R&D World November 2020 by WTWH Media LLC

NOVEMBER 2020 W W W . R D W O R L D O N L I N E . CO M

ADDRESSING THE

CHALLENGES OF

cybersecurity

Also in this issue: A look at the 2020 award winners 2020

Cover FINAL - R&D 11-20.indd 1

11/10/20 12:15 PM

2020

WINNER

LOS ALAMOS NATIONAL LABORATORY

Solving National Security Challenges through Scientific Excellence

R&D 100 Award Winners Amanzi-ATS: modeling complex environmental systems across multiple scales

Partners: Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Cluster Integrity, Exception Resolution and Reclustering Algorithm (CIERRA) Partner: University of Maryland. Gold Medal: Market Disruptor-Services

Legion: a data-centric HPC programming system

Partners: Stanford University, NVIDIA, Sandia National Laboratories, University of California-Davis, and SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory

Multi-burn Solid Rocket OrganiCam: first camera for noncontact, nondestructive biodetection in remote environments and space Partner: University of Hawai’i

QUIC-Fire: fast 3D fire-atmosphere feedback model for wildland fire management Partners: USDA Forest Service and Tall Timbers Research Station Gold Special Recognition Award: Corporate Social Responsibility

SEDONA: Spectroscopical Detection of Nerve Agents Smart Microbial Cell Technology: a high-throughput platform to optimize biocatalysts Silver Special Recognition Medal: Market Disruptor-Services

Additional Special Recognition Medal: Bronze Medal for Green Technology: Oleo-Furan Surfactants Made from Renewable Biomass Partner: Sironix Renewables

Finalist: Hydrogen Contamination Detector Partners: H2Frontier, Inc and SKYRE

For more information on scientific partnership and licensing opportunities, contact the Los Alamos National Laboratory Richard P. Feynman Center for Innovation

P.O. Box 1663, Los Alamos, NM 87545•505-667-5061•www.lanl.gov. An Equal Opportunity Employer managed by Triad National Security, LLC for the U.S Dept. of Energy’s NNSA for DOE and NNSA.

Unleashing Innovation from Los Alamos National Laboratory CHEMISTRY

Creating novel processes and technologies that deliver clean-chemistry products ranging from non-toxic, non-irritating surfactants to contamination detectors for zero-emission fuel cells.

EARTH AND ENVIRONMENTAL

Advancing climate science models by offering the most complete suite of physical processes for complex environmental systems and wildland fire management.

SENSORS

Rapidly detecting key chemicals and enzymes that range from protecting the public from chemical nerve agents to enhancing the rate of chemical reactions critical to pharmaceuticals, renewable energy, and environmental cleanup.

SOFTWARE

Boosting application performance and speed of computing by automating task scheduling and data movement at the pace required for exascale.

SPACE

Producing space technology and instrumentation for comprehensive analysis of satellite data, enabling satellite maneuvering and de-orbiting, and investigating remote environments non-destructively. Los Alamos has identified a broad range of technologies that have the potential to enhance an existing product, define a new product, or launch a start-up. Our technologies can give organizations a competitive edge. Los Alamos Technology Snapshots identify technologies that are at different stages of development, some ready to license and others looking for a partner to help mature into a disruptive application. Visit our website www.lanl.gov/feynmancenter to explore the wide variety of technologies available.

www.lanl.gov/feynmancenter (505) 665-9090

Los Alamos National Laboratory is proud to be a part of the R&D 100 Innovation Network.

LA-UR-20-28347

INSIDE

2020

NOVEMBER 2020 • vol 1 no 2 • RDWORLDONLINE.COM

IN THIS ISSUE 06 From the Editor 08 2020 R&D 100 Winners 50 2020 R&D 100 Finalists 52 2020 R&D Special Recognition 56 2020 R&D winner index 64 Ad index

SPECIAL FEATURE 58 Addressing the fast-changing challenges of cybersecurity What scientists and engineers need to know to help keep software, hardware and connected systems secure.

It’s not a web page, it’s an industry information site A lot happens between issues of R&D World, so we encourage you to visit rdworldonline.com to keep up with the latest news, industry insights and staff commentary. Plus, we’re active on social media and encourage you to connect with us on Twitter, Facebook and Linkedin. The site is updated daily with relevant technical information for the research & development community.

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FROM THE EDITOR

A new type of diversity on R&D teams? Late last year, I attended an excellent CDX conference at Georgia Tech that was focused on digital transformation. There were speakers from all sorts of well-known organizations, from Accenture to Verizon. But all of these months later, I’m still struck by the intriguing talk from Rajesh Anandan of Ultranauts, a company I’d never heard of. Anandan gave an impassioned presentation on leveraging neurodiversity. According to Anandan, organizations, especially in data-heavy R&D ﬁelds, need to be more open to workers who are on the autism spectrum. While some companies may have historically shied away from hiring this type of worker, Ultranauts does not — in fact, 75% of the employees on its cognitively diverse teams are on the autism spectrum. Anandan feels that his company is uniquely equipped to improve data and software quality across a range of industries undergoing digital transformation. As an example, he presented the audience with a not-so-simple exercise. He showed an image of one of those sliding puzzles, comprised of square pieces that were all jumbled. He asked us to imagine moving all the little tiles into their correct place in as few moves as possible. This would have been a difﬁcult task to accomplish, even if we had a physical model of the game in front of us — and a lot of time to play with it. But he asked us to do it quickly in our heads, and then upped the challenge to the ludicrous level by mentioning that he also wanted us to recall all of those moves in the exact sequence. The seeming impossibility of this challenge elicited a murmur of uncomfortable laughter in the room as he gave us 15 seconds to work on the puzzle. Most of the audience simply looked around, wondering if anyone was even seriously trying. Anandan then explained that the challenge was very doable for one of his lead data quality engineers, John, who’s on the spectrum and has worked on many successful project teams since the founding of the company. Here in 2020, we’ve heard a lot about inclusion, and how diversity on teams can lead to better research and product development. Diversity can mean a lot of things — race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, country of origin, and more. However, I had never considered neurodiversity in this context. From the success that Ultranauts has had with its hiring practices, and the company’s remarkable growth, it seems clear that organizations heavily involved in data analysis would do well to consider neurodiverse talent on their teams. &

Paul J. Heney | VP, Editorial Director pheney@wtwhmedia.com On Twitter @wtwh_paulheney

R&D WORLD | NOVEMBER 2020

March 2021

CONNECTIONS THAT MATTER pittcon.org Exposition. Technical Program. Short Courses. Networking Sessions. Employment Bureau.

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2020

ANALYTICAL/TEST WINNERS

ElectroCorrosion Toolkit

Vaya Handheld Raman Spectrometer

Argonne National Laboratory

Agilent Technologies

Argonne National Laboratory’s ElectroCorrosion Toolkit is the only testing protocol that predicts the corrosion behavior of materials under actual in-service conditions, thereby enabling manufacturers to accurately evaluate and qualify their materials and coatings. The Toolkit has a wide range of commercial, industrial, medical, defense, civil, nuclear and other applications. It includes the use of techniques that are consistent with the mechanistic understanding of the corrosion process and provides corrosion rates that can be related to the material, the chemical surroundings and the phase composition at the corroding surface for modeling purposes. It’s sensitive to the effects of physiological or environmental variables to which the material is subjected. In buried nuclear waste scenarios, the toolkit relates the electrochemical corrosion behavior to the release rates of radionuclides from nuclear waste forms.

The Agilent Vaya Handheld Raman Spectrometer operates using a subset of Raman Spectroscopy known as Spatially Offset Raman Spectroscopy (SORS) which enables users to analyze objects in a variety of containers from amber bottles to multi-layer paper sacks without opening the container. It has been designed from the ground up to be used by pharmaceutical manufacturers to verify the identity of their incoming raw materials, an FDA good manufacturing practice requirement. Vaya enables quick verification of incoming materials directly in the warehouse in the receiving/quarantine area. The ID check by Vaya does not require material sampling or container opening because its ability to see directly through transparent and non-transparent containers. Vaya offers a nondestructive handheld technique that can be used by nontechnical personnel as it delivers an actionable PASS/FAIL answer in seconds. The Vaya Handheld Raman Spectrometer is the next generation of Raman spectroscopy solutions for raw material identification testing.

CoDeAc Idaho National Laboratory Speed is of the essence in radiological response to prevent the spread of contamination. CoDeAc, from Idaho National Laboratory, allows crucial decisions to be made quickly during an event. The CoDeAc pack has no equal in the rapid detection of actinides and is capable of on-site deployment, making it the go-to tool for first responders during a radiation dispersal device terrorist event or for nuclear facility maintenance personnel conducting routine checks at a power station. CoDeAc’s color change in the presence of very low concentrations of uranium and plutonium gives a go/no-go result in seconds, allowing these professionals to make decisions based on actual data instead of assumptions on-site. These decisions impact everyone and can mean the difference between evacuating hundreds of thousands of people within square miles or just 100 people within a square block during a radiological event. CoDeAc protects the public by making it possible to discover a problem when it is small and can be managed.

R&D WORLD | NOVEMBER 2020

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2020

ANALYTICAL/TEST WINNERS

DermaClip DermaClip US DermaClip US’s DermaClip allows increased efficiency and efficacy in how wound closures are done, saving money and time while achieving superior results. It can be used across a multitude of areas, from emergency treatment in the field or hospital to final closure of complex surgeries. By providing a repeatable, semi-automated approach to wound closure that can be taught in a minimal amount of time to people with a very basic level of medical training — an attribute important in today’s medical environment with doctor and nursing shortages. Equally importantly, it can be exported to third-world countries to provide superior wound closure that can be delivered by local providers with only minimal training and where the patient does not have to be seen again for removal. In short, the device saves money and time, provides superior results, allows broad usage for numerous types of injuries, and can be applied by a range of medical providers.

