Congratulations to Our 2024 Grand Prize and First Place Winners!
NETrolyze, a novel immunotherapy for triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), was named the $25,000 grand prize winner at a live finalist round held November 15 in New York. The first-in-class therapeutic injectable gel prevents the spread of TNBC, one of the most aggressive cancer types, enabling patients to avoid toxic chemotherapy and expensive treatments – potentially transforming their lives. Click here for the full list of 2024 winners. Also see the Top 100 highest scoring entries.
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 15,000 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 today.
Read About Past Winners’ Success Stories
Special Report spotlights the eight top entries in 2023 as well as past winners whose ideas are now in the market, making a difference in the world.
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/2015
2015
2015 Entries
>> All
>> Aerospace & Defense
>> Automotive/Transportation
>> Consumer Products
>> Electronics
>> Machinery/Automation/Robotics
>> Medical
>> Sustainable Technologies
2015 Participants
2015 Results
>> Top Votes
>> Winners
>> Top 100
>> Press Release
The following entries received the highest overall scores from the panel of judges.
They are listed in alphabetical order by title.
3D Precision Positioning for UAV Autonomous Landing on Moving Platforms
3D Printer to Aid Visually Impaired Consumers in Their Daily Life
A New Paradigm of Thin-Film Solar Electricity
A Novel Energy Regenerative Shock Absorber
A Novel Processor Architecture for the Internet of Things
A Novel Wireless Tracking System for Medical Equipment
A Proven System for Preventing Ground Collisions of Aircraft
A Truly Wearable Healthcare and Fitness Device Aimed at Making a Better Life
Active Pixel Sensor Design and Operations
Active Sound Insulation Window
An Automated Method For Fibrin Clot Permeability Assessment
Application of Battlefield Point of Injury & Trauma Medical Device System
Baxter(TM) Wagon Steering System
CEREBROS™ -- A Paradigm Shifting, Scalable Solution For Point-of-Care Brain Injury Monitoring
CHP System with Internal Waste Heat Recovery
Compact Long-Reach Robotic Arm
Creating Sensations Of Touch, Over-the-air, For True Immersion In Virtual Or Augmented Reality
CryoFOSS: Using Fiber Optic Technology for Liquid Level Sensing
Cyclic Pitch Vertical Axis Turbine Inspired By Birds
DAVID: Digital Anatomic Visual Informatics Device
Development of a Non-Surgical Circulatory Support Device for the Treatment of Chronic Heart Failure
Direct Methanol Feed Fuel Cell and System
ECHY: Solar Lighting With Fibre Optics
Explosive Material Identification from a Distance
Fabrication of Fiber-Metal Laminates with Non-Autoclave Processes
Fetal Welfare Monitoring Using Light And Sound
Firefly Rural Electrification System
Flexolar: Ecological Flashlight
Floating Piston, Isolation Valve
Game Changing Optics for the Future
Gemini Electric Motor & Generator
High Performance Shutter Valve
Hybrid Additive Manufacturing of High Throughput Microfluidic Devices for Cellular Processing
Integrated Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (iTMS)
Intelligent Hitch for Measuring Both Trailer Weight and Tongue Weight
Low Cost 3D Printed Linear Motion System
Low Cost, Ergonomic and Efficient Side-Fire Fiber
Low Frequency Portable Acoustic Measurement System
Magnetic Field Response Measurement Acquisition System
Method For Treating Cartilage Defects
MICHELIN X TWEEL TURF Airless Radial Tire
Micro interface to control robotic prosthesis, using the axons of motor nerves
Micro Turbine Personal Flight System for First Responders
Mobile Oximeter for Rural Child Pneumonia Diagnosis
Modular Jet Ski; No Trailer; Affordable; High Performance
Next Generation Armour “Plymetal” Manufactured by Metallic 3D Printing
Novel Chest Tube Design To Alleviate Clogging And Facilitate Video-assisted Thoracoscopic Surgery
Planot: Boxless, Full Range, Omnidirectional Speaker
Progressive Flow Turbo Compressor Recirculation Valve
