May is National Inventors Month, recognizing American innovation and ingenuity.
At the University of Alabama, faculty fuel a steady pipeline of innovation through research that tackles real-world challenges. In this environment, labs are more than places of experimentation—they are immersive learning spaces where students work side by side with faculty mentors. That collaboration often places students at the forefront of discovery, where classroom concepts come to life and, in some cases, lead to new inventions and patents.
UA Patent Highlights
- Annual patent applications at UA range from about 30 to 60 every year.
- The department of chemical and biological engineering has consistently produced the highest annual number of invention disclosures and patent-related activity. Over the last three years, that department has filed 29 disclosures.
- Individual faculty with the highest number of patents filed at UA: Dr. Yang-Ki Hong (19), Dr. Jaber Abu Qahouq (14), and Dr. Jason Bara (12), all faculty in the Lee Styslinger, Jr. College of Engineering.
Inventor Spotlight
Among the rising stars in the invention ecosystem at UA is Dr. Vishesh Vikas, an associate professor of mechanical engineering and director of the Agile Robotics Lab. Vikas holds five patents in his research areas of soft robotics, bio-inspired systems and sensor fusion. Vikas was also inducted this year into the National Academy of Inventors.
As a robotics lab, we are motivated by engineering problems where we can make a social impact,” Vikas said. “Our research philosophy is to take this problem from start to end.”
One of the inventions that began in his lab is the Second Spine, an assistive technology that prevents injury and back pain. Vikas and his former doctoral student Cole Woods developed the bioinspired exosuit to work in harmony with human biomechanics. Its cord-linked segments mimic the muscle-tendon-bone arrangement of the spinal column.
Woods and Vikas founded the startup TANDEM Exosuits, where Woods is now CEO, to fully develop their technology. The Second Spine is being piloted at partner companies now, with wider production expected to begin next year.