Amplatzer Piccolo Occluder

Three Electrodes Coin Cell

Abbott

General Motors

Prior to birth, the ductus arteriosus, the artery that connects the aorta to the pulmonary artery, remains open so blood can bypass the lungs and flow directly into the heart. For most babies, their ductus arteriosus closes shortly after birth, but in some cases the hole fails to close. This means that a newborn’s blood skips a critical step of circulation; it is a potentially life-threatening condition, known as patent ductus arteriosus (PDA), that requires urgent medical attention. Abbott’s Amplatzer Piccolo Occluder is a self-expanding, wire mesh device that is inserted through a small incision in the leg and guided through vessels to the heart, where it is placed to seal the opening. The peasized technology is inserted through the aortic or pulmonary artery and can be retrieved or redeployed for optimal placement. Soon after the procedure, many premature babies are able to be weaned off of artificial respiratory support with a successfully corrected PDA, a first critical step to getting out of the NICU and home with their families.

The Three Electrodes Coin Cell, invented by General Motors, has a novel non-swagelok type 3-electrode cell design, providing many benefits and advantages compared with other Swagelok type cells. The coin format design offers compatibility with the current coin format cell electrode and cell parts on the commercial market. The non-swagelok design also enables a tight seal, which prevents electrolyte leakage during extended cycle testing. Furthermore, more simplified internal components lead to better interfacial contact, resulting in improved consistency and accuracy of the measurements. The disposable concept also enables significantly reduced unit cost. This 3-electrode testing cell can be widely applied in all electrochemical measurements where the reference electrode setup is necessary. For both academic research and industrial material screening, this 3-electrode testing cell can provide more electrode/material information simultaneously with full-cell measurements. With Arbin Instruments as co-development partner and licensee, the 3-electrode testing cells has been manufactured along with other accessories. The complete testing kits, including the testing cell, special cell holder and 3-electrode capable cycler, are now available on the market.

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2020

ANALYTICAL/TEST WINNERS

The Ion Torrent Genexus System

AI-Rad Companion Chest CT

Thermo Fisher Scientific

Siemens Healthineers

The Ion Torrent Genexus System, from Thermo Fisher Scientific, directly addresses two of the main issues plaguing Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) analysis today: slow turnaround time for results and lack of automation. The Genexus system has unprecedented turnaround time, delivering results in as little as 14 hours where competitors can take weeks to go from sample to report. Additionally, the Genexus System drastically reduces the number of touchpoints and hands-on time by automating NGS analysis. The system only has two user touchpoints and 10 total minutes of hands-on time compared to 10 touchpoints and 90 minutes of hands-on time for its competitors. This automation also makes the system ideal for researchers who are new to NGS, reducing the learning curve needed to implement it in a lab. The Genexus System’s makeup reduces the number of instruments and consumables required for NGS testing and frees up time for more technical applications, boosting the lab’s overall efficiency and productivity. Additionally, the Genexus System will enable a future in which local hospitals can adopt NGS and provide the most advanced care to patients.

The Siemens Healthineers AI-Rad Companion Chest CT is a software assistant bringing artificial intelligence (AI) to help interpret computed tomography (CT) images. The AI-Rad Companion Chest CT is composed of three modules: Pulmonary, Cardiovascular and Musculoskeletal. The Pulmonary module offers an assessment of the lungs and airways, while the Cardiovascular and Musculoskeletal modules assess the function of the heart and vascular system around heart and bone health, respectively. It is the first application of Siemens Healthineers’ family of AI-powered, cloud-based augmented workflows on the AI-Rad Companion platform. These AI-assisted workflows aim to reduce the burden of basic routine, repetitive tasks and may increase diagnostic precision when interpreting medical images. AI-Rad Companion Chest CT is designed to help radiologists interpret images faster and more accurately, and to reduce the time involved in documenting results. Teams of Siemens Healthineers scientists trained the underlying algorithms based on extensive clinical datasets from institutions around the world.

EGA 4000 Evolved Gas Analysis System PerkinElmer PerkinElmer’s EGA 4000 Evolved Gas Analysis System, is the result of over 75 years of R&D experience in building best-in-class analytical instrumentation. The EGA 4000 is the first truly integrated TG-IR Evolved Gas Analysis system with a Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA) balance inside a high-performance research grade Infrared Spectroscope (FT-IR). This method can be used for investigation of gas species present during decomposition, thermal decomposition mechanisms and also detection of residual volatile components. Applications include analysis of residual solvents in pharmaceuticals, along with polymer and plastics decomposition. Industries working with these materials often require deformulation of samples to identify components and understand processing differences for competitive product investigations, product-failure studies and quality assurance. The innovative and unique design offers a single user interface for complete system control and simplified operation to perform evolved gas analysis.

R&D WORLD | NOVEMBER 2020

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2020

ANALYTICAL/TEST WINNERS

The Optimizer Impulse Dynamics CCM (Cardiac Contractility Modulation) therapy, delivered by Impulse Dynamics’ the Optimizer, is a breakthrough treatment that can help many people with heart failure feel better and reduce their symptoms. The therapy is designed to improve the heart’s ability to contract by delivering precisely timed pulses of energy directly to the heart. The Optimizer, is the first implantable cardiac device to be granted Breakthrough Device designation by the FDA, get a unanimous vote by an FDA advisory panel, based on safety and efficacy, and then to receive FDA approval. The Optimizer is the first and only FDAapproved device in the United States or elsewhere for the delivery of CCM therapy. The approach was proven to be safe and effective in numerous clinical studies, including several randomized controlled trials, and has now been successfully implanted in over 4,500 patients. Patients often report they have a new sense of hope and a renewed positive outlook on life because they can start doing the things they love again and are able to enjoy spending time with their loved ones.

Keysight E7515B UXM 5G Wireless Test Platform Keysight Technologies 5G’s success relies on the availability of quality mobile devices. Keysight Technologies’ Keysight E7515B UXM 5G Wireless Test Platform is a software-deﬁned test platform that emulates a real network for engineers to validate and test 5G device performance. It combines the most advanced RF and digital hardware with world-class software for chipset/device makers, network operators and test laboratories to meet standards, regulations, and operator requirements. The platform has enabled device makers to produce 200+ 5G devices. It has played an essential role in accelerating innovation for 5G chipsets and devices. The Protocol R&D Toolset accelerates device development from pre-silicon to performance optimization. The conformance and carrier acceptance toolsets accelerate device certiﬁcation and device availability on operator networks. These solutions offer more than 600 validated test cases – the highest number available on the market. Such breadth is essential to address the wide range of use cases for 5G.

VHX-7000 Digital Microscope Keyence Corporation of America Keyence Corporation of America’s VHX-7000 Digital Microscope pushes the benchmark for what can be offered from a digital microscope. The VHX-7000 is the world’s first 4K microscope, allowing users to view, capture and measure at any angle. With an easy-to-use interface, anyone is able to take high-resolution images and perform 2D/3D measurements. Specialized lenses have a 20x larger depth-offield, producing fully focused images from 0.1x – 6000x magnification. The microscope not only offers incredible imaging capabilities, but it combines that with a core focus on versatility and ease of use of the software. The system’s automation is unprecedented among its competitors; with the fully integrated head, the entire microscope can be controlled through the software and control pad. The VHX-7000 captures incredible image quality, is easy enough for anyone to use and provides a versatile range of features for any industry looking to further investigate their products.

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2020

ANALYTICAL/TEST WINNERS

Flow-Through Microelectrode Cell for Precision Electroanalytical Chemistry Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

The world is a busy place, ﬁlled with electromagnetic interference To create a better environment for next-generation electronic devices — including those in the 5G ecosystem — we think of all the details. Award-winning, patented DOWSIL™ EC-6601 Electrically Conductive Adhesive forms a strong electromagnetic shield across a wide range of frequencies. As a ﬂexible and reliable sealant providing high elongation and durability, this high-performance shielding technology can be used for 5G communications equipment, radar and camera systems, base stations, EV batteries and more. How can an adhesive support the 5G ecosystem? Find out more at dow.com/emobility.

• 2019 • 2020

WINNER FINALIST DOWSIL™ EC-6601 Electrically Conductive Adhesive

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory’s Flow-Through Microelectrode Cell for Precision Electroanalytical Chemistry provides the simplest, fastest, most affordable, precise and comprehensive tool for analyzing electrochemical systems that employ solid electrolytes. Because of its cost and performance advantages, this testing innovation can accelerate development of electrochemical technologies that meet critical global needs, particularly electrical energy storage and conversion (fuel cells, solid-state batteries, electrolyzers), but also carbon capture and use (CO2 electroreduction), freshwater supply (desalination), decarbonization of industrial processes and enhanced medical devices. In fact, the need to analyze solid electrolytes has been increasing dramatically, but no currently available devices fully satisfy this need — making LBNL’s microelectrode cell highly relevant and commercially attractive. Letters of support from scientific instrument suppliers and research companies underscore the demand for the cell’s unparalleled analytical capabilities. These enhanced capabilities stem from the cell’s simplicity, its unique flow-through design and the reproducible and flexible approach to manufacturing it. As the need to develop solid-electrolyte applications increases further, the microelectrode cell’s transformative design principles can continue to facilitate the rigorous scientific analysis underpinning the technological advances.

R&D WORLD | NOVEMBER 2020

2020

ANALYTICAL/TEST WINNERS

Smart Microbial Cell Technology

Blazar Platform

Los Alamos National Laboratory

MilliporeSigma

Biocatalysts are essential to the catalysis of chemical reactions for food production, pharmaceuticals, specialty chemicals, renewable energy and environmental cleanup, with their importance reflected in a growing $10 billion industrial market. But current platforms for biocatalyst discovery are too slow. Smart Microbial Cell Technology, from Los Alamos National Laboratory, is an ultra-high-throughput biocatalyst screening platform that alleviates the testing bottleneck in bioengineering, finds efficient and useful biocatalysts and provides delivery of optimized custom biocatalysts. This technology directly selects rare gain-offunction mutations needed for biocatalyst optimization at orders of magnitude faster than any current biocatalyst screening platforms on the market. The method is simple enough for minimally trained staff to execute and has the lowest consumption of reagents and labware; it can screen 107 variants using only a 1-mL tube of reagents. Across the world, biocatalysts play a pivotal role in essential industries. With its ultrafast throughput method for scanning large numbers of genetic variations, Smart Microbial Cell Technology is a significant breakthrough in biocatalyst discovery, engineering and evolution, with benefits that will ripple across society.

