by Brianna Crandall — May 22, 2013—The 2013 winners of the Edison Awards, which celebrate innovative new products and services from around the world in the spirit of inventor Thomas Edison, were recently announced at a ceremony in Chicago. The entries crossed a broad spectrum of industries and applications, with winning innovations ranging from a unique new barrier to harness tsunamis to a backpack bed with built-in mosquito netting for the homeless.
Conducted by the nonprofit Edison Universe since 1987, the Edison Awards honor game-changing innovations from consumer packaged goods to 21st century advances in regenerative medicine that are at the forefront of new product and service development, marketing and human-centered design. The awards are reportedly one of the highest accolades a company can receive in the name of successful innovation.
A sample of the facilities-related 2013 winners follows:
PRODUCTIVITY TOOLS
- Gold—Baxter by Rethink Robotics
- Silver—MatrixSelect Automated Storage and Fulfillment System by Symbotic LLC
- Bronze—Mixed Row Palletizing (MXRP) Gripper by Grenzebach Americas
SMART SYSTEMS
- Gold—OpenGN: Open Graphic Navigator for Building Monitoring and Control by The Mircom Group
- Silver—Detroit Virtual Technician, developed by Zonar
- Bronze—Livio Connect by Livio
- Finalist—MobileIron
CONSUMER PACKAGED GOODS / Cleaning Solutions
- Gold—Cascades Antibacterial Paper Towel
- Silver—CleanWell Botanical Disinfectant
- Bronze—SoapTime
- Finalist—Soft Scrub 4-in-1 Toilet Care by Henkel
ENERGY / Lighting
- Gold—Intelligent Lighting System by Digital Lumens
- Silver—Light Replicator by Telelumen
- Bronze—3M LED advanced light
ENERGY / Power Generation/Utilization
- Gold—Wave Glider by Liquid Robotics
- Silver—HYACS (High-Yield Algae Cultivation System) by SEE ALGAE Technology GmbH
- Bronze—The SOCCKET by Uncharted Play
INNOVATIVE SERVICES / Environment/Conservation
- Gold—ecoATM
- Silver—Water Funds by The Nature Conservancy
- Bronze—First e-Stewards Certification by e-Cycle LLC
EDISON GREEN AWARD
- Gold—RubberWay by World Recycling Surfacing Group
- Silver—The Hartford Financial Services Group
- Bronze—Picklex 20 and Picklex by International Chemical Products, Inc.
LIVING, WORKING & LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS / Collaborative Innovation/Service Delivery
- Gold—Energy Advancement Center by Johnson Controls
- Silver—KIN Catalyst: Mining Company of the Future by Kellogg Innovation Network
- Bronze—InSource Program by Decipher
MATERIAL SCIENCE / Coatings
- Gold—Eco Red Shield by Eco Building Products, Inc.
- Silver—Blue Lantern Nano Coater by Integrated Surface Technologies
- Bronze—invisibleSHIELD EXTREME by ZAGG Inc.
