Inventors
Interview
with Daniel DiLorenzo
The 1999 Lemelson-MIT Student
Prize Winner
February
11, 1999 -- MD/PhD student Daniel DiLorenzo of Fort Washington, Maryland,
was announced as the 1999 recipient of the annual $30,000 Lemelson-MIT
Student Prize for inventiveness.
DiLorenzo won
the award which is open only to MIT graduating seniors and graduate students,
for his commitment to the research and development of innovations in the
health sciences arena and for a track record of creating novel devices
and technologies in his field. The Lemelson-MIT Student Prize is awarded
to an MIT student who demonstrates remarkable inventiveness and who serves
as a role model for aspiring young inventors.
The inventor
is finishing his Ph.D. in mechanical engineering at MIT in the area of
neuroscience and implantable devices. He is also completing his MD in the
Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology, an MD program jointly
administered by MIT and Harvard. A student at MIT since 1984, DiLorenzo
earned his bachelor's and master's degrees in electrical engineering. His
background also includes work in robotics, medical devices, entrepreneurship
and the management of technology.
Inventors:
What's
it like being chosen as the "inventor role model" for 1999?
DiLorenzo:
It
is a distinct honor to have been selected by the Lemelson-MIT Program as
a role model for inventiveness. I have been very fortunate to have had
many exceptional mentors and advisors, and it is a privilege to have the
opportunity to serve the next generation.
The mission of the Lemelson-MIT Program is to create role models (particularly
for children), to demonstrate that inventing and science can be rewarding
and fascinating careers. Inventing is not only intellectually challenging
and fun, it offers the potential for substantial financial reward; for
the inventor, for those in business who help to create useful products
from the technology, and for the economy and society as a whole who benefit
from technology and the enhanced quality of life it provides.
Inventors:
How
have you been working to inspire young inventors?
DiLorenzo:
The
Lemelson-MIT Program judges felt that my pattern of inventing which started
in grade school could serve as a good role model for children who also
were creative and had an interest in designing and building things. Their
emphasis is that one is never too young to start inventing, and that inventing
can lead to a rewarding career.
Inventors:
You
already hold two patents with two more pending, which of all your inventions
are you most proud of?
DiLorenzo:
My
first robot was extremely fun to design and build. I was in 7th grade when
I started and spent a full year on it. The hands were the most interesting
and challenging part to design and build; they had five fingers, including
an opposable thumb, with flexor and extensor tendons, and each of the digits
matched the dimensions of my own hands. There were many times along the
way where it looked like I might fail, and overcoming those hurdles taught
me the value of creativity and persistence.
The walking robot I built in 12th grade was very challenging and rewarding.
The robot has 4 legs each with a 2-degree of freedom hip and a knee, and
it measures approximately 4 feet long, 3 feet wide and 2.5 feet high. The
first version was manually controlled, for my Bachelor's thesis at MIT,
I designed and built a digital control system which enabled the robot to
walk by itself. That required dozens of allnighters to get working and
was one of the most rewarding projects, I have done.
Applying technology to helping people offers even more potential challenge
and satisfaction. I had the opportunity to work with Prof. William K. Durfee
on developing a computer-controlled functional electrical stimulation (FES)
system to restore gait to paraplegics. Under his guidance, I designed and
built a system which enabled a paraplegic to walk 60 feet while holding
handrails for balancing. This was an incredibly rewarding experience. I
must add that although we and others in our group made significant progress,
much more remains to be done before such devices are ready for widespread
clinical use, and there are many other exceptional researchers and clinicians
currently working in this area.
Inventors:
What
has been the greatest challenge getting your ideas to realization?
DiLorenzo:
It
is important to be both creative and persistent, to always try to think
of a better way to solve a problem. Above all, you have to be passionate
about your work. Regardless of how good your idea is, that is just a starting
point; then it's time to relentlessly hammer away until your idea actually
works.
Inventors:
What
is the one thing you think the world needs most to have invented?
DiLorenzo:
That
is a tough one. There are so many needs out there and so many potential
ways to do things better. How about immortality? Perhaps cures or effective
treatments for debilitating diseases, such as Spinal Cord Injury, Parkinson's
disease, Alzheimer's disease, Psychiatric disease, cardiac disease, and
others. I don't think we will run out of a need for worthwhile inventions
or discoveries for centuries to come. It is important to realize that the
technologies and quality of life that we enjoy today is the result of the
great innovations of our predecessors, and we need to inspire future generations
to embrace these challenges and continuously improve the quality of life
for all of humanity.
Further
Reading
1998
Winner
Akhil Madhani,
inventor of the Black Falcon robotic device designed to facilitate minimally
invasive surgery.
1997
Winner
Nathan Kane's
inventions include an air supply mask with a self-retracting hose for increased
worker mobility, low-distortion bellow folds for industrial machines.
1996
Winner
David Levy
founded his own company, TH, Inc. ("think"), to market and develop inventions
such as the world's smallest keyboard.
1995
Winner
The first
Lemelson-MIT Student Prize winner. Thomas Massie, who founded SensAble
Devices to market his computer Haptic interface.
Daniel
DiLorenzo
Inventor of
neuroelectric systems.
Daniel DiLorenzo Photo credit: L.
Barry Hetherington
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