As the drug manufacturing process evolves, rapid testing will become an essential component in intensified processing and how the industry will detect adventitious agents. MilliporeSigma has developed a first-of-its-kind assay platform that provides highly sensitive viral detection in just days. The innovative Blazar Platform reduces turn-around-time from up to 63 days to ten days, while testing for 25 additional and emerging viral risks not covered in current guidance. Providing faster cell line characterization will help biopharmaceutical manufacturers maintain competitiveness, reduce bottlenecks and keep critical development timelines on track. In addition to these industry benefits, this platform provides a significant step towards removing animal usage from the biosafety testing of biologics. MilliporeSigma has developed a rodent virus panel for the BioReliance Blazar platform. This rodent virus panel provides a suitable alternative to the current in vivo MAP/HAP/RAP test that eliminates the need for animals.

Reconnaissance of Influence Operations (RIO) MIT Lincoln Laboratory Hostile influence operations that exploit digital communications and social media pose a rising threat to open democracies. MIT Lincoln Laboratory’s Reconnaissance of Influence Operations (RIO) allows early indication of influence operation campaigns and has the potential to forecast effects of targeted counter responses. This end-to-end system framework collects contextually relevant data, identifies potential influence operation narratives, classifies accounts based on their behavior and content, constructs a narrative network and estimates the impact of accounts or networks in spreading specific narratives. With the RIO system, disinformation narratives, networks and influential actors can easily and quickly be detected with 96% precision, and then the impact of influence operation accounts spreading specific propaganda narratives can then be quantified. As an effective tool for situational awareness, the framework can alert social media platform providers and the public of influential influence operation accounts and networks, and the propaganda content they spread.

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2020

ANALYTICAL/TEST WINNERS

SEDONA (SpEctroscopic Detection Of Nerve Agents)

WATCHMAN FLX Left Atrial Appendage Closure

Los Alamos National Laboratory Department of Homeland Security

Boston Scientific Corporation

In the wake of 9/11, airport security ramped up significantly to ensure public safety. However, there is still no detection system in place for chemical nerve agents. An airport-compliant 3.4-oz (100 ml) bottle containing a nerve agent could result in injury or fatality of onboard passengers. A life-saving detection system that is practical for a dynamic environment is urgently needed. Los Alamos National Laboratory has created the first portable nerve agent detector. SEDONA (SpEctroscopic Detection Of Nerve Agents) can automatically detect whether a bottle of liquid or a travel tube of toothpaste contains a nerve agent threat in only 8 sec. Screening occurs through the bottle or tube, as opening the container could result in widespread exposure. The combination of advanced permanent magnet technology, probe and electronics design and unique spectral fingerprinting of nerve agents enables SEDONA to be portable, accurate and rapid — offering results ten times faster than leading competitor technology. SEDONA dramatically reduces the likelihood of a successful nerve agent attack at airports and other venues.

Boston Scientific Corporation’s WATCHMAN FLX Left Atrial Appendage Closure (LAAC) Device consists of access and delivery systems that permit closure device placement in the left atrial appendage (LAA). The device is designed for patients with Non-valvular atrial fibrillation who are eligible for anticoagulation therapy or who have a contraindication to anticoagulation therapy to reduce the risk of stroke. WATCHMAN FLX is intended to prevent thrombus embolization from the left atrial appendage of the heart, a known cause of stroke, and reduce the risk of life-threatening bleeding events in patients. It’s designed to be permanently implanted at the ostium (opening) of the LAA to trap potential emboli before they exit the LAA. The placement procedure is conducted by an interventional cardiologist or electrophysiologist and can be done under local or general anesthesia in a hospital cardiac catheterization laboratory setting. Once the device has endothelialized and it has been confirmed that no thrombus is present, oral anticoagulants can be discontinued. The long-term drug regimen prescribed for most patients is aspirin.

Electron Diffractometer ELDICO Scientific AG Electron Diffraction (ED) is on the verge of a major breakthrough and ELDICO Scientific AG’s Electron Diffractometer is here for it. The diffractometer directly identifies previously unsolvable structures from nano-crystalline materials which today are difficult or impossible to crystallize or, due to their nature and size, cannot be crystallized by conventional methods. For example, in drug discovery hundreds of thousands of known but not fully characterized crystalline compounds could be rapidly screened for their scientific or commercial potential. This applies also for many other fields, such as MOFs, zeolithes, minerals and natural products. The use of continuous rotation produces electron diffraction data similar to that obtained in X-ray diffraction, allowing existing X-ray software to be used, reducing development cost and users’ adoption. The diffractometer also uses lowdose radiation and equips the instrument with a cryo system to avoid damage of biological molecules, allowing proteins and virus analysis. With a horizontal design and an innovative probe-handling mechanism, the dedicated Electron Diffractometer will produce important structural information faster, with better quality and at lower cost.

R&D WORLD | NOVEMBER 2020

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2020

ANALYTICAL/TEST WINNERS

The ChemSitu Microfluidic Technology for In Situ Mass Spectrometric Characterization of Microfluidic Devices Oak Ridge National Laboratory The ChemSitu Microfluidic Technology for In Situ Mass Spectrometric Characterization of Microfluidic Devices, from Oak Ridge National Laboratory, is a microfluidic chip and chemical analysis system that allows in situ chemical characterization at any point within the device. It provides a new analytical capability to solve the problem of elucidating the complex chemistry occurring within microfluidic devices. With the advent and continued growth of biology-on-a-chip devices, the ability to understand the chemical composition of such systems in situ is becoming more critical. Society and industry rely extensively on our chemical understating of living systems to diagnose disease and to develop new and more effective therapeutics. Industries such as oncology and pharmacokinetics need to evaluate therapeutic effectiveness in living systems, and biology-on-achip devices with a broad chemical analysis capability represent an ethical, cost-effective means to assess them. The collective features of the ChemSitu microfluidic technology make it more versatile than any other chemical analysis capability in the microfluidic device market, opening the door to numerous applications requiring mass spectrometric chemical analysis of such devices.

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2020

IT/ELECTRICAL WINNERS

PBI: Public Biometric Infrastructure Hitachi

Millimeter-Wave Shoe Scanner Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL)

Hitachi’s PBI: Public Biometric Infrastructure is the world’s first biometric authentication system that does not store any biometric data such as facial and finger-vein features anywhere, minimizing the risk of data leakage and abuse. It processes empty-handed payments and bank transactions without a card or smartphone while strongly protecting security and privacy. It runs on an authentication server, a registration client and an authentication client. The registration client and the authentication client are devices, such as PCs and smartphones, equipped with sensors that acquire biometric data such as fingerprints, faces and vein patterns. When a user is registered, the registration client device acquires the user’s biometric feature. This feature, along with a random number generated for one-time use, is converted into a PBI public key by using a one-way function. This technology ensures that the data in a database or network cannot be tampered with, forged or spoofed even if it is leaked. By using PDH, it is possible to identify a large number of users quickly and accurately based only on their biometric features.

What if airline passengers could leave their shoes on while still being scanned for security? Paciﬁc Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) developed the Millimeter-Wave Shoe Scanner — a solution that relies on proven state-of-the-art imaging to improve throughput at aviation security checkpoints. Leveraging decades of experience with millimeter-wave technology, PNNL’s system can quickly scan footwear from under a person’s feet. Similar to the full-body scanners at the airports, which also use harmless millimeter waves, the scanner looks for concealed threats in the soles of shoes. When a passenger steps on the scanner, millimeter waves pass through the shoe’s material, reﬂecting any concealed items, and subsequently produces a high-resolution, three-dimensional (3-D) image using low-power holographic radar imaging technology, in a matter of seconds. Millimeter-wave technology has been proven to use nonharmful, ultra-high-frequency radio waves to detect and identify concealed objects in airport security body scanners nationwide. This innovative technology can integrate with existing architectures, streamlining security screening while sustaining detection capabilities that protect our nation’s travelers.

Legion: A data-centric programming system Los Alamos National Laboratory Supercomputers are poised to solve many of society’s most pressing problems in medicine, energy and manufacturing, but to do so they must move to the next computing scale — the exascale, performing a billion operations per second. The supercomputing scientiﬁc applications that will better capture physical and natural processes are therefore becoming more complex. Computing at the exascale will be limited by the application developer’s ability to schedule tasks and move data. Los Alamos National Laboratory’s Legion programming system removes this bottleneck by automating task scheduling and data movement. Legion improves performance, speed and scalability for supercomputing applications in machine learning, materials science, life and physical science, up to ten-fold. Legion is the only data-centric programming system that offers this level of automation through use of a single programming language. The program has been used on many of the world’s top supercomputers, and more applications are turning to Legion as they look to scale.

R&D WORLD | NOVEMBER 2020

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2020

IT/ELECTRICAL WINNERS

QUIC-Fire Los Alamos National Laboratory QUIC-Fire is the first laptop-capable, real-time speed wildland fire prediction software to explicitly model a fire’s two-way interaction with the atmosphere and 3D heterogeneous vegetation — the very factors that drive fire and are essential to simulating complex site-specific wildfire and prescribed fire scenarios. QUIC-Fire transforms a fire practitioner’s ability to assess risk, optimize fuel treatments, and plan prescribed burns. With QUIC-Fire, practitioners can quickly model how a fire will spread in situations previously impossible for fast-running tools. QUIC-Fire captures the critical influences of 3D vegetation structure, interactions between multiple fires, variable winds, and complex topography at meter-scale resolutions. Such capabilities typically require a supercomputer, yet QUIC-Fire runs on a laptop orders of magnitude faster than supercomputer models. QUIC-Fire can also serve as a prescribed fire “flight simulator” to train fire practitioners. As the first fast-running tool with these capabilities, QUIC-Fire will revolutionize the assessment of wildfire risks and behavior, bolster safe expansion of prescribed fire, and train new fire professionals to help meet challenges of reducing fire risks and sustaining ecosystem resilience in evolving environments.

