ISE Announces This Year's Mottier Innovation Challenge Competition Winners

The Department of Industrial and Enterprise Systems Engineering (ISE) is proud to announce the winners of the 2025 Mottier Innovation Challenge, a student competition that encourages creativity, systems thinking and real-world problem solving.

Established by ISE alum Bradley Mottier, founder and benefactor of the competition, to support and inspire student-led innovation within ISE. The Challenge provides students with hands-on experience in ideation, collaboration and entrepreneurial thinking—skills essential to addressing complex, real-world challenges.

All of this year's teams impressed judges with innovative ideas that were not only thoughtfully executed but showcased a strong understanding of how engineering solutions intersect with real user needs.

“We believe ISE is a department full of innovative atmosphere. Our project initially originated from a course project, using smart glasses for gait analysis. However, after seeing the poster for the Mottier Innovation Challenge, we recognized it as a valuable opportunity to turn our idea into reality... During the project advancement, the ISE provided us with comprehensive support, including face-to-face communications with experts. ”

Mingrui Ma, Phd Student and SmartGlasses (EnviroGait) Team Member

First Place | Team SmartGlasses (EnviroGait)

Jinsi Guo & Mingrui Ma

EnviroGait is a smartglasses-based gait analysis system designed to assess walking asymmetry and balance while accounting for environmental context. Unlike traditional gait analysis tools, EnviroGait examines not only how people move, but also what they look at and how visual intent influences movement and stability across both individual steps and longer walking patterns.

The team’s solution stands out for its environment-aware and predictive approach to mobility sensing, as well as its ability to support long-term, real-world monitoring. By integrating visual data with gait analysis, EnviroGait offers new insights that could support future clinical assessment and mobility research.

The team emphasized that the Challenge reinforced the importance of developing technology with practical, real-world value. They also highlighted the role of clear communication, collaboration and presenting complex ideas in accessible language.

Originating as an ISE course project, EnviroGait grew through the Mottier Innovation Challenge into a more fully realized system. Support from ISE faculty and expert feedback helped the team refine and advance their concept. Next, they plan to collaborate with certified clinics to test and evaluate the system across multiple stages of development.

Second Place | Dozed

Ralou Benos & Aashi Shah

Dozed is a holistic smart sleep system designed to combat sleep grogginess by waking users at the optimal point in their sleep cycle. The system pairs a wearable Slumber Sock, which monitors sleep patterns, with a bedside Beacon that uses gentle audio and visual cues to help users wake more naturally.

What distinguishes Dozed is its integrated, end-to-end approach to sleep technology—combining multiple sleep tools into a single, affordable system.

“Because Systems Engineering integrates both technical and business skills, it greatly improved our delivery and presentation of the product,” Aashi Shah explained.

Through the Challenge, the team developed both technical and business expertise, from app development and hardware integration to cost modeling and return analysis. Looking ahead, they plan to gather more sleep-cycle data and refine the Slumber Sock for improved comfort and usability.

Third Place | GlassMate

Shuban Narayanan, Sangwoo Park, Joshua Studee & Sid Vadyalam

GlassMate is a set of clip-on modules that transform any pair of glasses into smart glasses, designed to help users better understand and interact with their surroundings. The system is especially intended to support individuals with cognitive or visual impairments, including those living with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia.

GlassMate’s innovation lies in its flexibility and accessibility. Unlike many existing smart-glasses solutions, the clip-on modules can attach to prescription glasses, sunglasses, and other eyewear, while remaining significantly more affordable.

The team gained hands-on experience across multiple disciplines, including 3D printing flexible components, computer vision development using OpenCV, Raspberry Pi integration, competitive analysis and value-driven product positioning. Their ISE coursework, particularly in engineering economics and computer-aided design, played a critical role in shaping both the product’s technical design and pricing strategy.

Next, the team plans to improve the prototype by expanding facial and object recognition capabilities and developing additional attachment modules, such as speaker-based assistive features. They also aim to refine the physical design using more durable, precise materials. Their advice to future participants: start early to allow time for troubleshooting, iteration and optimization.

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The ISE department also extends its sincere thanks to the 2025 Mottier Innovation Challenge judges for their time, expertise and thoughtful feedback: Jason Lee (BS GE ’95), Matthew Luallen (BS IE ’98), John Holz (BS GE ’76; MS GE ’81), Bradley Mottier (BS GE ’79; MS GE ’81) and Professor Tom Titone. 

Congratulations to all participating teams for their hard work and innovation!