June 26, 2014 – Sensors Magazine has announced the winners of the 2014 “Best of Sensors Expo Awards.” The 2014 awards focused on sensor applications, excellence among engineers, and sensor technology innovations. The awards were presented by executive editor Mat Dirjish at the Sensors Expo & Conference, being held this week at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, IL.
“'The Best of Sensors Expo Awards' focus on applications and innovations in the world of sensors, as well as excellence among engineers,” said Dirjish. “We received outstanding nominations in each of the categories and we applaud all of the winners and look forward to the future where these professionals and products help solve world issues.”
A total of eleven awards were presented by a panel of judges including Dirjish as well as members of the Sensors editorial advisory board. Following is a list of the winners.
- Engineering Team of the Year: MicroGen Systems, SoftMEMS, Open Engineering, CorSolutions, Deep Run Design, X-FAB MEMS Foundry GmbH, and MicroNit Microfluidics worked together to bring to market in less than two years the first commercially available piezoelectric MEMS-based vibration energy harvester (PZEH), which is wafer-level packaged (WLP). The PZEH converts ambient mechanical energy (vibration, impulses/shocks, and movement) into usable electricity to power sensor and associated electronics.
- Rising Star: Raj Bridgelall, program director, Center for SMARTse, North Dakota State University. He has been leading the development of sensor, wireless, software, and big data technology and business solutions. His current project is to assess and develop means of optimizing hyperspectral remote sensing for use with lightweight (less than 50 pounds) unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) and to provide the relevant training necessary for future practitioners to construct and deploy full solutions.
- Application Award, Gold: VERASENSE Knee System from OrthoSensor, Inc., makes it possible to embed microelectronics into a standard tibial trial insert to provide dynamic, intraoperative feedback regarding limb alignment, tibiofermoral position, and quantitative pressure at peak contact points in the medial and lateral compartments during total knee replacement surgery.
- Application Award, Silver: EchoPlus Wireless Junction Box from IMI Sensors is an 8-channel junction box that instantly converts installed industrial ICP or IEPE accelerometers to wireless operation. The EchoPlus is a simple and effective way to obtain wireless measurements from existing piezoelectric accelerometers of any brand. This economical device periodically powers each sensor, makes a set of overall measurements, and transmits them wirelessly.
- Application Award, Bronze: ADuCM350 high-precision, low-power meter-on-a-chip from Analog Devices offers a range of portable health applications such as point-of-care diagnostics, home/self-test health devices, and wearable vital signs monitors, including those for sports and fitness. The single-chip, scalable platform is optimized for system-level performance and signal measurement accuracy, including those monitoring devices powered by a single coin-cell battery.
- Application Award, Honorable Mention: Xtrinsic Sensor Fusion for Kinetics MCUs from Freescale Semiconductor Sensor Solutions Division offers support for tilt, eCompass, gyro/accel, and full 9-axis sensor fusion; prebuilt fusion templates for a variety of Freescale Freedom boards; support for ARM Cortex M0+, M4, and (coming soon) M4F; and full documentation and on-line training materials.
- Innovation Award, Gold: AG- SL900A EPC Sensor Tag and Data Logger IC from ams AG is an electronic product code (EPC) based temperature sensor tag and data logger, offering breakthroughs for applications where temperature, physiological, or environmental data is required. The device enables validation of the origin of any object, as well as verification of the environmental conditions to which the object has been exposed.
- Innovation Award, Silver: 3DM-GX4-25 from LORD MicroStrain is a miniature, high-end industrial attitude heading reference system (AHRS) that utilizes the highest performance MEMS sensor technology. It features an onboard pressure altimeter and tri-axial accelerometers, gyros, and magnetometers, and it is fully calibrated and temperature-compensated.
- Innovation Award, Bronze: FXLC9000CL: Extrinsi Intelligent Motion-Sensing Platform (Model FXL-95000CL) from Freescale is an intelligent sensor hub built specifically for handling sensor data and managing the lower level sensor data and control, which can be programmed independently of the host operating system to create applications and services based on sensors.
- Innovation Award, Honorable Mention: M12LCP Thermocouple Probes With High Temperature M12 Molded Connectors from Omega Engineering has taken the standard M12 connector and enhanced it by adding thermocouple pins and sockets to maintain thermocouple materials throughout the circuit.
- Innovation Award, Honorable Mention: Endevco Model 7253D Triaxial ISOTRON Acceleromete from Meggitt Sensing Systems Measurement Group is designed for measurement of shock and vibration simultaneously in three mutually perpendicular axes. The thru-hole mounting design allows the user to orient all three axes, as well as the connector, in the required direction.