Matter-wave modulating secure quantum communicator (MMQ-Com)

Deep Sub-Micron Process MOSFET

Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory

Toyota Central R&D Labs and DENSO Corp.

The Information Age we live in demands data security, but the safety of our data is in peril given the rise of quantum computers that can decode classical encryption schemes. Currently, the only safe alternatives are quantum cryptography approaches that rely on photons. With Berkeley Lab’s Matter-wave modulating secure quantum communicator (MMQ-Com) innovation, the world gains a fundamentally new, non-photon-based quantum technology for secure data transfer. Unrivaled by classical instruments and in a class all its own among quantum instruments, the MMQ-Com takes advantage of wave-particle duality to encode data in the interference contrast of electrons. Messages are transmitted by modulating electron matter-waves without changing the phase or the pathways of the electrons revealing a pure quantum transmission scheme with no analog in light or neutral atom optics. This secure communication method is inherently impervious to any interception attempt, whether classical or quantum. Considering the vast future market for quantum information science and the accelerating industrial and governmental innovation race, we believe that the MMQ-Com will have an enormous impact in quantum communication and computing.

Joint research by Toyota Central R&D Labs and DENSO Corp. has developed a new Deep Sub-Micron Process MOSFET for a new Li-ion battery management IC. Although the new IC size is only one-third of the size of a conventional IC, it can monitor battery cells with 1.2x higher capacity than the conventional IC. Development of high gate voltage MOSFETs is necessary for size reduction because the number of battery cells that must be monitored in an electrified vehicle is expected to increase in the future. This project achieved the world’s first 280V high gate voltage MOSFET by adoption of STI for the gate oxide layer. Durability of the developed MOSFET was verified under practical conditions. Starting from 2020, these MOSFETs will be mounted on the high-voltage portion of a new Li-ion battery management IC in the BMU for HEVs. The newly developed Li-ion battery management IC can also be adopted for applications other than vehicle technology, such as electrification systems for aircraft and home energy management systems (HEMS).

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R&D WORLD | NOVEMBER 2020

2020

IT/ELECTRICAL WINNERS

Lower Power Loss RC-IGBT for Hybrid Electric Vehicles Toyota Motor Corporation

Environmentally conscious hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), which are driven partly by an electric motor controlled by a power control unit (PCU), are currently increasing in popularity. Toyota’s research efforts have led to downsizing the power cards and reducing the power loss of the PCU. On the power card, an insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) and a free wheel diode (FWD) are placed in parallel. A power device that integrates an IGBT and an FWD is called a reverse conductive (RC) -IGBT. The RC-IGBT is well known to be effective for device chip and power card size reduction. Toyota’s research efforts have led to the first reported development of a lower power loss RC-IGBT with operating current of 400 A for use in the PCUs of HEVs. Toyota’s RC-IGBT achieves a 25% smaller device chip. Moreover, 13% reduction of power loss was also achieved. The developed RC-IGBT reduced 40% power loss of the HEV PCUs than that of prior generations. The RC-IGBT contributes to expansion of the HEV lineup, thereby reducing CO2 emissions.

R&D WORLD | NOVEMBER 2020

Artificial intelligence early warning heart disease technology OSTAR Meditech Corp. OSTAR Artificial intelligence early warning heart disease technology discovers abnormal heart conditions and diagnoses cardiac disease in advance. Their new AI algorithm uses BPM/ECG transform spectrum diagram to detect the most common and dangerous types of heart disease. The AI technology is able to prevent and warn potential heart disease patients and also track them, attempting to reduce cardiovascular disease, which has the world’s highest mortality rate. It also decentralizes the hospital information to let people have control of their health data. Ostar has developed two product lines to help professionals check on patients and individuals to own their heart health data. Ostar Home for household individuals, hypertensive patients and elderly who need to measure blood pressure accurately, check their blood pressure and heart diseases daily, and to gather this information in advance. Ostar Pro, for professionals, can send accurate patient data to the healthcare cloud server and uses AI spectrum technology to analyze data and keep records of each patient to provide the most accurate data to professionals and doctors.

The X-ray Polarizing Beam Splitter (XRPBS) Nevada National Security Site The X-ray Polarizing Beam Splitter (XRPBS), developed by Neveda National Security Site, is a compact x-ray optical component that uses a perfect crystal to split an incident x-ray beam into two beams with mutually orthogonal linear polarizations. The two outgoing beams emerge in directions perpendicular to each other and to the direction of the incoming beam. This spatial separation enables using x-ray detectors that are the most appropriate for the actual measurement and is advantageous for other applications at advanced x-ray sources. The XRPBS is most impactful on the x-ray polarization spectroscopy of laboratory and astrophysical plasmas, where it can greatly improve measurement accuracy, decrease instrument size, reduce measurement time and simplify the alignment process. Additionally, this technique simplifies the study of the magnetic and structural properties of materials probed with synchrotron radiation. In a different type of application, the XRPBS can be used as synchrotrons and x-ray free electron lasers for in situ beam monitoring, for beam multiplexing to enable beam sharing or as a component of delay lines for beam characterization or pump-probe experiments.

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2020

IT/ELECTRICAL WINNERS

Cluster Integrity, Exception Resolution, and Reclustering Algorithm (CIERRA) Los Alamos National Laboratory Los Alamos National Laboratory’s Cluster Integrity, Exception Resolution and Reclustering Algorithm (CIERRA) ensures that all lightning – regardless of size – is represented properly and adds both context and in-depth descriptions for each flash. This information improves the understanding of lightning and situational awareness of lightning hazards. CIERRA is the first and only software that routinely identifies the most extraordinary and unpredictable type of lightning. These exceptional megaflashes differ from the current understanding of lightning as a short-duration, local-scale process. CIERRA provides an important tool at the forefront of the nascent research of extreme lightning and its hazards. CIERRA improves environmental hazard awareness by issuing rapid notifications when a storm has begun to generate megaflashes. Making this information widely available could enhance public safety. The study of these megaflashes could aid weather and wildfire prediction. Furthermore, CIERRA provides unprecedented quality data that will enable researchers to study the precursors to megaflashes and develop predictive tools for them.

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R&D WORLD | NOVEMBER 2020

2020

IT/ELECTRICAL WINNERS

Defensive Wire Routing for Untrusted Integrated Circuit Fabrication MIT Lincoln Laboratory

TeraByte InfraRed Delivery (TBIRD): 200 gigabits-persecond free space optical communications MIT Lincoln Laboratory and National Aeronautics and Space Administration

With increased performance from smaller transistors, U.S. Government access to trusted high-performance foundries is decreasing, thereby disadvantaging U.S. military systems which require high degrees of trust. One concern with untrusted fabrication is the issue of malicious modification or tamper, where a trusted design is modified by a fabricator to insert a “hardware Trojan” or “backdoor” that can compromise downstream system security. The government therefore seeks novel design-time methods that deter and/or prevent malicious modification in order to enable trusted use of ICs fabricated by untrusted foundries. Defensive Wire Routing, from MIT Lincoln Laboratory, comprises two patent-pending techniques that can be applied during the design of an integrated circuit which enable post-fabrication inspection for malicious compromise. Unlike other approaches, Defensive Wire Routing can be applied at scale to any digital circuit design, is non-destructive, and does not require a “gold standard” to compare against. The Defensive Wire Routing and Guard Wire techniques can be focused narrowly on security-critical components, enable postfabrication inspection and tamper resistance and can be integrated into traditional electronic design automation tool flows for widespread employment.

R&D WORLD | NOVEMBER 2020

Low-Earth-orbit (LEO) satellites generate huge amounts of data daily and getting this data back to Earth in a timely, error-free manner is currently challenging and costly. MIT Lincoln Laboratory’s TeraByte InfraRed Delivery (TBIRD) technology revolutionizes what is possible in this area. TBIRD technology enables dramatic increases in the achievable data volume delivered from LEO to ground. This means MIT’s technology has completely transformative implications for satellite operations in all scientific, commercial and defense applications. In contrast to current technologies, TBIRD offers direct-to-Earth LEO links utilizing the abundant optical spectrum, commercial parts and a custom protocol. This creates very high burst data rates, even with short, infrequent link durations. MIT Lincoln Laboratory has performed successful proof-ofconcept demonstrations, showing the system can deliver peak throughputs approaching 200 Gbps (gigabits per second) and up to 10 terabytes daily, per ground station. This is significantly higher than the rates achievable by other LEO-to-ground technologies, while still offering reduced size, weight and power (SWaP) requirements and lowering overall costs.

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2020

MECHANICAL/MATERIALS WINNERS

Air Co. Carbon Dioxide Conversion to Ethanol Air Company Air Co.’s technology and integrated process helps to combat anthropogenic climate change by transforming carbon dioxide and water into ethanol and oxygen, driven solely by renewable electricity. Climate change is exacerbated by our reliance on burning fossil fuels, which releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Plants continue to sequester carbon dioxide via photosynthesis, but we are releasing carbon dioxide at a rate that is too fast for plants to keep up. Air Co. developed a process that mimics photosynthesis, requiring only carbon dioxide and water to produce a chemical product (ethanol) with oxygen as the sole byproduct, powered by solar energy. Air Company’s innovation removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and transforms it into highly pure ethanol. The company is using the ethanol to create commonly used products, such as spirits (Air Co.’s vodka has won multiple gold medals in international blind taste test competitions) and hand sanitizer. As Air Co. scales their technology, they are producing fragrances, cleaners and ultimately renewable fuel.

