The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) has announced the winners of its 2014 Innovation Awards, with the University of Tasmania, Imperial College London, the Natural History Museum, Lakehead University and AMIRA International winning the award in the Measurement in Action category, sponsored by the National Physical Laboratory (NPL).
Reporter Kate Russell and NPL's Robin Hart (left) present the award to Dr Jamie Wilkinson of the Natural History Museum (Courtesy of IET)
The IET Innovation Awards recognise the most innovative companies operating within a wide variety of engineering and technology disciplines, and the Measurement in Action award gives businesses the opportunity to demonstrate the positive impact that accurate measurement can have.
The University of Tasmania, Imperial College London, the Natural History Museum, Lakehead University and AMIRA International won the award for Laser ablation analysis for enhanced discovery of buried mineral resources. Their analytical and data interpretation methodology can be used to detect the presence of mineral deposits buried in rocks beneath the surface of the Earth by measuring the trace element fingerprint of minerals formed at the time of mineralisation.
The judging panel commented: "This entry has used clever integration of different technologies to provide a new analytical tool for mineral prospecting. It demonstrates excellent innovation and has the potential to reduce the environmental impact and energy cost of mineral exploration."
Also shortlisted for the award were: Imetrum Ltd for Video gauge for civil engineering structural monitoring applications; iMonSys Ltd, Triteq Ltd and the University of Hull for Eimo - The instant vital signs monitor; United Utilities and the Centre for Water Systems at the University of Exeter for Near real-time event recognition system for water distribution systems; and Createc for N-Visage - making radioactive contamination visible. Find out more about the shortlisted entries
The 2014 IET Innovation Awards attracted over 400 entries from 30 countries and were announced at a ceremony on 19 November. The awards offer industry innovators worldwide a unique opportunity to demonstrate their innovation and imagination as they tackle their own local, economic and social challenges.
Previous winners of the Measurement in Action award include Cascade Technologies in 2013 and LUX-TSI in 2012.