Mechanical engineering students Jessica Kuhlman, Scott Ho and Andy Thompson developed a mechanical leech to replace biological ones used in post-surgical tissue reattachment treatment. Addressing biological leech drawbacks, the cost-effective device reliably reduces blood pooling and pressure, precisely injects anti-coagulants into the therapy site, and eliminates the “ick” factor. The mechanical leech was named runner-up in the U’s 2013 Bench-2-Bedside competition. It also placed third among undergraduates at the nationwide 2013 Collegiate Inventors Competition.