ENGAGE 11000 Polyolefin Elastomers (POEs) Dow Packaging and Specialty Plastics Wouldn’t it be nice to have resins that can be tough, resilient and flexible all at the same time? That’s exactly the type of characteristics that ENGAGE Polyolefin Elastomers (POEs), from Dow Packaging and Specialty Plastics, bring to the table. ENGAGE POEs serve as a bridge between rubber and plastic chemistries to inspire new design possibilities. One of the first polymers to use INSITE technology from Dow, the POEs provide excellent impact resistance alone or in compounds, easy colorability, flexibility and toughness and recyclability. They are suitable for all kinds of applications, including automotive interior and exterior applications, wire and cable coatings, footwear foams, packaging and flexible and transparent tubing. ENGAGE 11000 POEs have superior impact efficiency and enable automotive part lightweighting and metal replacement that contribute to improved safety, reduced CO2 emissions of conventional cars and increased range for electric vehicles.

Networked Amide Epoxy Polymer Electrolyte for Solid State Lithium-Ion Batteries, (NAEPE) Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) Since Sony commercialized the first lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) containing organic liquid electrolytes in 1991, LIBs have been widely used in portable electronic devices and more recently in vehicles. However, as the energy density and/or size of cells increases, LIBs have incurred safety concerns due to volatile and flammable organic liquid electrolytes. Therefore, the world is making an effort to replace existing liquid electrolytes with solid-state ones for high energy density and safety. NEDO of Japan forecasts that solidstate batteries will completely supersede conventional ones by 2030. Nonflammable and low-cost Amide Epoxy Polymer Electrolyte for Solid State Lithium-Ion Batteries, (NAEPE), from Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI), is an electrolyte material with high ionic conductivity and voltage stability, which can greatly improve the safety and cycle life of LIBs. NAEPE is achieved through polymerization of liquid electrolytes with the crosslinking agent and the initiator at ambient temperatures. NAEPE provides several advantages, including high safety, low cost and easy processing and excellent cyclability.

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R&D WORLD | NOVEMBER 2020

2020

MECHANICAL/MATERIALS WINNERS

Versatile Method for Preparing Highly Effective Electro-catalyst for CO2 to Chemical Conversion Argonne National Laboratory and Northern Illinois University

Argonne National Laboratory and Northern Illinois University developed a new Versatile Method for Preparing Highly Effective Electrocatalyst for CO2 to Chemical Conversion. At over 90% selectivity under low-voltage, at notably reduced onset potential with remarkable long-term stability, these results represent state-of-the-art performances, outperforming the best-published works in recent literature. Key to this breakthrough technology in electrochemistry is the innovative synthetic method of fabricating atomically dispersed single metal atoms on commercial carbon supports through a novel amalgamated lithium metal (ALM) technique. Most of the catalytic metals, including transition metals, inner transition metals and main group metals, can be made into single atom catalysts over any support materials using this robust method, enabling versatility of producing a wide range of highly efﬁcient electrocatalysts for electrochemical synthesis. The new electrocatalyst is available for licensing through Argonne’s Technology Commercialization and Partnerships (TCP) Division.

DOWSIL EC-6601 Electrically Conductive Adhesive enables next generation electronic devices Dow Performance Silicones

DOWSIL EC-6601, from Dow Performance Silicones, provides a step-change in performance of electrically conductive adhesives, critical for emerging applications in autonomous driving, cameras and 5G base-station applications. It provides high elongation, superior shielding, strong adhesion, durability and conductive performance. Its unique siloxane matrix, enabled by Dow’s backward integration of raw materials, provides novel electrical and mechanical performance to enable the next generation of electronic devices. Elimination of electronic interference is an increasing challenge as electronics get smaller and faster. Electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding is critical to enable robust electronic communication and operation of electronic devices. EMI shielding is required to ensure modern electronics do not interfere with each other. DOWSIL EC-6601 provides a unique combination of adhesion, coupled with high elongation, to maintain contact in both compression and tension. The ability to maintain contact in tension opens new design options for OEMs that results in more robust, long-lasting EMI solutions, ultimately providing consumers with increased functionality and improved electronics.

Clean-Surface Technology PPG Before PPG’s Clean-Surface Technology, interior wall paints did not deliver the washability that people need and want in a paint, despite big promises and even bigger price tags. Some do well on water-based stains or on oil-based stains, but none did well in resisting both types of stains. Homeowners clean their walls and are left with shiny spots from burnishing. Abrasive erasers remove the ﬁnish to remove the stain and leave dull or white spots. The blemishes are just as ugly as the stains and cause repainting or a loss of pride in their home. PPG Clean-Surface Technology delivers superior stain resistance to both types of stains and is also highly scuff-resistant. Stains wipe easily away making the experience of maintaining a freshly painted look much easier. It resists burnishing from cleaning and marring from scrubbing. Most interior paints boast of their scrub resistance, but no one wants to scrub their walls, they want to wipe their walls. They want stains to wash easily away. Clean-Surface Technology delivers the washability homeowners and property managers want.

R&D WORLD | NOVEMBER 2020

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2020

MECHANICAL/MATERIALS WINNERS

NEOSEED NR-8800 durable water repellent (DWR) for textile NICCA Chemical Co. Nicca Chemical Co.’s NEOSEED NR-8800, silicone-based water repellent (DWR) for textiles, provides breakthrough performance as a sustainable, durable water repellent option in the textile market, which is moving away from Perfluoro chemicals (PFC). It is the first product on the market which embraces silicone technology as a main component resulting in a fine performance balancing water repellency, soft touch, scratch proof and anti-slippage of seams. It overcomes the disadvantages of popular products including hydrocarbon, acrylate polymer and urethane and existing silicone products. The market’s alternative products provided hard and uncomfortable textures to the fabrics, and existing silicones provided poor water repellency and anti-slippage performance. NEOSEED NR-8800 is an approved product in the bluesign SYSTEM and is a positive on ZDHC’s Manufacturing Restricted Substances List (MRSL). Currently, it is recognized globally as one of the benchmarks of PFCfree durable water repellents due to its benefits, and it gives immense reliability to brand owners and mills globally.

DOWSIL EI-2888 Primerless Silicone Encapsulant Dow Chemical

Solar on the move: All-Perovskite Tandem Technology jump-starts the pursuit of photovoltaic-powered vehicles National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Swift Solar

Clear optical properties, reliable and durable protection, easy and robust processing are key characteristics for LED luminaire encapsulants in harsh environments. Lighting under harsh environments (outdoor, explosion-proof…) particularly suffers from heavy and costly fixtures for protecting the electronic parts, and to penetrate this market, lightweight LED luminaires require sustainable and reliable protection. The luminaire market is currently dominated by polyurethane-based materials. Optically clear silicone encapsulant use is limited by several factors, including cost. Due to this, silicone is currently limited to applications where high thermal and/or photo stability are needed which is mainly related to high/mid power LED application and/or harsh environment such as explosion proof lighting where products need to pass severe testing that the other chemistries cannot pass. Dow Chemical’s DOWSIL EI-2888 Primerless Silicone Encapsulant can overcome the current limitations of silicone offering and is even able to compete and provide significant advantage over leading polyurethane technology thanks to its unique combination of properties that do not currently exist on the market.

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National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s All-Perovskite Tandem Technology could open up an entirely new solar-energy application: vehicles powered directly by photovoltaics (PV). No previous PV technology achieves the combined flexibility, low cost and high specific power needed for PV-powered vehicles. All-perovskite tandems have a specific power 10x higher than flexible PV technologies of similar cost, and they cost 200x less than flexible PV technologies of similar specific power. This performance/cost “sweet spot” was attained through NREL’s unique solutions to two previously unsolved problems. Specifically, they produced a stable, high-performance wide-bandgap perovskite cell, and then created a recombination layer that offers protection during cell processing and provides an effective optical and electrical connection between the two main layers in the tandem. Combining these technological solutions increased the efficiency of all-perovskite tandems by 30% while exhibiting high voltage and superior stability. As this all-perovskite tandem technology matures, its high-throughput production may accelerate the cleanenergy transition as it enables additional applications that include portable/ wearable power, building-integrated PV, and rooftop and utility-scale arrays.

R&D WORLD | NOVEMBER 2020

2020

MECHANICAL/MATERIALS WINNERS

Superconducting MgB2 wire for high-efficiency electromagnets

Dye-sensitized cell (DSC) as Energy source Of Sensors, D-EOS

Hitachi

Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI)

Hitachi has developed a superconducting 8-km-long magnesium diboride (MgB2) wire for high-efficiency superconducting electromagnets. This superconducting wire not only reduces the cooling power of the magnets for the klystron but also contributes to the energy saving of existing superconducting devices such as MRIs. It will also contribute to environmental load reduction as its application is expanded to the energy and transportation fields. The wire can be used with refrigerator-based cooling without liquid helium, a scarce resource. Using this wire, a superconducting magnet has been manufactured for use in klystrons and has achieved a magnetic field of 0.8 tesla at a temperature of 20K. Hence, the MgB2superconducting wire, which is supported by a structural ingenuity to reduce any heat invasion from the room temperature electrode to the cooling section, can be used for a superconducting magnet that keeps the superconducting state with just 3 kW or less of the power consumption by the refrigerator. This is in contrast to the conventional NbTi superconducting magnet, which would consume more than double.

Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) has worked for a long time to iron out all issues around the energy efficiency, durability, product yield rate and cost of dye-sensitized cells (DSC), a replacement for battery power sources in indoor applications. Their efforts have brought about a production facility capable of producing 2700 m2 (120,000 pieces) of DSC per year. As a wireless and environmentally friendly power source, DSC as Energy source Of Sensors (D-EOS) is now at your fingertips. Moreover, it can be made with decorative colors. With the Internet of Things (IoT) era, DSC is going to be more and more popular in supporting smart homes, smart offices and even smart factories. By combining its low-illuminance power-generating capability with wireless transferring module and rechargeable batteries, D-EOS can be conveniently integrated with various in-door sensors (the building block of smart buildings), eliminating the problem caused by changing large quantities of batteries and thus reducing environmental issues like battery disposal or land poisoning.

