early age, he had a lifelong fascination with aviation. As an adult, he transformed this fascination into a career, pursuing a doctoral degree in aerospace engineering at the University of Cincinnati's historic program. Here, he has succeeded in research, instruction, and was recently named Graduate Student Engineer of the Month by the College of Engineering and Applied Science.
Engineering students present at third annual Expo
April 24, 2024
This spring, senior students at the University of Cincinnati's College of Engineering and Applied Science came together to present their final capstone projects at the third annual CEAS Expo. College faculty, staff, alumni and industry professionals attended the event to witness the innovation that is created at CEAS.