Congratulations to Our 2025 Grand Prize and First Place Winners!
Imersiv, a breakthrough technology that improves audio performance by 100X compared to today’s very best audio equipment for applications ranging from sound engineering to space missions to medical imaging, was named the $25,000 grand prize winner at a live finalist round held November 7 in New York. Click here for the full list of winners. Also see the Top 100 highest scoring entries. Special thanks to our esteemed panel of judges.
Help build a better tomorrow
Since Tech Briefs magazine launched the Create the Future Design contest in 2002 to recognize and reward engineering innovation, over 16,000 design ideas have been submitted by engineers, students, and entrepreneurs in more than 100 countries. Join the innovators who dared to dream big by entering your ideas in our 2026 contest opening March 1.
Read About All the 2024 Winning Inventions
Special Report spotlights the eight amazing winners in 2024 as well as honorable mentions in each category, plus the top ten most popular entries as voted by our community.
Click here to read moreA ‘Create the Future’ Winner Featured on ‘Here’s an Idea’
Spinal cord injury affects 17,000 Americans and 700,000 people worldwide each year. A research team at NeuroPair, Inc. won the Grand Prize in the 2023 Create the Future Design Contest for a revolutionary approach to spinal cord repair. In this Here’s an Idea podcast episode, Dr. Johannes Dapprich, NeuroPair’s CEO and founder, discusses their groundbreaking approach that addresses a critical need in the medical field, offering a fast and minimally invasive solution to a long-standing problem.
Listen nowThank you from our Sponsors
“At COMSOL, we are very excited to recognize innovators and their important work this year. We are grateful for the opportunity to support the Create the Future Design Contest, which is an excellent platform for designers to showcase their ideas and products in front of a worldwide audience. Best of luck to all participants!”
— Bernt Nilsson, Senior Vice President of Marketing, COMSOL, Inc.
“From our beginnings, Mouser has supported engineers, innovators and students. We are proud of our longstanding support for the Create the Future Design Contest and the many innovations it has inspired.”
— Kevin Hess, Senior Vice President of Marketing, Mouser Electronics
contest
Contest
The following entries received the highest overall scores from the panel of judges. They are listed in alphabetical order by title.
3D Endoscope Using Controlled Aberrations
A Better Way to Text and Touch-Type
A Capacitive Multichannel ECG Measurement System
A Home and Small Business Electricity Micro Generation Unit
Active Passive System for Damage Detection
Applying Stress to Cells under Microscopy
Aquaback Water Purification System
Autonomous Robotic Vehicle for Transmission Line Inspection
Catherina, Smartly Illuminate Your Life
Cloud and Smartphone Accelerator
Device for Control Over Drive of Valve for ICE
Device for Improvement of Cancerous Margin Assessment in the Operating Room
Dry Snorkel Cold Immersion Suit for Hypothermia Prevention
Ear Prophylactics (Dry Earplus for Diving)
Elpipes: Critical Enabling Technology for a Supergrid
Engine with Oscillating Rotating Pistons
Fault Tolerant Power & Communications System
GE SpinLab™: First Automated Multichannel Hyperpolarizer
Hardware and Smartphone App to Prevent Forgetting Child in Vehicle
HistoMosaic: Cancer Tissue Diagnostics by Multiplexed PCR
HTI Dynamic Combustion Chamber
Isolating DIAC-Based Power Supply Saves Standby Energy
Laser Guided Car Parking System
LED A19 100W-Equivalent Lamp with Active Cooling
LED/Optic Display Production Machine
LED/Optic Identity Verification in the Visible and IR Frequencies
LIFE PACK – Hypothermia Prevention Floatation Device
Methods and Apparatus for Imaging, Detecting, and Monitoring Surficial and Subdermal Inflammation
Molecular Microscope and Nano-Fabricator
NanoCam - Microscopic Sized Camera
Nanocoating Tool: Linear Self-Assembly
New Design for a Miniaturized Frequency Agile Repeater System
New Low-Loss Planetary Shift Transmission
New Technology Provides Precise, Dynamic Control of the Pitch of a Boat Propeller
Parabolic Trough Solar Concentrator for Process Heat Generation
Pediatric Spinal Cord Injury Software Simulation Framework
Photocoagulator for Superficial Abrasion
polyMEAs: Tissue-Like All-Polymer Microelectrode Arrays for Neuroprosthetics
Quantum Frostless Heat Pump with MPR Valve
RASP®-Reduced Agricultural Storage Program
RF Sensor Network Improves Aircraft Availability
Rolling Piston Air Motor or Pump
SafeDrive Anti Drowsiness Camera
SAW Convolver Sensor for Wireless Structure Monitoring Systems
Self Recharging Laptops: Work Longer with Confidence
Self-Adjusting Bushing Bearing
Self-Protective Alloy Treatment for Extreme Environments
Self-Sizing Internal Combustion Engine
Sensordrone: a Practical, Tricorder Like Platform for Consumers and Mobile Device Developers
Snapshot Imaging Plenoptic Spectral Camera
Solar Boiler Electrical Generator and Heat Machine
Solar Water Distiller Using Spray Flash Evaporation
Solving the Last Hurdle Preventing LEDs Becoming Mainstream Products
Synthetic Bone Made by Indirect Selective Laser Sintering
The Integrated Off-Shore Wave Powered Turbine Shaft (OSWPTS)
The Pulsed Turbine Turbo-Prop Engine Concept
The Sipficient Travel Mug: Piping Hot to the Very Last Drop
Thin-Cavity Cooling of Electronic Circuitry
UV-C Bare and Gloved Hand Flash Disinfection