Project Pyra: World's First 3D-Printed Oven
Real-Time Fiber Optic Sensing System
Real-Time Interactive Sonic Boom Display
Self Sustained Magnetic Refrigeration
Sensorless Angle of Attack Indicator
SFAAS - Smart Fetal ECG Acquisition and Analysis System
Simple Low Cost Design For Expanding Preventive Dental Sealant Delivery
Smart Coating for Corrosion Detection and Protection
SolePower Power-Generating Insoles
Solid State Regulated AC Transformer
Sorbent Polymer Extraction and Remediation System (SPEARS)
SPIN Remote -- The Simplest, Most Stylish Remote Ever
Super-Resolution X-ray Imaging System
Synthetic Vision System for Aeronautical Applications
Tailored Dielectric Materials With Metal and Metal Oxide Nanoparticles
Telecom Tower Structural & Radiation Inspection Using MUAV System
Total Actuation and Force Feedback on Robot Assisted Microsurgery
Water Conserving, Agriculture Pollutant Scavenging HydraMat™ by EcosPure
Wideband Metamaterial RF Absorber
For Information Contact:
Debbie Rothwell
Director of Marketing
Tech Briefs Media Group
212-490-3999, ext.5520
www.createthefuturecontest.com
September 29, 2015
Design Contest Winner Gives New Hope to Millions of Chronic Heart Failure Patients
Contest Draws over 1,100 Innovative Product Ideas from Engineers and Students in 60 Countries
New York, NY - Procyrion, Inc. of Houston, TX. developer of the first catheter-deployed heart pump intended for long-term treatment of chronic heart failure, has been awarded the grand prize of $20,000 in the 2015 "Create the Future" Design Contest. The AortixTM device -- thinner than a #2 pencil and only 6 cm long -- features a powerful micro-pump designed to rest and heal the heart without surgery and with minimal risk.
Aortix was among the record 1,159 new product ideas submitted in the 13th annual design contest, which was established in 2002 to recognize and reward engineering innovations that benefit humanity, the environment, and the economy. This year’s design contest was co-sponsored by COMSOL (www.comsol.com) and Mouser Electronics (www.mouser.com). Analog Devices and Intel were supporting sponsors.
“Procyrion is honored to be selected as this year’s Grand Prize winner of the Create the Future Design Contest. When we look at the other entrants in the contest, we are extremely impressed by the breadth of opportunities being pursued and the novelty and ingenuity of those approaches. We feel that being selected from among so many strong competitors is attributable to the global impact of heart failure and the potential of the AortixTM system to benefit millions of patients worldwide,” said Ben Hertzog, CEO of Procyrion.
“Innovation is front and center in the development of new and competitive products,” said Bernt Nilsson, Senior VP of Marketing with COMSOL, Inc. “The Create the Future Design Contest is doing a wonderful job in recognizing many great product ideas and helping innovators bring them to market. As a returning sponsor, we are delighted by the record number of submissions and the amazing entries from this year's winners.”
"We congratulate all of the winners for their ingenuity, and commend all of the entrants for taking part in this exciting program that fosters technological innovation,” said Kevin Hess, Vice President of Technical Marketing at Mouser Electronics. “As a distributor of leading technologies, ‘Creating the Future’ is very much at the heart of what we support here at Mouser, and we are excited to help design engineers and want to thank them for their important contributions. Engineers really deserve the credit for the amazing ingenuity we are seeing today in electronic design."
In addition to the grand prize of $20,000, first-place winners (of Hewlett-Packard workstations) were named in seven categories:
Automotive/Transportation - sponsored by KAMAN Precision Products (www.kamansensors.com)
Smart Coating for Corrosion Detection and Prevention
Luz Marina Calle
An environmentally friendly coating system for early detection and inhibition of corrosion and self-healing of mechanical damage.
