AUT Showcase Gives Innovators a Chance to Shine

For a second year, the AUT Innovation Showcase celebrated the incredible research and technologies emerging from the university. Nearly 300 curious people came out to taste, test, try on, and experience hands-on displays demonstrating how over 25 AUT projects can have a real-world impact.

The Innovation Showcase offers an interactive platform for AUT students and researchers to illustrate their  “what if” ideas to an engaged audience. AUT Ventures, the university’s commercialisation centre and consulting hub, put out the call for impactful and translatable research projects from across the AUT community, and were overwhelmed with the response.

A small handful of projects that are further along the Technology Readiness Level (TRL) scale were given the opportunity to pitch their ideas to a captive audience:

• Associate Professor Debbie Bean from AUT’s Health and Rehabilitation Research Institute, and Professor David Rice from AUT’s School of Allied Health, gave insight into how  Happihands is successfully using  virtual reality to support the treatment of Complex Regional Pain Syndrome – a debilitating condition that affects an estimated 28,000 people across Australia and New Zealand.
• Food Science Professor Daniel Granato shared the personal journey that led him to AUT and to actively engaging with industry on  The Cherry Pomace Project, researching methods of  transforming nearly 200 tonnes of cherry pomace (waste created by the juicing process)  into desirable food and skincare solutions.
• Professor Andrew Lowe from AUT’s Institute of Biomedical Technologies inspired us with  NextBP; a ground-breaking technology that provides  the next generation of accurate blood pressure monitoring, a true game changer for emergency medicine!

This transition from academic research to real-world application is the core goal of the event.

"At AUT, we believe that excellent research achieves its greatest value when it creates impact beyond the university," says Vice-Chancellor, Damon Salesa.

"The innovation on display at the Showcase highlights the strength that comes from working across disciplines to address some of the most complex challenges facing society today.”

That collaborative strength was evident across two levels of the WZ Building on the City Campus, which were buzzing as guests from within AUT and the local innovation ecosystem united to explore samples, devices, and engaging displays.

Highlights from the exhibition floor included:

• Construction Technology: A pilot-ready collaboration between AUT’s Computer and Information Sciences Research Centre and construction-tech startup Soterra. It was a thrill to see this smart platform ready for real-world activation as they actively seek construction companies to join their pilot programme.
• Food Omics: A glimpse into the future of food, giving attendees the chance to taste-test sustainable innovations, including a super-high protein drink and vegan corn chips derived from lupin-flower milk, prepared by Food Science Associate Professor Thao Le’s PhD students.
• Custodian Labs: Live demonstrations by CEO and Founder Sherry Feng (a recent AUT PhD graduate), who impressed attendees by showing how their software tool can rapidly deploy safe AI agents with built-in guardian layers. Momentum continues to build for this recent AUT spinout as they seek SME partners to trial secure AI-agent workflows.
• The Sonic Labyrinth: An immersive  hauora (wellness) installation from Senior Lecturer Joanna Pascoe (AUT’s School of Education), featuring a solar-powered LED labyrinth with a soundscape. You can experience it live at Silo Park in January 2027!

To top off the impressive line-up, the Showcase provided a launchpad for the new business unit, AUT Solutions, a bridge between academia and industry and a gateway to AUT’s professional services. Read the full story on AUT Solutions here.

As we look ahead to 2027, the momentum behind AUT's innovation ecosystem is only growing. We can’t wait to see which new “what if” ideas will take centre stage next year. If you’re interested in participating in the 2027 Innovation Showcase, please reach out to AUT Ventures at ventures@aut.ac.nz.