Inventions receive the European Inventor Award 2010 in Madrid
The European Inventor Award pays tribute to those whose ideas shape our times. Established in 2006 by the European Patent Office (EPO) and the European Commission (EC), the award is given in recognition of outstanding inventors from around the world working in all fields of technology and comprises all sectors (public, private, academic, among others). The awards are granted in four categories:
- Industry
- SMEs/Research
- Non-European Countries
- Lifetime Achievement
This year, its fifth year, the European Inventor Awards ceremony took place in Madrid on April 28 during a ceremony organized by the European Patent Office (EPO), the European Commission and the Spanish Presidency of the European Union, with the collaboration of the Spanish Patent and Trademark Office and under the Presidency of the Their Royal Highnesses the Prince and Princess of Asturias.
Others who attended the ceremony included the Undersecretary of Industry, Tourism and Commerce and the President of the European Patent Office and the General Director the Spanish Patent and Trademark Office.
For the first time in the history of the award a Spaniard was included on the list of nominees. His name is Jorge Blasco, a researcher from Valencia, who has developed a system that provides Internet access through the electricity grid, a possibility that could potentially provide Internet access to many people who don’t have telephone lines.
The following were the winners of the European Inventor Award 2010:
- Wolfgang Krätschmer (Germany), who has opened up a completely new line of research in the area of physics for which he was given the 'Lifetime Achievement' Award. He invented a procedure for inventing 'fullerenes' (a new type of carbon molecule) for research purposes, thereby laying the foundation for producing new materials. Thanks to his work, it’s been possible to conduct in-depth research on sphere-shaped molecules composed of 60 carbon atoms (C60 molecules), also called 'football molecules'. Since then, in a very short period of time, hundreds of new fullerenes applications have been patented. By virtue of its thermal stability and its semiconducting and superconducting properties, fullerenes can be used today around the world in innovative lubricants, fuels and new types of superconductors.
- Jürgen Pfitzer and Helmut Nägele (Germany), are the winners in the category 'SMEs/Research'. Through the use of 'liquid wood', Arboform, these two engineers have achieved a breakthrough in the sustainable use of renewable raw materials. The base material of this substance is lignin, which is obtained in high quantities during the pulp and paper-making process. When combined with other natural fibers, lignin can be processed for obtaining an easily formed, biodegradable organic polymer. There is a large demand for Arboform particularly in the automobile industry where, because it’s moldable and looks like wood, it offers new possibilities in the area of interior design. Other uses include furniture, toys and watches.
- Albert Markendorf (Switzerland) and Raimund Loser (Germany), in the 'Industry' category. Their three-dimensional scanning and measuring system has revolutionized industrial measuring techniques by improving detail accuracy. Their portable laser beam scanner not only measures distances, but determines the angle at which the laser beam is reflected. The three-dimensional result provides detail accuracy and efficiency in measuring procedures, which before now weren’t possible through the use of laser scanning systems, for example in design and developmental processes for the automobile industry. Today, railway companies and aircraft manufacturers also base their quality control systems on this scanner technology.
- Sanjai Kohli and Steven Chen (USA), in the category of 'Non-European Countries'. Thanks to their work, today GPS systems can be used commercially and form part of our daily lives. These engineers developed powerful, economical chips that allow for the efficient use of signals transmitted via satellite. Their invention has led to a dramatic increase in the sales of GPS devices and has laid the foundation for the commercial use of this technology in automobiles, aircraft, ships and mobile telephones.
- Ben Wiens and Danny Epps (Canada), in the category of 'Non-European Countries'. The development of electrochemical fuel cells has produced a commercially successful alternative to those based on fossil fuels. Cells that they’ve developed work under low operating temperatures and, therefore, don’t result in high-energy refrigeration consumption. Thanks to this development, a significant breakthrough has been made towards green energy: since 2004 buses using hydrogen fuel cells have been used in 15 large cities around the world, including Amsterdam, Madrid, Barcelona and London. Twenty of these busses were also used at the Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver. These fuel cells are also crucial when it comes to providing backup power in case of emergency at telecommunications facilities in Canada, the European Union and India.