Electronics - sponsored by Imagineering, Inc. (www.pcbnet.com)
Real-Time Fiber Optic Sensing System
Lance Richards (Team Leader)
Game-changing technology deploys thousands of sensors on a single fiber to monitor the structural health of aircraft, buildings, and dams in real time.
Machinery/Automation/Robotics - sponsored by Maplesoft (www.maplesoft.com)
Compact Long-Reach Robotic Arm
William R. Doggett
A long-reach robotic arm with lightweight joints that provide a wide range of motion.
Aerospace & Defense
The N5 FILO: An Ultra-Small, Low-Cost Hazardous Gas Detector Using Novel Chip-Scale Chemical Sensor Technology
Nichole Sullivan (Team Leader)
Will enable industrial workers, first responders, and soldiers to quickly detect multiple types of dangerous gases using a mobile device.
Consumer Products
Modular Jet Ski; No Trailer; Affordable; High Performance
Anders Stubkjaer (Team Leader)
High performance jet board/jet ski transportable in the back of a car.
Medical
Smart X-ray Source
Mark Eaton (Team Leader)
Combines flat panel technology with classic x-ray physics to provide portable, inexpensive CT systems using open software sources to underserved populations around the world.
Sustainable Technologies
ECHY: Solar Lighting with Fiber Optics
Stephanie Le Beuze (Team Leader)
High-quality, low-cost lighting technology that captures, transports, and diffuses daylight for indoor use.
Finalists were selected by senior editors at Tech Briefs Media Group and judged by an independent panel of design engineers. Visitors to the contest Web site could vote on entries, with the 10 most popular designs awarded an Ollie robotic gaming device provided by Sphero (www.sphero.com). For more information, visit
www.createthefuturecontest.com.
About COMSOL
COMSOL provides simulation software for product design and research to technical enterprises, research labs, and universities through 22 offices and a distributor network throughout the world. Its flagship product, COMSOL Multiphysics®, is a software environment for modeling and simulating any physics-based system and building specialized applications. A particular strength is its ability to account for coupled or multiphysics phenomena. Add-on products expand the simulation platform for electrical, mechanical, fluid flow, and chemical applications. Interfacing tools enable the integration of COMSOL Multiphysics® simulation with all major technical computing and CAD tools on the CAE market. For more information, visit www.comsol.com
About Mouser Electronics
Mouser Electronics, a subsidiary of TTI, Inc., is part of Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway family of companies. Mouser is an award-winning, authorized semiconductor and electronic component distributor, focused on the rapid introduction of new products and technologies to electronic design engineers and buyers. Mouser.com features more than 4 million products online from more than 500 manufacturers. Mouser publishes multiple catalogs per year providing designers with up-to-date data on the components now available for the next generation of electronic devices. Mouser ships globally to over 500,000 customers in 170 countries from its 492,000 sq. ft. state-of-the-art facility south of Dallas, Texas. For more information, visit www.mouser.com
# # #
GRAND PRIZE WINNER
Development of a Non-Surgical Circulatory Support Device for the Treatment of Chronic Heart Failure
Omar Benavides, Benjamin Hertzog, Jace Heuring, Reynolds Delgado, and Will Clifton
Procyrion, Inc.
Houston, TX, USA
AEROSPACE & DEFENSE CATEGORY WINNER
The N5 FILO: An Ultra-Small, Low-Cost Hazardous Gas Detector Using Novel Chip-Scale Chemical Sensor Technology
Nichole Sullivan, Abhishek Motayed, Ratan Debnath, Baomei Wen, Audie Castillo, Ting Xie, and Gavin Liu
N5 Sensors, Inc.
