THE IDEA

The moment that changed simulation

After six years as a simulationist at the University of Delaware, I experienced a moment that changed how I thought about simulation. During a tracheostomy scenario, students mistook the manikin’s lack of response as a need for chest compressions. I remember thinking, “What if we could place the technology on a real person?” The patient could react and hold out their wrist while still portraying someone who could not speak and had complex care needs. That question started it all.

WHAT WE DO

We brought the idea to life

I partnered with engineering students at the University of Delaware to create the first wearable simulator. In 2015, our innovation won first place for technology at the International Meeting on Simulation in Healthcare. When no one did, I decided to build the company myself. I had no background in business, but I believed students deserved a more human way to learn. Today, Avkin combines real people with wearable technology to help learners practice both clinical skills and human connection.

WHY WE DO IT

Better prepared students is why we do it

From the beginning, we wanted Avkin to be more than an exciting new way to run simulation. We wanted to know whether it truly prepared students for practice. That is why we have welcomed independent research with our technology. In a multi-institutional study involving Johns Hopkins and the Durham VA, students who learned with wearable simulators demonstrated stronger clinical competency while maintaining more consistent stress levels during the transition to bedside care. This is why we do the work. We want students to enter patient care feeling more capable, more confident, and more prepared for bedside care.

HQ IN DELAWARE

Built by hand, in the USA

Every simulator is assembled by our own manufacturing team, one at a time. Because even in a world driven by innovation, the human touch still matters.

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