Aaron Franklin Elected Fellow of National Academy of Inventors

Man sites before a rust colored backdrop in a light blue shirt with navy pinstripe jacket

Congratulations to Aaron Franklin, Professor of Chemistry and Electrical Engineering. The National Academy of Inventors (NAI) announced its newest class of fellows, and it includes Dr. Franklin for his work on improving the performance and functionality of nanomaterial-enabled electronic devices. This includes the exploration of more environmentally sustainable electronics, such as recyclable printed transistors, as well as high-performance nanoscale devices.

Dr. Franklin's lab developed a sensor technology to monitor car tire tread wear. After generating initial data and publishing a paper on the results, Franklin patented the technology and spun out a company called Tyrata. The venture was funded by a $4.5 million A-round in 2018, a $2.9 million A1-round in 2020 and additional investments from Bridgestone Americas in 2022. Tyrata diversified its technology and product offerings, with its primary focus evolving into a drive-over system for monitoring tire tread depth for large fleets of vehicles. Franklin served as chief technology officer for six years until Tyrata’s acquisition in late 2023 by Bridgestone.

A second startup, Versametrics, is a measurement systems company seeking to accelerate electronic device and sensor development. The idea for the company began as custom electronics to enable specific research projects in the Franklin lab, but he quickly realized there was a need from other researchers for this technology as well.

The Versametrics Dart is a small, affordable device that includes versatile electronic characterization tools. Versametrics later received a grant from the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program, also called “America’s Seed Fund.”

Aaron and the rest of the 2024 class of fellows will be formally inducted during the NAI national conference, set for June in Atlanta.