Rowan Students Fly with Chairlift Adaptation
Rowan Students Fly with Chairlift Adaptation
February 15, 2002
Patent Pending on Device that Provides Snowboarders Greater Comfort
Three engineering students from Rowan University have created a device that will allow snowboarding enthusiasts to peacefully co-exist with skiers on chairlifts.
Jeff Gladnick, 20, of Newark, DE; Matt Eberhardt, 20, of Red Bank, NJ; and Pete Boyle, 21, of Newton, NJ, have created ?The SnoRhino.? Easy to install on existing chairlifts in under a minute while not requiring structural modifications to the chairlifts, SnoRhino features rests that are perpendicular to existing ski rests. The SnoRhino rests allow snowboarders a place to comfortably insert their snowboards without colliding with skis or leaving their snowboards dangling in the air on trips up mountains. The SnoRhino enables one or two snowboarders or one snowboarder and a skier to ride a chairlift comfortably. It also protects ski and snowboard equipment from damage due to the position snowboarders are forced to sit in on current chairlifts. (The SnoRhino also is designed to fit three-, four-, and even six-person chairlifts.)
<+>Snowboarders and skiers can finally get along, at least going up the mountain,<+> said Gladnick, a skier, who is an electrical engineering major.
Noted Boyle, a snowboarder and mechanical engineering major, <+>I'm glad I'm able to relax on the way up the mountain, and I don't have to worry about my snowboard hitting the skier sitting next to me.<+>
The students started working on the prototype in September and applied for a patent in December. They have incorporated as UpHill Enterprises. They currently are evaluating manufacturers and seeking mountains to use as demonstration sites. They hope to mass-produce the SnoRhino by the end of March.
The students developed their product as a clinic project in the College of Engineering at Rowan. Clinics allow students, usually in interdisciplinary groups, to do hands-on work on a variety of projects. Gladnick, Eberhardt and Boyle have used $2,500 from Rowan Engineering?s Venture Capital Fund (financed by the National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance [NCIIA]), for their initial work, which included purchasing a used chairlift from Jack Frost Mountain in the Poconos.
<+>Rowan Engineering gave us the opportunity to start a company even before graduation,<+> Eberhardt said. <+>We really appreciate the support of the faculty and administration.<+>
Recently the NCIIA awarded the students $8,375 to help get their product off the ground. In a letter confirming the award, the NCIIA noted, <+>The reviewers think the proposal describes a good use of program resources to bring a needed product to market.<+>
Three engineering students from Rowan University have created a device that will allow snowboarding enthusiasts to peacefully co-exist with skiers on chairlifts.
Jeff Gladnick, 20, of Newark, DE; Matt Eberhardt, 20, of Red Bank, NJ; and Pete Boyle, 21, of Newton, NJ, have created ?The SnoRhino.? Easy to install on existing chairlifts in under a minute while not requiring structural modifications to the chairlifts, SnoRhino features rests that are perpendicular to existing ski rests. The SnoRhino rests allow snowboarders a place to comfortably insert their snowboards without colliding with skis or leaving their snowboards dangling in the air on trips up mountains. The SnoRhino enables one or two snowboarders or one snowboarder and a skier to ride a chairlift comfortably. It also protects ski and snowboard equipment from damage due to the position snowboarders are forced to sit in on current chairlifts. (The SnoRhino also is designed to fit three-, four-, and even six-person chairlifts.)
<+>Snowboarders and skiers can finally get along, at least going up the mountain,<+> said Gladnick, a skier, who is an electrical engineering major.
Noted Boyle, a snowboarder and mechanical engineering major, <+>I'm glad I'm able to relax on the way up the mountain, and I don't have to worry about my snowboard hitting the skier sitting next to me.<+>
The students started working on the prototype in September and applied for a patent in December. They have incorporated as UpHill Enterprises. They currently are evaluating manufacturers and seeking mountains to use as demonstration sites. They hope to mass-produce the SnoRhino by the end of March.
The students developed their product as a clinic project in the College of Engineering at Rowan. Clinics allow students, usually in interdisciplinary groups, to do hands-on work on a variety of projects. Gladnick, Eberhardt and Boyle have used $2,500 from Rowan Engineering?s Venture Capital Fund (financed by the National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance [NCIIA]), for their initial work, which included purchasing a used chairlift from Jack Frost Mountain in the Poconos.
<+>Rowan Engineering gave us the opportunity to start a company even before graduation,<+> Eberhardt said. <+>We really appreciate the support of the faculty and administration.<+>
Recently the NCIIA awarded the students $8,375 to help get their product off the ground. In a letter confirming the award, the NCIIA noted, <+>The reviewers think the proposal describes a good use of program resources to bring a needed product to market.<+>