by Brianna Crandall — May 3, 2017 — If you are wondering about the future of almost any type of technology you use, whether in the workplace or elsewhere, you can probably get a good idea of what is coming down the pipeline by taking a look at the annual Edison Awards, announced on April 20 at a black-tie gala in New York City in honor of Thomas Edison’s 170th birthday.
The Edison Awards competition honors excellence in new product and service development, marketing, human-centered design and innovation. Presented at the Gold, Silver, and Bronze levels, the Awards symbolize the persistence and excellence personified by Thomas Alva Edison (1847-1931), who pioneered new product development methods and a systematic process of innovation.
Gold Award winner in the Healthy Lighting category: VioSafe White Light Disinfection technology, designed by Vital Vio to safely and continuously kill germs on indoor surfaces.
Awards were presented in such areas as Applied Technology (Environmental Quality; Office Technology; Tactical and Industrial Technology; Theft Deterrent; etc.); Collective Disruption; Consumer Electronics and Information Technology (Charging Technologies; Cyber Security; Data Security; Healthy Lighting; Voice and Hearing Technology; Wireless Solutions); Energy and Sustainability (Commercial Construction; Energy Efficiency; Power Source; Solar Solutions; Sustainability; Water Conservation); Industrial Design; Innovative Services (Cloud-Based Platforms; Education Tools; etc.); Living, Working and Learning Environments (Computers and Workspace Design; etc.); Transportation and Logistics; and others.
Just a sample of the 2017 winners includes a modular exoskeleton to ease the burden of strenuous tasks in a variety of workplace environments; a live fingerprint detection sensor; RF-based technology to charge devices wirelessly; antibacterial LED lights; an IoT hearable device to protect a worker’s hearing; a combination ergonomic chair and workstation; and an elevator that uses linear motors instead of ropes.
The complete list of 2017 Edison Best New Product Awards Winners appears on the Edison Awards Web site, along with a photo and description for each.