OrganiCam Los Alamos National Laboratory OrganiCam, from Los Alamos National Laboratory, opens exciting frontiers in space exploration and the search for signs of life beyond the Earth. OrganiCam will be a reconnaissance instrument for organics on other bodies of the solar system. These include ocean worlds, caves on Mars and comet surfaces. It is a lightweight, portable payload that is radiation-hardened and robust for space applications. OrganiCam can be used to determine if instruments being sent into space are sterile – not contaminated with Earth’s biological materials on future NASA missions, and to analyze examples returned to Earth. Beyond its use in space exploration, OrganiCam can detect organics at the ppb level in “clean” environments. OrganiCam takes advantage of the short lifetime of bioﬂuorescent materials to obtain real-time ﬂuorescence images that show the locations of biological materials among luminescent minerals in a geological context. The instrument’s advantages of robust operation in extreme environments, portability, simple operation and low power requirement build on the Laboratory’s expertise developed from over 50 years in designing robotic instruments for space applications.

R&D WORLD | NOVEMBER 2020

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2020

MECHANICAL/MATERIALS WINNERS

Solid Lithium Battery (SLiB) using hard and soft solid electrolytes Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

Rising demand for lithium batteries with higher energy density and improved safety requires a paradigm shift in material selection and battery configuration. The most likely successor to the lithium ion battery will be a solid-state battery that uses non-flammable solid electrolytes paired with a lithium metal anode. The construction and composition of Solid Lithium Battery (SLiB), from Berkeley National Laboratory, enables stable cycling of all-solid-state lithium batteries. The non-flammable oxide solid electrolyte composes the main framework, and lithium metal is used as the anode. The cathode and oxide solid electrolyte connect through a soft solid electrolyte that aids ion transport among the components. This is the first truly all-solid-state battery configuration using an oxide solid electrolyte framework with no liquid electrolyte. Paired with high-capacity lithium anode and high capacity LiNixMnyCozO2 cathode, cells can safely double the energy density compared to conventional lithium-ion battery. All electronic devices, electric vehicles and energy storage systems will be safer and longer lasting with the adoption of SLiB technology. Furthermore, all the advantages may come at a competitive price as the production of oxide solid electrolyte scales.

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Ceramic Ion Exchange Membranes Membrion Most farming regions that experience severe droughts have abundant brackish water aquifers that are too expensive to access. Membrion’s Ceramic Ion Exchange Membranes, made from silica gel, the desiccant in the bottom of a beef jerky package, provide a 30% reduction to the levelized cost of brackish water purification compared to the gold standard currently available. Membrion’s innovation uniquely enables electrodialysis to become the new gold standard for low cost and high recovery brackish water treatment. Membrion’s ion exchange membranes are not simply an iterative development within polymer chemistry, but a radical step change that uses functionalized, nanoporous ceramic materials and green sol-gel processes to achieve state-of-the-art performance and ultra-low cost. The membranes can also be used to selectively transport cations in electrochemical applications including but not limited to desalination, food & beverage production, fuel cells, and batteries. This product is the only commercial ceramic ion exchange membrane and has been funded with $10 million from investors and government grants over the last four years.

A new Cobalt-Free Li-ion Battery Cathode Material Oak Ridge National Laboratory The Cobalt-Free Cathode Material developed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory for use in lithium-ion batteries is made with nickel, iron and aluminum in the place of cobalt, which is significantly more expensive. The novel cathode has performance equivalent to the mainstream cobalt-containing cathodes used in today’s lithium-ion batteries. Manufacturing of the new cobalt-free cathode will be seamless because the materials and their electrochemical behavior are nearly identical to those of current commercial products. The entry barrier for manufacturers is therefore very low, so profit margins should be unaffected. As cobalt becomes scarcer and prices fluctuate, it is imperative that an alternative cathode be found for lithium-ion batteries. ORNL’s solution provides a means to manufacture lithium-ion batteries at lower cost with more readily available, cheaper materials while maintaining performance and creating minimum disruption to the manufacturing process. The NFA class of materials paves the way for introducing a new, cost-effective cathode chemistry with long life, enhanced safety, and fast charging to the battery-manufacturing supply chain.

R&D WORLD | NOVEMBER 2020

2020

MECHANICAL/MATERIALS WINNERS

Self-Healing Cement Pacific Northwest National Laboratory Pacific Northwest National Laboratory’s transformative Self-Healing Cement fills cracks and restores cement to its original mechanical integrity in intense, high-temperature environments. The combination of synthetic polymer and cement outperforms conventional concrete. The pollution-preventing technology extends the life of cement by at least 30 years. The cement also reduces drilling interruptions and costly repairs. Self-healing cement could resolve major concerns about the sealing of wellbores for oil, gas and geothermal heat production. Leaks in wellbores cause contamination and limit the ability to provide clean energy alternatives. These leaks contaminate aquifers and surface waters. PNNL’s self-healing cement can deliver significant energy with minimal carbon release to the atmosphere. Currently, tens of thousands of tons of conventional cement ends up in landfills. With the additional 30 years of usage of the composite, less cement would go to landfills. The synthetic polymer brings flexibility to cement, making it useful for infrastructure that protects people worldwide, ranging from dams to nuclear waste facilities. The polymer’s flexibility adds 50 to 70% more elasticity to the cement, improving durability against natural disasters like earthquakes.

Overspray-free paint application PPG The EcoPaintJet overspray-free paint applicator invented by plant-engineering firm Dürr plus novel decorcoat paint from PPG (the second color applied) represents the world’s first implementation of precision application of automotive coatings. The innovative overspray-free paint application process eliminates all overspray from the paint application process, maintains crisp edges after being applied, and meets all automotive performance requirements to make precision applications for high-performance applications a reality. The process eliminates the need for masking. This saves 50 minutes per car when performing a process as simple as painting the roof a different color from the car body. While the first commercial use is in the auto industry, research is underway to bring the technology to the aerospace industry where significant manufacturing time is spent in the intricate masking required to produce the detailed and colorful livery on fleet aircraft. Other industrial applications where two colors are common can benefit, such as motorcycles, garage doors, trains and busses. One day, entire cars may be painted using this technology to eliminate energy-intensive air-handling processes from automotive manufacturing.

R&D WORLD | NOVEMBER 2020

(Continuously) Rotating Wind Turbine UAV Inspection System Metal Industries Research & Development Centre (MIRDC) The (Continuously) Rotating Wind Turbine UAV Inspection System, from Metal Industries Research & Development Centre (MIRDC), replaces the existing procedure of implementing the wind turbine examination after the blades stop running. The new method not only redefines the logic to examine the wind turbine blades with the existing UAV, but also recreates the formation mode of the UAV during large-scale inspections. It can rapidly converge the displacement to zero, thus maintaining high stability of flight attitude. This new technology can effectively finish the damage inspection on a normally running wind turbine. Shortening the time of inspection by inspecting and deploying the control system from the ground station, the operator can control the UAV installed image sensor. The sensor starts detecting at the central hub and captures images of damaged blades, gradually moving outward. The time to complete the inspection on one wind turbine is shortened from 25 minutes to 5 minutes. When the wind field strengthens, the blade rotation increases actively increasing the scope of the image sensor, thus shortening the time of inspection furthermore.

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2020

MECHANICAL/MATERIALS WINNERS

High entropy alloy catalysts University of Maryland Catalysts are the enabling technology for the current chemical industry and clean energy applications such as battery and fuel cell cars. However, current catalysts have significant challenges such as structural instability and high cost. Finding new and better catalysts is paramount yet largely limited by immiscibility among elements and slow experimentation. Researchers at the University of Maryland invented a disruptive high-temperature shock technique (e.g., 2000 K within 1 sec) and opened a new material space of multielement high entropy alloy catalysts, which exhibit significantly higher performance and stability than few-element catalysts. The rapid synthesis further enables data-driven, accelerated exploration, and continuous optimization in the unlimited multielement space for various catalytic reactions. This technology was initially reported in Science and further developed as a product in 2019. It has raised significant interests from industry and government agencies (e.g. funding from Maryland Innovation Initiative and Dept. of Energy ARPA-E). High entropy alloy catalysts will become next-generation, game-change catalysts for a wide range of fields, including battery and fuel cells, chemical and drug production.

New Generation of Electrostatic Based Self-Cleaning Technology for Increasing Energy Yield from Dusty Solar Panels Superclean Glass Superclean Glass has developed a new technology that has tremendous potential to reduce the cost of solar energy: New Generation of Electrostatic Based Self-Cleaning Technology for Increasing Energy Yield from Dusty Solar Panels. The original concept was used by NASA to prevent Martian dust deposition on solar panels of the Mars rovers, where the screen of conducting electrodes is incorporated into solar panels using parallel patterns. However, despite a solid scientiﬁc basis, this approach has never been made practical on Earth. The reasons are: (1) very high voltage requirements (kV) to clean the panels, thereby consuming energy and making it dangerous to operate; (2) low scalability of electrode deposition and patterning, making it too expensive for a very competitive PV market; (3) sub-optimal transparency of electrodes, thereby reducing the PV power output by over 30%. Superclean Glass has overcome all the previous limitations of NASA technology, making it practical in the terrestrial environment. In addition to 99% transparency, the company’s patentpending solution has achieved an order of magnitude decrease in the required voltage as compared to that for NASA technology while simplifying pulsing sequence and circuitry.