Rockville, MD, USA
Honorable Mention:
Sensorless Angle of Attack Indicator
Ettore De Lellis, Nicola Genito, Federico Corraro, Luca Garbarino, Dave Bibby, Sean Rieb, Kevin Jones, and Antonio Vitale
Aspen Avionics - CIRA
Albuquerque, NM, USA
A Proven System for Preventing Ground Collisions of Aircraft
Mark Skoog, Loyd Hook, Kevin Prosser, Shaun McWherter, and Jamie Willhite
Armstrong Flight Research Center
Edwards, CA, USA
AUTOMOTIVE/TRANSPORTATION CATEGORY WINNER
Smart Coating for Corrosion Detection and Prevention
Luz Marina Calle
Kennedy Space Center
Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA
Honorable Mention:
Progressive Flow Turbo Compressor Recirculation Valve
James Miller, Dave Fletcher, Matt Gilmer, Brian Graichen, Keith Hampton, and Andy Niedert
DAYCO
Roseville, MI, USA
MICHELIN X TWEEL TURF Airless Radial Tire
Olivier Brauen
Michelin, NA
Greenville, SC, USA
CONSUMER PRODUCTS CATEGORY WINNER
Modular Jet Ski; No Trailer; Affordable; High Performance
Anders Stubkjaer and John West
Bomboard LLC
Whitewater, WI, USA
Honorable Mention:
Flexolar: Ecological Flashlight
Ronny Sanchez Merino
Universidad Autónoma del Carib
Barranquilla, Atlantico, Colombia
iBobber Wireless Fishfinder
Alexander Lebedev and Tim Etchells
ReelSonar, Inc.
Seattle, WA, USA
ELECTRONICS CATEGORY WINNER
Real-Time Fiber Optic Sensing System
Lance Richards, Patrick Chan, Philip Hamory, Allen Parker, Anthony Piazza, and William Ko
Armstrong Flight Research Center
Edwards, CA, USA
Honorable Mention:
Bluetooth Embedded Amplifier
Ervin Scott, Chad Lampton, and Mike Lucas
Sun Hydraulics Corp.
Sarasota, FL, USA
Direct Methanol Feed Fuel Cell and System
Subbarao Surampudi, Harvey Frank, Sekharipuram Narayanan, William Chun, Barbara Jeffries Nakamura, Andrew Kindler, and Gerald Halpert
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Pasadena, CA, USA
MACHINERY/AUTOMATION/ROBOTICS CATEGORY WINNER
Compact Long-Reach Robotic Arm
William R. Doggett, John T. Dorsey, George G. Ganoe, Thomas C. Jones, and Cole K. Corbin
Langley Research Center;
Bruce D. King
Lockheed Martin;
Charles D. Mercer
Stinger Ghaffarian Technologies (STG)
Honorable Mention:
High Performance Shutter Valve
Kyle Daniels
Clarke Industrial Engineering
North Kingstown, RI, USA
Low Cost 3D Printed Linear Motion System
Scott Winroth
MakerStrong
Ayer, MA, USA
MEDICAL CATEGORY WINNER
Smart X-ray Source
Mark Eaton, Ronald Hellmer, Shuo Cheng, Hugo Leon, and Leif Fredin
Stellarray
Austin, TX, USA
Honorable Mention:
Method for Treating Cartilage Defects
Michael Lytinas
Ideas Foundation
Boston, MA, USA
Portable And Automated Sickle Cell Disease Diagnosis and Patient Monitoring Using Magnetic Levitation
Stephanie Knowlton and Savas Tasoglu
University of Connecticut
Storrs, CT, USA
SUSTAINABLE TECHNOLOGIES CATEGORY WINNER
ECHY: Solar Lighting With Fiber Optics
Stephanie Le Beuze, Florent Longa, and Quentin Martin-laval
Echy
Champs-sur-marne, Ile-de-france, France
Honorable Mention:
CHP System with Internal Waste Heat Recovery
Nikolay Shkolnik
Liquidpiston, Inc.
