UC Students Win $10,000 for Disposable Speculum
Project Clear, a team of four University of Cincinnati mechanical engineering students, took the top prize at the inaugural Student BioInnovation Summit.
Updated on Nov. 9, 2026 in Biotech
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A University of Cincinnati mechanical engineering student team called Project Clear won $10,000 at the inaugural Student BioInnovation Summit at SparkHaus in Covington. The team is developing a disposable speculum that would use an integrated basin and vacuum suction to collect excess fluid during exams.
Why it matters
Emergency departments currently rely largely on gauze and cotton swabs to clear excess fluid during exams, a gap the team's device is designed to address. The win gives the students funding to build a functional prototype, test it, and pursue FDA approval.
The $10,000 prize was one of the few hard figures announced at the summit, and the team's $1 million revenue projection depends on capturing 10% of the U.S. emergency department market. Whether the prototype performs as designed and clears FDA review has not been determined.
The players
Project Clear
A four-member mechanical engineering student team from the University of Cincinnati that developed a disposable speculum concept and won the summit's top prize.
LifeSciKY
A Kentucky-based life sciences organization that co-organized the Student BioInnovation Summit with the University of Kentucky NKY College of Medicine.
Project Medtech
An Ohio-based medical technology organization that will provide consulting sessions to the winning team.
The details
The team, composed of four female mechanical engineering students, pitched six product ideas in a Shark Tank-style contest that lasted about an hour, with judges weighing both the project and its market viability. The device would be a disposable speculum with a handle and specialized lighting mechanism, and the team also sees an opportunity to expand into clinical OB/GYN settings.
Timeline
Friday: Student BioInnovation Summit held at SparkHaus in Covington and Project Clear awarded $10,000.
Big Picture
Any disposable medical device sold to U.S. hospitals must clear FDA review, so Project Clear's plan to seek approval places a student prototype on the same regulatory path as established device makers. The team's market projection depends on winning placement in emergency departments that currently rely on gauze and cotton swabs.
If the device reaches emergency departments, patients undergoing pelvic exams could see a disposable tool replace reusable cotton swabs and gauze for clearing excess fluid. The team's timeline depends on prototype testing and FDA review, so no change in clinical practice is available yet.
The takeaway
Student-developed medical devices can reach the regulatory and clinical stages when mentorship, funding and market analysis come together early. For readers in the Cincinnati area, the Student BioInnovation Summit shows that university engineering programs are a source of new medical technology ideas.
Further reading
Explore more Biotech coverage for context on student-led medical device development in the region.
Source note: This article includes information reported by LINK nky.
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