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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.

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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.

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A ‘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.

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Intelligent Energy Manager ( i-EM)

Votes: 5
Views: 3463
Consumer Products

Thinking of reducing your household and office (cubical) energy consumptions? The Intelligent Energy Manager is exactly what one might be looking for. This is an Electronic Energy Meter integrated with GSM modem, a mobile SIM and an electronic control unit. i-Energy manager provides full cell phone connectivity ,calculates consumptions of individual appliances connected to it and not only is it capable of sending text messages to mobile phones but also can control the power supplied to the appliances via a single text message to the i-EM from your cell phone. Consider a user has planned the energy consumption for the day say 20 kWhr/day and exceeds the threshold, the user will get a text message alert and can switch off any appliance that he/she wishes by sending a message to the i-EM. The user will also receive text messages if an appliance is drawing more power than its rated power or/and any appliance is on a standby mode and is consuming standby power (popularly know as phantom, vampire load).The i-EM also has a memory of 12 months data and sends user monthly and yearly consumption rates. The best part is that the user has access to home and office even if he/she is not there or on a holiday.Lets do some cost analysis now, this product would cost around 40$ -50$ today and if the user saves 1 kWhr/day the payback period of the i-Energy Manager will be 6-7 months only. A saving of 1 kWhr/day, would mean savings up to 90$ - 110$ per year and even more if the user saves more units.The i-EM is offers a basic level interface between the user and the appliance .This is the right time when i-EM should be introduced to the market which would help check how well such a product penetrates into our society, how acquainted does our society get to use this product . Once the consumer is convinced that such a product saves money and energy, then only should the consumer be introduced to a ‘Complete Energy Management System’ which would open new paradigm of smarter controllers which would modify the illumination (lumes/m2 ) , air conditioning and control other appliances all by itself.

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  • ABOUT THE ENTRANT

  • Name:
    Siddesh Kapdi
  • Type of entry:
    individual
  • Profession:
    Student
  • Number of times previously entering contest:
    never
  • Siddesh's favorite design and analysis tools:
    Catia V.5 and Abacus
  • For managing CAD data Siddesh's company uses:
    None
  • Siddesh's hobbies and activities:
    farming,volleyball
  • Siddesh belongs to these online communities:
    Facebook
  • Siddesh is inspired by:
    To 'Go Green'..!
  • Software used for this entry:
    Catia V.5
  • Patent status:
    pending