Source: Bret Lanz, 785-532-3432, blanz@amisuccess.com
Website: http://www.amisuccess.com
News release prepared by: Lea Studer, 785-532-3432, lstuder@amisuccess.com

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

ADVANCED MANUFACTURING INSTITUTE AT K-STATE HELPS KANSAS ENTREPRENEUR DEVELOP NEW BED FOR INFANTS

MANHATTAN -- With assistance from the Advanced Manufacturing Institute at Kansas State University, a Kansas entrepreneur has developed a new product to help soothe fussy babies.

The waddleBEE, created by Josh Waddell, Hays, is a bed for infants that provides a natural motion to mimic the mother's breathing pattern through the use of vertical movement and air flow.

"Josh came to the Advanced Manufacturing Institute for assistance in developing and marketing his concept for a bed that helps newborns establish positive sleeping habits and nurture their early development," said Bret Lanz, commercialization manager at the institute. "AMI drafted a disclosure agreement, filed a patent and assisted with the prototype."

"The bed features a R-Trendelenburg incline that helps aid an infant's digestion and respiration, and it generates a gentle background sound to create a comforting environment," Lanz said. "The bed has a confined sleeping arrangement so the baby feels secure, and an active ventilation system that controls airflow to prevent carbon monoxide buildup."

Lanz said the Kansas Technology Enterprise Corporation also supported the waddleBEE project with a Proof of Concept grant.

"KTEC's Proof of Concept grants provide that much-needed initial influx of capital to help finance early-stage development," said Kevin Carr, interim CEO of the Kansas Technology Enterprise Corporation. "We believe that these grants are great investments in developing the entrepreneurial landscape in Kansas."

"I really appreciate the support provided by KTEC through the Proof of Concept grant to help commercialize this new technology," Waddell said. "The Advanced Manufacturing Institute has been amazing, and I'm thankful for their services and support. The business development team and engineers at AMI are very knowledgeable and easy to work with, and they provided me everything I needed to develop my idea into an actual product."

The Advanced Manufacturing Institute is a part of K-State's College of Engineering and a Kansas Technology Enterprise Corporation Center of Excellence that provides engineering and business services to develop products and processes. More information on the institute is available online at http://www.amisuccess.com.