2014 Grand Prize Winner
Robotic Building Construction by Contour Crafting
Dr. Behrokh Khoshnevis
Contour Crafting Corp. Los Angeles, CA
Contour Crafting is a computerized, automated construction method that 3D-prints large-scale structures directly from architectural CAD models. Walls are built up by forming their outer surfaces via extrusion of a paste-like material, such as concrete, and the use of a robotic trowel to provide a smooth, contoured surface. Contour Crafting can significantly accelerate the construction process; a 2,000-square-foot house, for example, can be constructed in less than 24 hours.
Contour Crafting technology also has the potential to build safe, reliable, and affordable lunar and Martian structures, habitats, laboratories, and other facilities before the arrival of human beings.
According to inventor Behrokh Khoshnevis, the company is rapidly expanding and has received publicity from news and media sources including CNN, Forbes, The New York Times, Discovery Channel, and NBC News. In 2016, Dr. Khoshnevis won NASA's In-Situ Materials Challenge for his Selective Separation Sintering technique.
Through investment from Doka Ventures — which has taken a 30% stake in the company — Contour Crafting started production of the robotic 3D printers in a 33,600-square-foot facility in El Segundo, CA.
And last July, the Department of Defense awarded Contour Crafting a contract that is expected to result in technology to respond to disaster relief situations with expedient, safe, and sustainable structures and buildings.
https://contest.techbriefs.com/2014/entries/4737
2014 Electronics Category Winner
Micro-Coil Springs
Jim Hester
NASA Marshall Space Flight Center Alabama
Micro-coil springs (MCS) provide flexible electrical interconnections and allow significant movement in the x, y, and z axes to counteract the thermal expansion and dynamic forces between a microcircuit and a printed circuit board. Micro-coil springs are able to withstand harsh thermal and vibration environments. The springs replace solder balls and solder columns, preventing connection breaks due to thermal stress, and providing longer life for electronics.
NASA Marshall signed an exclusive licensing agreement with Topline Corporation (Milledgeville, GA) for the microcoil technology. Topline and Marshall are collaborating on advancing surface mount technology (SMT).
https://contest.techbriefs.com/2014/entries/5010
2014 Automotive & Transportation Category Winner
Continuously Variable Displacement (CVD) Engine
Steve Arnold
Engine Systems Innovation Washington, UT
Passenger car engines are sized to produce very high horsepower to suit consumer demand. However, engines run inefficiently at low loads where they spend most of their time. This results in poor fuel economy and high CO2 emissions. With the patented CVD engine, advances in combustion, fuel, air delivery, valve trains, and other components can be adapted to the CVD engine with simple reconfiguration rather than redesign.
In 2016, Engine Systems Innovation received $149,488 in funding from a Department of Energy Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant for Phase I testing of CVD engine concept validation. An additional $996,810 was awarded in 2017 for Phase II testing.
https://contest.techbriefs.com/2014/entries/4634
2014 Aerospace & Defense Category Winner
The Polariton Interferometer: A Novel Inertial Navigation System
Dr. Frederick Moxley
The Quantum Widget Company Toronto, ON, Canada
GPS navigation technology relies on a combination of signals from a satellite and ground station network. This is problematic in aerospace and defense, as GPS signal jamming is prevalent.
The Polariton Interferometer provides measurement sensitivities far superior to optical technologies, enabling aerospace and defense vehicles to operate completely independent of GPS satellites and ground station networks.
The performance capability is independent of scale, and the system is readily manufactured as a photonic integrated circuit on a microchip smaller than a dime. These microchips contain discrete optical components that are made using a direct laser-writing technique.
In 2016, Dr. Moxley formed The Quantum Widget Company (QuidgetCo), a quantum machine-learning company that specializes in quantum computing, quantum many-body systems, and quantum information processing.
https://contest.techbriefs.com/2014/entries/5020
2010 Grand Prize Winner
Rowheels
Salim Nasser
Rowheels, Inc. Middleton, WI
Prolonged manual wheelchair use is directly linked to repetitive stress injuries and pain in the upper extremities. The effects of muscle overuse become evident in the form of muscle pain, torn rotor cuffs, joint degeneration, and carpal tunnel syndrome. The Rowheel operates by means of a pulling/rowing motion as opposed to pushing.
After suffering a severe leg fracture in 2011, Rimas Buinevicius became a wheelchair user for the first time. He quickly realized the aches and pains a typical wheelchair user suffers. He began to research the field and discovered the Rowheel design by Salim Nasser, a mechanical engineer at NASA's Kennedy Space Center who had become paralyzed 15 years earlier. A joint venture was formed between Nasser and Madcelerator, comprised of Buinevicius and his partners.
The first product, the Rowheels REV-HX (High Gear), launched in 2015 when a patent on the Rowheels was granted; Rowheels REV-LX (Low Gear) launched in 2016. The Rowheels Revolution Wheelchair 1.0 launched in 2018 and is the world's first wheelchair with fully integrated Rowheels pull technology wheels. The company is taking pre-orders for deliveries starting this year.