Spencer Marx, a math student at the University of Utah, and partner Nathaniel Fargo, a electrical engineering and physics student, turned their idea for preventing injuries with AI into a $20,000 grand prize check by entering and winning the 2025, a medical innovation competition managed by the Center for Medical Innovation in partnership with the Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute at the University of Utah.
Their related startup company is called Aloe, and they are currently focused on building a device to prevent rotator cuff injuries.
“We built compact handheld ultrasound device and then incorporated AI to interpret images that would allow people with rotator cuff injuries to monitor the process of their rehabilitation,” Marx said. “Automating the process allows people to use it at home, increasing the amount of ultrasound data they have access to.”
The technology uses advanced ultrasound solutions to create full resolution images of what’s on the inside, with algorithms developed to guide and monitor the scanning process over the body. This procedure is non-invasive, can be done anywhere, and uses novel hydrogels to replace the use of traditional slimy ultrasound gels. Once images are acquired, we securely transfer them to Aloe’s cloud, where they will perform AI analysis using one of the largest AI ultrasound models in the world. This process will return key results, and privately share trends, warnings, and other key health and statistical data to the user.
Due to the severity of rotator cuff and shoulder injuries the Aloe team hopes the device can be used in sports medicine and prescribed at a low cost to prevent further injuries. The Aloe device’s at-home portability will increase accessibility for people.
“This is an idea I had for a while,” Marx said. “I met my roommate Nathaniel when I was living in Lassonde Studios. We wanted to work on a medical device and thought Bench to Bedside would be a good way to organize a project and work toward goals.”
The two finished building their team of engineers at a reverse pitch event for the Bench to Bedside competition. Then they went on to win, partly due to their ability to communicate their goals and ambitions, Marx said.
“It was helpful to have a clear idea of what we were building from the beginning,” he said. “That allowed us to bring in a good group of people who were interested in our vision. Everyone’s mutual decision in focusing on and committing to goals was important.”
Marx’s role was building the AI system and creating a 30-page business and idea pitch for the Bench to Bedside competition. In the document, he outlined all of their research and engineering documentation.
Other team members that supported Aloe in winning the Bench to Beside competition included Konrad Willey, Isabella White, Helaman Brown, David Needens, Bethany Covington, and Kwon Saavedra.
The Aloe team has used programs at the Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute to launch the business, including receiving a grant from the Get Seeded program and attending workshops at Lassonde Studios.
Marx encourages other students to build a prototype and have something tangible to show at competition. “It’s a lot easier to convey ideas and points as you’ve worked through building it,” he said.
The Aloe device uses ultrasound technology to prevent rotator cuff injuries.