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Ultrasound Nano Bubble Cold Brew Coffee and Tea Machine Nano and Advanced Materials Institute Ultrasound Nano Bubble Cold Brew Coffee and Tea Machine, from Nano and Advanced Materials Institute, utilizes nano bubble technology and ultrasonic energy to maximize the extraction of coffee or tea ingredients within minutes. NAMI’s novel nano bubble generator based on fluid flow simulations is designed to generate air nano bubbles in water with a diameter of smaller than 350nm. By applying the ultrasonic energy to the nano bubble water and coffee or tea powders mixture, the extraction of ingredients from coffee or tea powders will be enhanced when millions of nano bubbles are collapsed and exploded on the deep surface of coffee or tea powders. This synergetic effect can enhance the extraction of antioxidant by 30-50%. A highly efficient cold brew capsule machine is developed to prepare cold brew beverages using K-Cup capsules, and a cup of cold brew coffee with brix value up to 2.5% can be made in minutes. The advantages of this product include significantly shortening the brewing time that keeps the rich flavors, enhancing extraction in antioxidants, minimizing refrigerating space and energy and reducing the risk of bacteria growth.

R&D WORLD | NOVEMBER 2020

2020

MECHANICAL/MATERIALS WINNERS

RHOBARR 320 Polyolefin Dispersion for Paper and Board The Dow Chemical Company RHOBARR 320 Polyolefin Dispersion, from the Dow Chemical Company, is a unique solution to the global problem of waste management and recycling for single-use paper articles. It provides comparable liquid and grease barrier to incumbent technology but at lower raw material use, resulting in finished articles that are compatible with existing paper recycling infrastructure. Further, it is cost effective and seamlessly fits with existing paper-coating equipment. RHOBARR 320 Polyolefin Dispersion achieved first commercial sales within two years of concept development due primarily to the Dow team’s hard work and strong customer pull. The product’s success justifies an initial value statement, that thinner, more repulpable, recyclable and sustainable barrier coatings for paper are needed in the food service and packaging industry. Only Dow possessed the expertise and technology to provide that solution. RHOBARRTM320 Polyolefin Dispersion provides equal or improved barrier performance and heat sealability at full commercial scale. There are no other competitive products in the disposable food service and packaging landscape with the scale and overwhelming sustainability improvements demonstrated by RHOBARR 320 Polyolefin Dispersion coatings.

The Bonded MetPreg Repair (BMR) Touchstone Research Laboratory The Bonded MetPreg Repair (BMR) system, developed by Touchstone Research Laboratory, is a revolutionary fatigue crack arrestor system for making either temporary or permanent repairs to load bearing structures on Navy ships while at sea. The repair is as simple as bonding on a patch, without the need to perform destructive processing such as drill stopping or doubler plate repair methods. The BMR system allows for quick and easy repairs. Unlike traditional polymer composite repairs, BMR repairs can typically be done with no post application processes. The BMR system utilizes the world’s strongest aluminum, MetPreg, a fiber-reinforced aluminum that has the strength and stiffness of high strength steel with the weight of traditional aluminum alloys. The BMR system can be designed to fit the customer’s needs and is a great solution for repairs to ships with aluminum hulls or superstructures. Future markets for this product include aircraft and automotive repairs.

R&D WORLD | NOVEMBER 2020

Laser Coating Removal Robot (LCR robot) Southwest Research Institute

The Laser Coating Removal Robot (LCR robot), developed by Southwest Research Institute, is the only known solution for commercial and cargo-sized robotic coating removal in the world that is capable of removing the full range of aircraft coatings (all colors and clearcoat). There are no other comparable laser coating removal solutions. The LCR uses the largest specialized CO2 commercially available laser on the largest mobile manipulator. It includes intelligent process monitoring and control to very precisely control the coating removal process (remove topcoat only or remove coatings all the way down to the substrate). The product integrates this high-power laser system into a large 8-DOF robot based on a 3 DOF-AGV platform with 3D auto orientation capabilities while it is operating autonomously. The product is unique in industry (nothing like it to reach the full range of an aircraft), faster (a key business value), supports a drastic reduction in the CO2 footprint, and stops the unhealthy work of the traditional depaint processes. WWW.RDWORLDONLINE.COM

2020

MECHANICAL/MATERIALS WINNERS

Transforming the Production of Carbon Nanotubes using Carbon Dioxide Vanderbilt University Carbon nanotubes exhibit remarkable properties such as mechanical strength 100x that of steel at 1/6 the weight and could revolutionize numerous industries. Unfortunately, existing manufacturing approaches have not adequately lowered the production cost of this game-changing material, preventing mainstream adoption. SkyNano overcame this limitation by creating a manufacturing process that significantly reduces carbon nanotube production costs, resulting in carbon nanotubes that are competitively priced with other conventional carbon structures. This cost reduction was achieved through a novel process that extracts harmful carbon dioxide from the environment and permanently stores it as solid, stable carbon nanotubes. The SkyNano manufacturing process, developed with Vanderbilt University, provides advanced carbon materials at cost parity to conventional carbon additives, is CO2 negative, and does not produce harmful carbon byproducts like other carbon nanotube manufacturing approaches. Given that carbon nanotubes also have the potential to provide significant energy and CO2 savings when replacing conventional carbon structures, this truly remarkable innovation stands to have a lasting impact.

Amanzi–ATS: Modeling Environmental Systems across Scales Los Alamos National Laboratory Los Alamos National Laboratory’s Amanzi–ATS is a powerful and agile simulation tool for comprehensive environmental system analyses. Offering the most exhaustive suite of surface/subsurface processes, Amanzi–ATS is built on a flexible infrastructure that allows users to choose physical processes and their coupling without rewriting software. New physics can be incorporated into Amanzi–ATS in a fraction of the time it takes other high-performance frameworks. This level of runtime control gives users the power to customize simulations, combine processes and add new ones. Amanzi–ATS has been used to analyze pristine local watersheds in the Western United States, effects of wildfire damage on watersheds, subsurface contaminant transport at legacy waste sites and the effect of a warming climate on the Arctic tundra. Its comprehensive capabilities have yielded new insights into the behavior of environmental systems. Amanzi– ATS is fast becoming an invaluable tool for organizations such as the Department of Energy and the U.S. Geological Survey. As more physical processes are added, Amanzi–ATS stands to become the simulation software of choice for predictive science in environmental management.

R&D WORLD | NOVEMBER 2020

UltraPole NXT Viance With an estimated 2.5 million poles being treated every year in the United States, UltraPole NXT, developed by Viance, is a technology that leverages success in other applications to help the industry transition into a next generation of environmentally responsible wood preservation treatment. The currently used preservatives are inherently ecotoxic, particularly chlorinated dioxins and furans, which are highly toxic to birds, mammals and aquatic organisms. And these toxic compounds may transport to groundwater. More sustainable technologies should be considered as alternatives. UltraPole NXT was developed to be this sustainable solution. The active ingredient DCOI (4,5-Dichloro-2-n-octyl-4-isothiazolin-3-one) does its job as a highly effective wood preservative. The engineered polymer ensures there is minimal dislodgeable DCOI residue on the surface of the pole. Any DCOI that enters the environment degrades rapidly. DCOI was awarded the inaugural Presidential Green Chemistry award for its use as a preservative in marine anti-fouling paints, and it is commonly used today in several applications such as exterior coatings and wood for residential decking. The same environmental benefits extend to preservation of utility poles.

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2020

MECHANICAL/MATERIALS WINNERS

Controllable Hydro-Reactive Magnesium Alloy

Cobalt-free laser-clad valve seat in fuel-flexible hybrid electric vehicles

Metal Industries Research & Development Centre (MIRDC)

Toyota Central R&D Labs, Toyota Motor Corporation

Controllable Hydro-Reactive Magnesium Alloy, from Metal Industries Research & Development Centre (MIRDC), transforms the ecology of existing water-reactive magnesium alloys, creating a breakthrough in new technologies that can be controlled and produce hydrogen without electricity consumption, bringing a new era for plant cultivation and human health care. By calculating the atomic ratio of magnesium, zinc and calcium (Mg-Zn-Ca) in the magnesium alloy, using Pascal’s triangle computational to control the magnesium alloy would affect the speed of water reaction and adjusting the rate of hydrogen generation required for plant growth which improves the nutritional status of agricultural products. Furthermore, the combination of powder-type additive manufacturing techniques will bring about tremendous changes in the design of customized products with special complex structures. It is suitable for agricultural science and technology, healthy living and health care as well as other industries, bringing a whole new mind to plant cultivation.

Toyota Central R&D Labs and Toyota Motor Corporation have codeveloped a new cobalt-free Cu alloy, a new angled LMD process and a dedicated inline quality inspection method for a laser-clad valve seat (LCVS). These three technologies have enabled the world’s first fullscale mass production of a LCVS with unprecedented new functions, including corrosion and wear resistance and weldability. The developed LCVS ensures sufficiently high durability for use with 100% ethanol (E100) fueled engines and has realized the commercialization of the world’s first fuel-flexible HEV (Toyota Corolla in October 2019). These technologies contribute to decreasing automotive CO2 emissions by achieving the highest thermal efficiency to date of 41% and the use of carbon neutral E100 fuel. The Toyota group is currently expanding the application of the LCVS to the next-generation engine family as a fundamental high-speed combustion technology. The LCVS will be expanded to approximately 60% (about 4.8 million) of Toyota’s annual sales model by 2021. In the future, the LCVS has the potential to become a global standard for valve seats.