V2 Renal Denervation System for Vessix Vascular
Vibration Resistant Thumb Screw (VRTS)
Virtual Axis Steer System VASS
Virtual Walking Stick for the Visually Impaired
| Michael Akins Senior Consultant WorleyParsons Reading, PA |
Malath Arar Senior Engineer General Electric Schenectady, NY |
Dean Baker Doctor Physics for Industry Auckland, New Zealand |
| Nate Bernklau Design Engineer John Deere Davenport, IA |
Douglas Bradley Composite Materials Specialist General Dynamics Sterling Heights, MI |
Stuart Brown Managing Principal Veryst Engineering Needham, MA |
| Kyle Bunch Research and Development Scientist Pacific Northwest National Laboratory Richland, WA |
Jeff Crompton Principal AltaSim Technologies Columbus, OH |
Juergen Denker Senior Research Engineer TK Polysius Beckum, Germany |
| Mitch Finn Engineering Manager Medtronic Fridley, MN |
Venkat Gaddam Electrical Engineer Medtronic Neurological Minneapolis, MN |
Alan Goelzer Group Manager Jacobs Consultancy Durham, NH |
| David Jorde Senior Development Design Engineer Solar Turbines Inc. San Diego, CA |
Pankaj Kalore Engineer Siemens Buffalo Grove, IL |
James D. Lane Automation Engineer BP Durango, CO |
| James Lauer Lean 6 Sigma Masters Black Belt Caterpillar Morton, IL |
Matthijs Klomp Doctor eAAM Driveline Systems Trollhattan, Sweden |
Nora McGuiness Global Marketing & Communications Nordson EFD East Providence, RI |
| Scott Moore Senior Staff Technologist Alliant Techsystems Anoka, MN |
Stephen Osborne Senior Electrical Engineer Stanley Black & Decker Towson, MD |
Sergio Pacheco Program Manager Freescale Tempe, AZ |
| Anilkumar Pandit Senior Consulting Engineer GE Energy Bangalore, India |
Pramod Patil Assisted General Manager Suzlon Energy Ltd. Pune, India |
Samuel R. Phillips Consulting Engineer Samuel R. Phillips Consulting Grass Valley, CA |
| Antonio Quintieri Senior Engineer Procter & Gamble Stombeck Bever, Belgium |
Carlos E. Ramirez Valenzuela Researcher Institute De Investigaciones Electricas Cuernavaca, Mexico |
Kiran Reddy Senior Research Scientist Kimberly Clark Corp. Roswell, GA |
| Peter Seiler Principal Materials Engineer Medtronic Mount View, MN |
Susan Stanton Principal SBCI Sunbury, OH |
Darren Stevenson Researcher University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Champaign, IL |
| Glenn Strahs Technology Manager U.S. Department of Energy Washington, DC |
David Strei Principal Engineer Rosemount Inc. Chanhassen, MN |
Paul Schwendinger Program Manager Honeywell Golden Valley, MN |
| Thomas J. Steinbrunner Electronics Engineer National Air and Space Intelligence Center Wright-Patterson AFB, OH |
Vladimir Theodorof Engineering Specialist Caterpillar Dunalp, IL |
Michael Vidal Director of Quality Nordson EFD East Providence, RI |
| Rich White Mechanical R&D Engineer Agilent Technologies Wilmington, DE |
Brandon L. Winslow Clinical Engineer Providence Health and Services Portland, OR |
Jian Zhang Principal Systems Informatics Analyst Amgen Thousand Oaks, CA |
PURPOSE
Landing of an aircraft is a very important phase of flight. It is also a very challenging task in terms of safety. Automatic landing systems have been installed in aircraft but require aiding instrumentation on the runway.
It has been observed that numerous accidents of aircraft have taken place during landing due to fault in the functioning of landing gear.
Even with the many recent advances in battery technologies, the limited un-recharged range of electric vehicles in comparison to their gasoline counterparts is a “deal breaker” for many potential purchasers. In extreme climates (hot or cold),
Problem: In large stores such as Walmart, it's a bit difficult to find things sometimes efficiently. The guided shopping, computers and signs' sentiment are neat features; but, they are not intelligent enough in case that a customer want to take products in an efficient way and a shortest path. Most of the time,
Proper dental care is very important to an individual's overall health and general well-being. Additionally, proper brushing can significantly reduce the expense and discomfort of dental restorations, cleanings, and examinations - which is why there are now many mechanical aids available for cleaning teeth.
My proposal is for the implementation of an augmented reality network for technical field workers based on a combination of technologies. Components from makers such as, Google, Vuzix, Tektronix, Agilent, and others are currently being used or they are being researched.
Classical machining operations largely fall into the "subtractive manufacturing" category - operations that remove material from a solid billet to form the desired part. In recent decades, however, new forms of "additive manufacturing" have become available. In these cases, a CNC machine is used to add material to the workpiece to build up the desired features on the part.
Very high magnetic fields (>1 Tesla) are needed to operate Magnetic Resonance Scanners. The equipment (superconductors coils or rare earth permanent magnets) which generates such fields are one of the reasons for the high cost of the scanners.
The mixer is one of the basic building blocks of any communication receiver and transmitters. Mixers translate signals from one frequency band to another. The output of the mixer consists of multiple images of the mixers input signal where each image is shifted up or down by multiples of the local oscillator (LO) frequency.
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