ALT Four students and researchers collaborate in a lab surrounded by technical equipment. A computer monitor displays biometric data like heart rate, respiration, and temperature. Text reads: “URI Researchers: Bringing Innovations from Lab Bench to Market. NSF-backed research by three engineering professors at URI is fueling life-changing innovations—and the startups bringing them to market.”

ALT Portrait of Professor Walter Besio smiling in a blue button-down shirt, standing with hands in pockets. Text reads: “Walter Besio can read your thoughts.” The caption explains he developed a noninvasive device to read and stimulate brainwaves, now in clinical trials to detect and prevent seizures, and launched CREmedical to bring it to market.

ALT Portrait of Professor Ken Yang wearing glasses and a light-blue shirt, seated at a desk with computer components. Text reads: “The bottleneck in computer speed wasn’t processing power, but memory.” Caption describes how Yang developed technology to improve memory efficiency, leading to the founding of VeloBit and decades of innovation supported by NSF.

ALT Portrait of Professor Kunal Mankodiya in a gray sweater and glasses, seated in a lab. Text reads: “Weaving Medical Treatment into Everyday Life.” The caption describes how his wearable biosensing lab creates smart gloves, shoes, and belts for medical monitoring, leading to startups like WellAware to help underserved communities.