Ready to Launch
If an idea for a new product is swimming around in your head but you need help bringing that invention to the surface, look to a college inventing program to learn the ins and outs of product design and development.
Josh Kerson sought the help of the Lemelson Program at Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts. A student at the University of Massachusetts, he was in the University Without Walls program. This allowed him to take a design class within the Lemelson Program, which draws students mainly from Hampshire College and other allied universities in the Amherst area. The result was his invention of a hybrid electric recumbent cycle–a three-wheeled cycle where the rider is seated in a laid-back position.
Kerson founded his company, RunAbout Cycles Inc., in 2005 after producing successful prototypes within the program. “We were fortunate to have such a fantastic facility,” says Kerson, 38.
Don’t live in the Amherst area? Check out the National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance for similar programs near you. The NCIIA is an organization formed to encourage invention, innovation and entrepreneurship in the college environment.
Photo by Electric-Cycle.com.
No comments yet.
Leave a Reply