Binghamton University research projects land funding

BINGHAMTON — A Binghamton University researcher, Ron Miles, received $100,000 in funding from the State University of New York Technology Accelerator Fund (TAF), with $100,000 in matching funds from the university, to bring digital microphone technology to the marketplace.

Miles invented a tiny directional microphone suitable for use in hearing aids that filters out unwanted sounds. His research received several million dollars in funding from the National Institutes of Health nearly a decade ago, but that money focused on scientific discovery and not the development of a commercial product, according to the university.

Last year, the Research Foundation for the State University of New York (RF) supported development of the technology with $50,000 from the TAF. The latest round of funding along with the matching funds from the university will allow Miles to focus on marketing his product.

“As part of the review process, the RF team did a marketing study to determine potential markets for licensing and commercialization,” Miles said in a release. “We ended up modifying our design to improve the marketability of our technology.”

In addition to the funding for Miles’ project, TAF also awarded first-round funding for six other projects, including one by Binghamton University bioengineer Kenneth McLeod, who proposed a plan to develop a personalized heating system. The system would save energy by using an infrared-based system to heat people inside rooms in a building rather than blindly heating all spaces equally whether they are occupied or not.

Contact DeLore at tdelore@tgbbj.com