Bloomfield, CT, USA
Spindrift Energy Device
Brian Moffat and Nicholas Tastad
Spindrift Energy
Simi Valley, CA, USA
TOP TEN MOST POPULAR ENTRIES
Puncture-Proof/Burst-Proof Tire
Sameer Panda
Tycheejuno
Sambalpur, Orissa, India
CAP Exoskeleton
Areeb Yaqoob and Keshav Gupta
New Delhi, Delhi, India
CoAxial Engine
Boyan Bahnev
Advanced Energy Sources Ltd.
Edmonton, Ab, Canada
Sensorless Angle of Attack Indicator
Ettore De Lellis, Nicola Genito, Federico Corraro, Luca Garbarino, Dave Bibby, Sean Rieb, Kevin Jones, and Antonio Vitale
Aspen Avionics - CIRA
Albuquerque, NM, USA
Cybernated Farm Systems (CFS)
Douglas Mallette, Carlo Dandridge, Dave Oswald, Neil Desmond, Sándor Nyerges, Habiba Ali, Alex Nuwagaba, Sali Enjavi, and Marty N. Mccrea
Cybernated Farm Systems
Portsmouth, RI, USA
Self Chargeable Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV)
Sukeerth Calastawad, Suhas V, Phaneesh M, and Swaraj S
Maharaja Institute of Technology
Mysore, Karnataka, India
Bullet Proof Vest Using Non-Newtonian Fluid
Seshagiri Ramachandran, Vinod Vivian G, Vinod K R, and Anne Miriam Alexander
Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
Development of a Non-Surgical Circulatory Support Device for the Treatment of Chronic Heart Failure
Omar Benavides, Benjamin Hertzog, Jace Heuring, Reynolds Delgado, and Will Clifton
Procyrion, Inc.
Houston, TX, USA
Piezoelectric Generator
Amirebrahim Darabi and Roozbeh Khodambashi
Georgia Institute of Technology
Atlanta, GA, USA
Anti-Collision Technology for Automobiles
Himanshu Vyas
SAE India
Indore, Madhya Pradesh, India
| Dean Barker R&D Manager Fisher and Paykel Healthcare Auckland, New Zealand |
Pierluigi Benedini Senior Process and Manufacturing Engineer Aptuit Verona, Italy |
Nate Bernklau Design Engineer John Deere Davenport, IA, USA |
| Douglas Bradley Product Development Engineering Manager Plasan Carbon Composites Wixom, MI, US |
Sabin Carpiuc Continental Automotive Romania Lasi, Romania |
Jeff Crompton Principal AltaSim Technologies Columbus, OH, USA |
| Joseph Curro Principal Engineer CDM Smith Boston, MA, USA |
Eric Day Engineering Manager Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America Saline, MI, USA |
Barry Dieser Director of Information Technology Signicast LLC Hartford, WI, USA |
| Alan Druschitz Associate Professor Virginia Tech Blacksburg, VA, USA |
Mitch Finne Principal Engineer Medtronic Plymouth, MN, USA |
Venkat Gaddam Senior Electrical Engineer Medtronic Neurological Minneapolis, MN, USA |
| Vishnu Gandhi Senior Design Engineer Onatrio Power Generation Courtice, ON, Canada |
Sanjeev Gothekar Automotive Engineer The Automotive Research Association of India Pune, Maharashtra, India |
Charles Hall Director, Electronic Systems Engineering Exide Technologies Milton, GA, USA |
| Roger Harmon Distinguished Member of the Technical Staff Motorola Mobility LLC Chicago, IL, USA |
Jim Hathaway Manager, Production Programs Northrop Grumman Aerospace Redondo Beach, CA, USA |
Robert Holzhauer Electrical Cost Engineer FCA Northville, MI, USA |
| Dave Hosey Engineering Manager Midmark Corp. Versailles, OH, USA |
John Hoyle Lead Engineer Johnson Controls, Inc. Plymouth, MI, USA |
David Jorde Development Consultant Jorde Development Fallbrook, CA, USA |
| Joseph Jungbluth Staff Engineer Fairchild Controls Corp. Frederick, MD, USA |
