Design Contest Winner Could Save Trucking Industry Billions in Fuel Costs

NEW YORK, Sept. 28, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Hyliion of Pittsburgh, PA, developer of a hybrid electric technology for semi-trailers, has been awarded a grand prize of $20,000 in the 2016 "Create the Future" Design Contest.  Hyliion's system hybridizes the trailer portion of the tractor-trailer combination and uses regenerative braking to capture power – saving over 30% on fuel and decreasing emissions by 10%.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160927/412506

Hyliion's technology was among over 1,100 new product ideas submitted in the 14th annual design contest, which was established in 2002 to recognize and reward engineering innovations that benefit humanity, the environment, and the economy. This year's design contest was co-sponsored by COMSOL (www.comsol.com) and Mouser Electronics (www.mouser.com). Analog Devices and Intel were supporting sponsors.

"The Hyliion team is honored to be the Grand Prize winner of the prestigious Create the Future Contest," said Thomas Healy, CEO and Founder of Hyliion.  "It is a tremendous validation of the impact the Hyliion Intelligent Electric Drive Axle System will have on the trucking industry…and the environment."

"Design innovation is bringing a brighter future to businesses, people, and the planet," said Bernt Nilsson, Senior VP of Marketing with COMSOL, Inc. "This year's Create the Future Design Contest shines the light on over a thousand innovators from around the globe and their brilliant designs. COMSOL is grateful to be a sponsor of the contest and we are delighted by the work of all participants contributing to a better tomorrow."

"As a global distributor of new components and technologies, we are very excited to see the amazing ingenuity behind this year's group of Create the Future entries," said Kevin Hess, Senior Vice President of Marketing at Mouser Electronics.  "We'd like to congratulate the winners and commend the entrants for their creative designs. Engineers and innovators really deserve the credit for the incredible developments we are seeing today in electronic design."

In addition to the grand prize of $20,000, first-place winners were named in seven categories and received Hewlett-Packard workstation computers:

Aerospace & Defense – sponsored by Dymax (www.dymax.com)
Flash® Bainite - High Performance Armor
Patented technology creates maximum strength steel that is lighter, safer, less costly, and greener.
Gary Cola, Flash Bainite, Washington, MI, USA
http://contest.techbriefs.com/2016/entries/aerospace-and-defense/7094

Consumer Products – sponsored by Imagineering, Inc. (www.pcbnet.com) 
Mifold
The most advanced, compact and portable booster seat, engineered with safety, strength and spontaneity in mind.
Jon Sumroy, Carfoldio, Ltd., Ra'anana, Israel
http://contest.techbriefs.com/2016/entries/consumer-products/6414

Electronics – sponsored by Imagineering, Inc. (www.pcbnet.com) 
1,000x Better Data Compression and Real-Time Decoding of High-Resolution Maps
Revolutionary technology encodes and compresses massive amounts of data for applications ranging from aircraft collision avoidance to intelligent cruise control in cars.
Mark Skoog (Team Leader), NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center; Edwards, CA USA http://contest.techbriefs.com/2016/entries/electronics/7112

Machinery/Automation/Robotics  – sponsored by Maplesoft (www.maplesoft.com) 
Shape Memory Alloy Based Safety Latch
Intelligent latch changes shape to prevent electrical boxes from being opened if there is danger of shock.
Nicholas Pinto (Team Leader), General Motors, Warren, MI USA
http://contest.techbriefs.com/2016/entries/machinery-automation-robotics/7216

Medical – sponsored by Qosina (http://www.qosina.com)
Continuous Wearable Blood Pressure Monitor
Innovative, low-cost diagnostic platform that continuously measures blood pressure and uploads a report into the patient medical record.
Sean Connell (Team Leader), Bold Diagnostics, Evanston, IL USA
http://contest.techbriefs.com/2016/entries/medical/6724

Automotive/Transportation
Castrol Reinvents the Oil Change with NEXCEL
Groundbreaking technology makes oil changes quick (90 seconds), smart and simple.
Marc Payne (Team Leader), Castrol, Oxford, UK
http://contest.techbriefs.com/2016/entries/automotive-transportation/7060

Sustainable Technologies
Desolenator - Water from Sunshine
Pioneering 'at-source' water purification technology purifies water from any source using only solar energy.
William Janssen, Desolenator, London, UK
http://contest.techbriefs.com/2016/entries/sustainable-technologies/6758

Finalists were selected by senior editors at Tech Briefs Media Group and judged by an independent panel of design engineers.  For more information, visit www.createthefuturecontest.com.

About COMSOL

COMSOL is a global provider of simulation software for product design and research to technical enterprises, research labs, and universities. Its COMSOL Multiphysics® product is an integrated software environment for creating physics-based models and simulation apps. A particular strength is its ability to account for coupled or multiphysics phenomena. Add-on products expand the simulation platform for electrical, mechanical, fluid flow, and chemical applications. Interfacing tools enable the integration of COMSOL Multiphysics® simulations with all major technical computing and CAD tools on the CAE market. Simulation experts rely on the COMSOL Server™ product to deploy apps to their design teams, manufacturing departments, test laboratories, and customers throughout the world. Founded in 1986, COMSOL employs more than 460 people in 22 offices worldwide and extends its reach with a network of distributors. For more information, visit www.comsol.com.

About Mouser Electronics

Mouser Electronics, a subsidiary of TTI, Inc., is part of Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway family of companies. Mouser is an award-winning, authorized semiconductor and electronic component distributor, focused on the rapid introduction of new products and technologies to electronic design engineers and buyers. Mouser.com features more than 4 million products online from more than 600 manufacturers. Mouser publishes multiple catalogs per year providing designers with up-to-date data on the components now available for the next generation of electronic devices. Mouser ships globally to over 500,000 customers in 170 countries from its 750,000 sq. ft. state-of-the-art facility south of Dallas, Texas. For more information, visit www.mouser.com.

For Information Contact:
Debbie Rothwell
Director of Marketing
Tech Briefs Media Group
212-490-3999, ext. 5520
Email
www.createthefuturecontest.com  

SOURCE Tech Briefs Media Group