Ryan Elder and SeaTalus

Ryan's family is the inspiration behind his business, SeaTalus. As a family they've always been involved with water activities, largely due to his parent's enthusiasm for scuba diving. Ryan himself was encouraged to participate in competitive swimming, thanks to his parent's belief to allow him and his siblings to try their hands at whatever sport grabbed their attention.

As a result, Ryan firmly believes that the freedom for children and young adults to explore their interests no matter the challenges they might face is crucial towards their growth in confidence and overall health; understanding that they can achieve whatever they put their mind to.

SeaTalus began as Ryan's final major project for his degree and has continued to evolve with the guidance and resources that the Residency Programme provides.

SeaTalus focusses on the development of an affordable prosthetic for juniors and young adults who wish to continue or partake in leisurely water activities such as scuba diving.

The core focus points of the project is accessibility, durability, and the development of 3D printing manufacturing within the prosthetic industry.

During the Residency Programme, Ryan hopes to cultivate SeaTalus into an autonomous business or for the prosthetic to be adopted by an established company that can develop the design further and reach a larger audience.

As part of his residency, Ryan intends to use the resources available as part of AUB’s Lab 4 Creative Technologies, including the CAM machinery to progress the project. Likewise, he'll benefit from the industry professionals that can provide invaluable guidance towards the direction of the project's success.

On the opportunities for mentoring as part of the Residency Programme, Ryan says:

"Learning how to maintain a business and how to network effectively by the mentors of the program is invaluable knowledge that I would not be able to acquire as an individual."

3D printing is a core focus point of the project with one of the goals being to aid the development of 3D printing within the prosthetic industries. The 3D printing hub within the Innovation Studio houses key technologies such as the SLS printer that will provide the necessary materials and technologies to further the project's development.