The finale of the famed MIT 100K Competition is still a ways away, but the university just announced its startups picks to proceed to the semi-final round. Naturally, I had to scope out who made the cut. I combed through the 51 semifinalists and compiled a list of the coolest startups out of the bunch. While this is no indication of whether the companies will move on to the finals in May, here are the ventures that caught my eye for obvious reasons.
Spyce
A fully-automated restaurant is now a reality because of Spyce. (If you don't believe me, watch it in action here.) The venture has built a 20-square-foot kitchen that is able to prepare, cook and serve meals without any human help. Because there’s no need for people to man the kitchen, Spyce would drastically reduce overhead costs for eateries and redefine what we consider fast food.
Velocrinder
Biking in the city is risky. Velocrinder lets bike-riders reduce their odds of danger with a computerized system that warns them when things are coming their way. So if a car is turning or someone is opening their door and the biker can’t see, Velocrinder is there to give them a heads up and enable them to avoid accidents.
ecofit
It’s like Fitbit, but for environmentally conscious folks. With ecofit, users can monitor their carbon footprint and receive advice on how they can be more eco-friendly. If you want to make a group effort to fight climate change, you can link up with your friends and family members to see how your carbon footprints compare.
Humon
Speaking of Fitbit, if you’re a serious athlete, tracking steps and calories isn’t going to cut it. Humon is here to help you out. This venture is developing a wearable for your thigh that tracks how your muscles are using oxygen at different points in your training sessions. It also gives you live feedback, making live suggestions so you can make sure you’re working your body to its optimal potential at every stage - warm up and cool down included.
Odego
Bringing your car in for oil changes is a necessary evil. But they won’t have to be once Odego is in full-swing. The startup is setting up a service for on-demand oil changes. Odego plans to send trained, local military veterans to your house or office to work on your car whenever you want. So you can stop blocking off your Saturday mornings to spend them at the auto shop.
Splash
Dehydration, especially among the elderly who tend to lose their sense of thirst, is a common problem. A patent-pending wearable from Splash would be able to monitor hydration levels more accurately than any other tool currently on the market. For the time being, the venture is looking to serve elder care facilities, helping them prevent hospitalizations among their residents. But it could have a multitude of applications.
Astraeus Technologies
I’ve given shout-out to Astraeus Technologies before (they won the MIT 100K Accelerate Competition), but I don’t think there’s anything cooler than detecting cancer on someone’s breath. With its L-Card, the startup is working on more accurate, earlier and less expensive screenings for lung cancer. They still have some more testing to be done before they get FDA approval, but they’re on their way to getting there.
Image via Niklas Tenhaef, CC BY-SA 2.0.
