Smart Inhaler - Easy Breathie is the winner of the NOVA ImpACT! Challenges, NOVA's initiative to support solutions and ideas that respond to the challenges imposed by the “new normal” during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Smart Inhaler - Easy Breathieasy aims to solve the problem of patients with respiratory diseases, that do not know how to use the inhaler properly, by creating an adaptable device that assesses the effectiveness of the medication, monitors air quality and creates alarms to prevent forgetfulness. The winning group includes Inês Sampaio, Diana Gonçalves, Elsa Inocêncio and Ana Rita Constante, from NOVA National School of Public Health, and Filipa Rebelo from NOVA School of Science and Technology. By winning this initiative, they received a prize of 2000 euros to help with the implementation of the project.
For the winners, «the recognition of Easy Breathie as the most innovative idea and with the greatest impact in the area of health, amid the various excellent ideas that were submitted in the contest, represents a certificate of viability and purpose. Idealizing a project that really commits to fill an existing gap, contributes to the improvement in the quality of life of a large percentage of the population and, even so, constitutes a viable business, is a very difficult task. The recognition of our project by NOVA University ends up giving us the validation and the certainty that we are on the right path and that we can really make a difference».
The jury, composed of a panel of experts, justified the choice of the winner by the strongest characteristics of the project, the experience in the group area, the size of the market, and the social impact of the solution.
The winning project was chosen from the 10 that were selected to be part of the NOVA ImpACT! Challenges. Over a period of three weeks, participants had access to workshops, specialized mentoring and University resources to develop a proof of concept/ prototype.
Easy Breathie developers also said that, although the prototype is already quite solid and a consolidated idea, the next steps include «optimizing the product in order to make it functional and applicable to the largest number of possible cases and to test , test and test. And, of course, we intend to gather more investment and present the idea to our potential stakeholders».