NorTech announces winners of annual Innovation Awards program

Annual awards program recognizes top innovations in Northeast Ohio

NorTech, in partnership with Crain's Cleveland Business, is pleased to announce the winners of its annual Innovation Awards program which honors the achievements of Northeast Ohio's  most innovative organizations and leaders.

This year, twelve winners have been selected to receive awards, representing innovations from a broad range of technology industries including bioscience; instruments, controls and electronics; advanced materials; information and communication technologies, and advanced energy.

A panel of distinguished judges from across Northeast Ohio, representing academia, venture capital, private industry and economic development, selected this year's winners.

"NorTech is pleased to showcase some of the most exciting innovations being developed and commercialized right here in Northeast Ohio," said Rebecca O. Bagley, President and CEO of NorTech. "We strongly believe that the innovations being honored this year will help advance existing technology industries and build new ones throughout our region."

Award winners will be recognized during an evening ceremony on Wednesday, February 24, 2010 at LaCentre Conference and Banquet Facility in Westlake, Ohio.  Mr. Harry Shimp, Operating Partner at Element Partners, a firm that invests in high growth companies in the energy and clean technology markets, will be the keynote speaker for the evening.   

Below is a list of NorTech's 2010 Innovation Award winners and descriptions of their innovation.

ABS Materials, Inc.

Osorb, A Glass Capable of VoC Separations and Remediations

A shape changing glass capable of swelling to absorb eight times its weight in liquids. The technology can separate oil or drugs from water, eat chlorinated solvents and has the potential to revolutionize water treatment, drug recovery, and brown field clean ups worldwide.

Parker Hannifin

Hybrid Hydraulic Energy Recovery System

The system replaces a vehicles' conventional transmission with a new power distribution unit that decouples the wheels from the engine operation to provide superior engine management. Engine optimization coupled with brake energy recovery, reduces carbon emissions, brake wear, and fuel consumption by up to 50% when applied to applications with high start and stop operations such as refuse, buses and delivery vehicles.

Cleveland State University, Fenn College of Engineering

Wind Harnessing System for Urban and Low-Wind Speed Regions

Wind tower capable of harnessing wind energy in urban and low wind speed regions, where the use of conventional wind tower systems are not feasible. This innovative design provides an opportunity for use of distributed wind harnessing systems in low wind speed areas where the conventional wind tower vendors have not been able to market their products.

Kent Displays

Reflex TM LCD Electronic Skins

Reflex LCD Electronic Skins bring new levels of personalization and differentiation to a wide range of products. They are ultra thin, plastic displays that can be custom cut and conformed to another surface such as a cell phone or laptop computer case.  They are reflective and require no power from the host device to retain an image. Electronic skins currently display eight different colors to match a user's mood, clothing, preference, or device status (e.g., new voice mail).  

View Ray

MRI Guided Radiation Therapy

ViewRay is developing the world's first real-time MRI guided radiation therapy device to treat cancer patients. The Renaissance™ System technology will continuously image the patient in three dimensions during radiation therapy delivery. This real time imaging will control the delivery of the radiation therapy and record the dose delivered to the patient, allowing physicians to potentially reduce side effects and improve cure rates.

Catacel Corp

SSR TM Stackable Structural Reactor

A catalyst-coated metal foil structure that enables the production of hydrogen gas with less consumption of fossil fuel and less greenhouse gas emission. SSR is a significant advancement in the production of hydrogen from natural gas. SSR can enable hydrogen plant operators to meet the increasing global demand for this essential gas while achieving favorable economic and environmental results.

Tremont Electric

nPower TM Personal Energy Generator (PEG)

The nPower®PEG (Personal Energy Generator) can recharge handheld electronic devices through kinetic energy generated by the human body. nPower® technology produces significantly more usable power than any other alternative energy product of similar size. nPower® produces zero emissions and can be scaled for a multitude of applications for generating less than 1 watt to more than 100 kilowatts.

MesoCoat

PComP Nanoengineered Cermets

The patented PComP nanocomposite coatings provide higher performance at lower cost as compared to hard chrome and nickel plating or carbide thermal spray coatings in aerospace, oil and gas, and heavy equipment markets. In addition to wear and corrosion resistance, the many benefits of MesoCoat's technology include reduced cost, lower weight, improved ductility, improved adhesion, and reduced machining costs, as well as significantly reducing environmental, safety, and health liabilities.

Akron Research Commercialization Corp

Silver-based Pharmaceutical Candidates for Cystic Fibrosis

A new pharmaceutical candidate, trade named Silvamist, is an inhaled drug that was developed to treat respiratory disorders and lung infections. This treatment is based on the use of a silver carbene complex which has shown efficacy as a broad spectrum therapy for patients with cystic fibrosis.   It is particularly targeted towards antibiotic-resistant infections, and early stage research has shown that this product can treat lung infections where no conventional antibiotic can perform.

InSeT Systems, LLC

Inertial Sensor Tracking System

The system uses inertial technology to provide the most accurate location data available in underground and other GPS denied situations. The system utilizes miniature inertial devices combined with cutting edge software to control drift of the location data to provide location information accurate to a radius of 10 feet. The InSeT system will be marketed to underground mines in the U.S. first to help them comply with the MINER Act of 2006, then to other underground mines in both the U.S. and around the world.

NASA Glenn Research Center

RF Telemetry System for Implantable Bio-MEMS Sensors

The Radio Frequency (RF) Telemetry System for Implantable Bio-MEMS Sensors is a patented wireless system for real-time inductive powering and data collection from implantable sensors through electromagnetic coupling. Each sensor is made from bio-compatible materials and is powered without batteries. The newly licensed innovation has a novel design that mitigates infection risks and enhances monitoring.

RSP Tooling

Nozzle Design to Atomize Inconel 718

RSP Tooling has developed an innovative nozzle design that allows Inconel 718, a super alloy with very high strength at elevated temperatures, to be atomized and sprayed on a substrate to produce molds and dies. This technology has been shown to increase die life by 20 times compared to steel and has major advantages in jet engines versus traditional titanium. In addition to the economic benefits this technology reduces energy consumption, improves the properties of the material, and uses no machining fluids which reduce the environmental effects of machining.