New ARMOUR Clothing Will Protect Elderly from FRACTURES
Developed in universities across the UK, each technology initiative has been awarded up to £85,000 of funding to spend the next 12 months exclusively developing a spin-out business based on their technological innovations
The eight researchers will also receive one-on-one mentoring as part of the Academy's Enterprise Fellowships scheme to help turn their ideas into viable businesses.
Volunteer mentors include Sir Robin Saxby, former Chief Executive and Chairman of ARM, and Professor Neville Jackson, Chief Technology and Innovation Officer at Ricardo.
Technologies in the scheme include low cost cutting-edge research tools for scientists in cancer research and quantum computers, and Armourgel, an energy absorbing 'smart' material that stiffens on impact and could be used to protect the elderly from hip fractures, which cost the NHS over £1.73 billion annually.
Daniel, who has helped NASA develop smart textiles in the past, has developed Armourgel(R), an energy absorbing 'smart' material that stiffens on impact in the event of a fall
Another innovation to receive funding and support from the Academy is software that enables smartphone apps to crowd-share data bandwidth in congested areas such as stadiums by building a network directly between smartphones and using them as the basis for distributing information.
The world's fastest atomic force microscope also got the judges' vote, as did a new goods and luggage tagging and tracking system that can pinpoint items with near 100 per cent accuracy and over a much greater distance than existing technology. The PervasID system has the potential to save airlines millions of pounds annually through allowing frequent fliers access to fully automated self-check-in, and to enable high-value goods retailers to benefit from secure self-service checkouts.
President of the Royal Academy of Engineering, Sir John Parker, said, "Engineering already contributes at least £480 billion to the UK economy each year, and the ability to create wealth from innovation is essential in building a stronger and more competitive economy. By bridging the gap between industry and academia and enabling entrepreneurship to thrive, the Academy's Enterprise Hub aims to ensure that the country's brightest entrepreneurial minds are given the best possible chance to succeed, whilst helping to bring new technologies and services to market for the benefit of society."
Arnoud Jullens, Head of Enterprise at the Royal Academy of Engineering, added, "UK universities produce some of the greatest innovations in the world, but getting them out of the lab and into the marketplace remains a huge challenge. Business-minded academics need investment and support from experienced industry practitioners to exploit their research, which could become the commercial success stories of tomorrow, and this is exactly what the Academy's Enterprise Hub provides."
