Dobson Cup prize winners prepare to pilot colour-changing artificial nails

Alejandra Huerta and Isabela Dominguez envision a future where the shade of your nails can change with a tap of your phone. During Huerta’s PhD in chemistry, she considered how organic materials could be used to change the colour of cosmetics. But by brainstorming with her sister Dominguez, a computer engineer, they determined that wearable electronics could be a better approach.

In 2019, they participated in McGill Dobson Centre’s Lean Startup Program, and placed third in the “Innovation Driven Enterprise” category of the McGill Dobson Cup in 2020, the university’s flagship start-up competition. The prize from the Dobson Cup enabled the sisters to incorporate AIM Colours, through which they are developing ePolish, a wearable, colour-changing artificial nail made of flexible electronic materials. They hope to pilot the product in early 2023.