Pankaj Kalore Engineer Miller Electric Mfg. Co. Appleton, WI, USA |
Ewen Kellar Principal Project Leader TWI Ltd Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, UK |
| Gary Kemp Mechanical Engineer Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control Euless, TX, USA |
Vijayakumar Krishnamurthy Senior Principal Satellite Systems Engineer Intelsat McLean, VA, USA |
Yu-Tai Lee Naval Architect Naval Surface Warfare Center West Bethesda, MD, USA |
| Joseph Lipman Director of Device Development Hospital for Special Surgery New York, NY, USA |
Luis Maldonado Lead Designer Lear Corp. El Paso, TX, USA |
Pascal Martinez Extremely Large Telescope Dome and Main Structure Deputy European Southern Observatory Bavaria, Germany |
| Tom Miller Founder Black Magic Missile Works Jonestown, TX, USA |
Kevin Moore Senior Principal Engineer Barrios Technology Houston, TX, USA |
Scott Moore Chief Engineer Vista Outdoor Anoka, MN, USA |
| Christa Myers Chemical Process Engineer CRB Consulting Engineers Cary, NC, USA |
Paul Nussbaum Assistant Dean College of Engineering Tech ECPI University Richmond, VA, USA |
Stacy Orr Manager of Mechanical Engineering Scriptpro LLC Mission, KS, USA |
| Stephen Osborne Senior Project Engineer Stanley Black & Decker Towson, MD, USA |
David Ouellette Lead Designer General Electric Plainville, CT, USA |
Fred Peterson Director, Engineering Osram Sylvania Hillsboro, NH, USA |
| Tudosa Petrica R&D Eng /IRT & NDT Specialist Alstom CH Rieden, Aargau, Switzerland |
Samuel Phillips Consulting Engineer Grass Valley, CA, USA |
Marek Piechocinski MEMS Design Engineer Cirrus Logic Edinburgh, UK |
| Ron Pietrowski Technical Expert Con Edison New York, NY USA |
Constantin Puiu Project Engineer General Motors Pontiac, MI, USA |
Jeffery Puschell Principal Engineering Fellow Raytheon El Segundo, CA, USA |
| Antonio Quintieri Principal Engineer Procter & Gamble Waterloo, Belgium |
Niat Rahman Senior CAE Engineer General Motors Milford, MI, USA |
Mario Rogers Product Engineer Sears Seating Mfg. Davenport, IA, USA |
| Joe Salerno Electrical Designer ENengineering Warrenville, IL, USA |
Chris Scott Design Group Manager EMD Millipore Corp. Danvers, MA, USA |
Gary Sera CEO and Director Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service (TEEX) College Station, TX, USA |
| Philip Spampinato Program Manager ILC Dover Frederica, DE, USA |
Susan Stanton Principal SBCi Ltd. Sunbury, OH, USA |
Mike Stokes Design Engineer Ethicon Endo-Surgery Cincinnati, OH, USA |
| Edwin Tan Electrical Design Engineer KLA-Tencor Corp. Milpitas, CA, USA |
Vladimir Theodorof Engineer Specialist Caterpillar Dunlap, IL, USA |
Adnan Turkey Senior Professor,,College of Engineering and Information DeVry College of New York New York, NY USA |
| William Vetterling Research Fellow ZINK Imaging Billerica, MA, USA |
Rich Wells Assistant Engineer Harding University Searcy, AR, USA |
Rich White Mechanical R&D Engineer Agilent Technologies Wilmington, DE, USA |
| Bruce Woollard Engineering Fellow Raytheon Tucson, AZ, USA |
Puck Yan Principal Professional Staff Johns Hopkins University Laurel, MD, USA |
George Yeung Mechanical Engineer Dymax Corp Torrington, CT, USA |
| Ron Zeng Director of Systems Engineering Silicon Image Sunnyvale, CA, USA |
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