Dayton Inno: UC alumni develop wearable safety device for runners

Inspired by his experience running with a friend who had a medical emergency, University of Cincinnati graduate Jack Randall is developing a wearable safety device for runners and cyclists. Randall, who earned his bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering from UC in 2017, was featured in a Dayton Inno story about his startup, Zoza.

The small, wearable SOS device can be attached to a shoe or zipper and is intended for endurance athletes who often don’t carry a phone or who travel through remote areas. A user can press a button to send an emergency alert to as many as 10 predefined contacts. The device even works in locations where cell service isn’t available. 

An avid long-distance runner, Randall is a two-time winner of the Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon, taking the top spot in 2017 and 2019. He’s set to race again in this year’s marathon on October 31.  

Zoza is led by Randall and fellow runners and Bearcats: Phillip Horn (B.S. electrical engineering ’18, M.S. mechanical engineering ’21), Sean Kane (B.S. electrical engineering, M.S. computer engineering ’20), and Bryce McGuire (B.S. industrial design ’21).

The team hopes to have a controlled market release to test the device in the spring of 2022.

Read the full story at Dayton Inno.

Featured image at top of a man running on a road. Photo/Isaac Wendland/Unsplash.