Porous Graphitic Frameworks for Sustainable High-Performance Li-Ion Batteries The Molecular Foundry, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) The insatiable demand for portable power, from handheld electronics to electric vehicles, continues to drive materials innovations for Lithium-Ion Batteries (LIBs). Current inorganic cathodes in LIBs have peaked in performance, yet still suffer from low capacity and energy density, limited structural versatility, environmental pollution and safety risks which have created hurdles in the consumer marketplace. The introduction of Berkeley Lab’s metal-free Porous Graphitic Framework (PGF) for Sustainable High-Performance Li-Ion Batteries is a game-changer: it enables the commercialization of lightweight, sustainable, high-capacity and high-power-density LIBs. PGFs match or surpass the performance metrics of incumbent cathodes while using safer and more sustainable materials. Specifically, PGFs exhibit 4-fold enhanced capacity, an order of magnitude higher energy density, excellent cycling stability and improved conductivity compared to commercial cathodes. As a key differentiator, PGFs are prepared through an eco-conscious hydrothermal process with clear environmental benefits: its use obviates the need for toxic and expensive metals and organic solvents. These multifold advantages over conventional inorganic cathodes put PGFs in a unique position to amplify both the economic and environmental value of future battery technologies. WWW.RDWORLDONLINE.COM

R&D WORLD | NOVEMBER 2020

2020

MECHANICAL/MATERIALS WINNERS

C2G: NETL’s Low-Cost Coal-toGraphene Manufacturing Process U.S. Department of Energy, National Energy Technology Laboratory Graphene is an amazing new material that is one single atomic layer of carbon that is thick, stronger than steel and possesses a higher electrical and thermal conductivity than copper. Despite these amazing properties, it has not been widely utilized in consumer products because of challenges in producing large volumes of high-quality material affordably. The National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL)’s Low-Cost Coal-to-Graphene Manufacturing Process uses a molten material as both the catalyst and processing medium in a “one-pot” synthesis that converts lignite, bituminous and anthracite ranks of coal into graphene. It addresses cost challenges by using domestic coal feedstocks which are 15-30 times cheaper than the graphite currently used. The technology also improves costs because it uses simple, inexpensive processing methods with product yields that are 6 to 10 times higher than current approaches using graphite. From a technical standpoint, the invention eliminates unwanted carbon oxidation that often creates material defects and other unwanted characteristics. The carbon product is also of a higher quality than what is commercially available making it a viable candidate to produce materials used in safer cars, better batteries and a host of products used daily.

R&D WORLD | NOVEMBER 2020

Carbon Capture & Utilization through Reduction Electrolysis (Carbon CURE) Idaho National Laboratory

Decarbonizing energy production through carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) is a popular idea that has been plagued by operational and economic challenges. But integrating carbon capture with reuse to make high-value products could offer an operational advantage. The Carbon CURE process, from Idaho National Laboratory, provides a solution by using recyclable solvents as a carbon capture medium that can be fed directly to an electrochemical cell. The cell converts carbon dioxide to syngas, the building block for a raft of high value products. The process will help to achieve economical carbon capture at an industrial scale. Traditional methods of producing syngas require upstream or downstream separations along with processes that aren’t feasible for scale-up. Yet the Carbon CURE process requires no extra steps and is scalable. A low temperature completely electrified process means that with electricity supplied from noncarbon-producing sources, industry may finally be on the verge of a “green” chemical production process that produces fewer carbon emissions while also reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

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2020

PROCESS/PROTOTYPING WINNERS

ReliaCoat Command Center: Autonomous Sensor Integration for Digital Thermal Spray Manufacturing

Versatile Cold Spray (VCS) Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

ReliaCoat Technologies

ReliaCoat Technologies has introduceed a game changing industry 4.0 digital manufacturing platform, ReliaCoat Command Center: Autonomous Sensor Integration for Digital Thermal Spray Manufacturing, to advance the state-of-the-art of thermal spray (TS) materials deposition technology. TS, a $10 bil worldwide manufacturing industry is crucial to the economic and safe operation of numerous engineering. These coatings are applied both in original equipment and in overhaul. Despite its success in applications over multiple decades, TS has remained a “special process” requiring signiﬁcant operational care due to complexities, dated metrologies, accelerated automation and changing work forces. A key challenge has been the inability to monitor critical process parameters and resultant products from within the conﬁnes of the harsh operational environments contained within ever increasing robotized spray-booths. ReliaCoat Command Center provide “eyes and ears” to this non-equilibrium, large thermalgradient environment resulting in new insights. This autonomous sensing capability along with visual, user-friendly software, enables real-time process and coating data establishing process windows, identifying instabilities and providing input for big-data manufacturing analytics.

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Versatile Cold Spray (VCS), developed by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, outperforms other cold spray and additive manufacturing techniques by depositing both ductile and brittle materials to any substrate of any shape without adhesives. The unique VCS nozzle and feed system preserves the functional qualities of brittle materials such as semiconductors, including thermoelectrics and magnets, achieving a coating with greater than 99% density. The streamlined, portable, low-cost VCS design enables high-density, functional coatings in place, providing a viable pathway to creating energy-harvesting thermoelectric generators from heat-emitting industrial components of any form factor. These thermoelectric generators present an elegant solution — with no moving parts or chemicals — to begin to capture the 13 quadrillion BTUs of energy lost to waste heat each year from U.S. industrial operations. The LLNL/TTEC team that developed VCS has demonstrated its effectiveness in building a thermoelectric generator as well as its capability to apply magnetic coatings, creating permanent magnets inside motor housing or generator parts, and insulating materials, an important component of energy harvesting and storage devices.

Biomacromolecule Engineering by Soft Chain Coupling Technology Oak Ridge National Laboratory PLA (Polylactic acid) is one of the few biopolymers available in large quantities and at a commodity price; however, its brittleness significantly limits its use in many applications. Strategies to improve its ductility are available, however, they compromise the strength and modulus of PLA and are costly. In contrast, Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s low cost, unique Soft Chain Coupling Technology improves the ductility and toughness of PLA dramatically, while maintaining other mechanical properties. The process is an environmentally friendly melt phase, and it is scalable with currently available industrial equipment. Moreover, modified PLA offers some unique properties, such as damage tolerance and improved shock-induced toughness, which were never realized before in PLA or in any other biopolymer. Furthermore, ORNL BEST-modified PLA outperforms other biopolymers, such as polycaprolactone, poly (butylene adipate-co-terephthalate), and poly (butylene succinate) in terms of strength and toughness. ORNL’s technology is critical for expanding use of PLA into many new areas and for providing a sustainable product that replaces petroleum-based plastics.

R&D WORLD | NOVEMBER 2020

2020

PROCESS/PROTOTYPING WINNERS

Dynamic hydride vapor phase epitaxy enables low-cost, high-performance solar cells and other semiconductors devices National Renewable Energy Laboratory

OPTICAL COATINGS REDEFINED

YOUR OPTICAL COATING PARTNER

alluxa.com

III-V semiconductors are the best available for many telecommunications, energy and electronics applications. But high costs and low production volumes have long constrained this technology. For example, III-V solar cell manufacturing is measured in kilowatts/year (compared to gigawatts/year for silicon solar cells). The dynamic hydride vapor phase epitaxy (D-HVPE) process removes key barriers to the mass production of III-V semiconductors. Like many great inventions, D-HVPE is the result of re-envisioning a persistent problem as an opportunity. In the 1960s, HVPE was one of the first processes used to grow III-V semiconductors, but it was mostly abandoned because of its fast — and, therefore, difficult-to-control — growth. The D-HVPE team at National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) turned this fast growth into an advantage by developing a reactor with multiple chambers, allowing the team to abruptly change which elements are growing on the crystal. Not only does this enable cheaper, faster growth, but it perfectly sets the stage for a transition to high-throughput, in-line production of the world’s best solar cells and semiconductors.

R&D WORLD | NOVEMBER 2020

2020

PROCESS/PROTOTYPING WINNERS

Multi-burn Solid Rocket: Revolutionizing heritage technology to solve emerging space problems Los Alamos National Laboratory For low-cost small satellites to tackle emerging commercial, scientiﬁc and national security missions, they need to be capable of maneuvering while still being compatible with rideshare. To responsibly manage our ever more crowded orbit zones into the future, all satellites will soon be required to de-orbit at end-of-life and avoid collisions with space debris at a moment’s notice. Currently available propulsion systems are either too hazardous and expensive for small satellites and rideshares or simply do not provide the thrust necessary for rapid orbit change maneuvers. Los Alamos National Laboratory’s Multiburn Solid Rocket enables multiple independently controllable impulses from a single solid rocket while maintaining the high thrust, safety, simplicity, reliability, scalability and long-term storage compatibility of traditional solid rockets. Accomplishing this required innovation in every major component of a heritage technology. This novel combination of innovations will enable safer, more widespread use of low-Earth orbit and technical applications from satellites to beneﬁt society.

Integrated hydrogen sensor/ separator Module provides longterm boost in efficiency and revenue in solar power plants National Renewable Energy Laboratory National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)’s mitigation process permanently solves a longstanding industry-wide problem — the loss of thermal efficiency eventually experienced in solar receivers of all parabolic trough plants. The decreased efficiency due to hydrogen buildup can be substantial, leading to a commensurate loss of electrical output and a similar loss in power-plant revenue. At Acciona’s Nevada Solar One plant, this efficiency loss equates to several million dollars per year in lost revenue. So Acciona partnered in NREL’s 5-year R&D focus to solve this problem. Ultimately, Acciona had the confidence to install NREL’s hydrogen sensor/separator module, realizing a rapid payback on their investment. The innovation enables the further success of CSP (concentrated solar power) as an important renewable-energy technology. Furthermore, it applies to all parabolic trough plants — some 80 globally. Every plant is either experiencing — or will experience — significant thermal-efficiency loss due to hydrogen buildup in receivers. Thus, implementing NREL’s prevention/ mitigation process could avoid an estimated 750 MW of lost generating capacity, preserving about a quarterbillion dollars each year in the process.

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Binary Solvent Diffusion (BSD) Sandia National Laboratories Binary Solvent Diffusion (BSD) enables the production of new materials with better performance and structure control while reducing costs, enhancing properties and allowing direct integration of devices. It represents a new paradigm for producing functionally designed supercrystals with significant flexibility in control of materials architecture and property as well as direct integration of nanoelectronic devices such as chemical sensors and nanoantennas. The cross-disciplinary, economic and logistic benefits of these new processes promise widespread impact for BSD. News media recently highlighted BSD in the Sandia Lab News, Global Intergold, Albuquerque Journal, and DOE Science News Source. This technology development captured the 2019 Materials Research Society Mid-Career Researcher Award won by the principle investigator Dr. Hongyou Fan. Sandia pioneered the development of this technology with a filed patent and highprofile publications, including an article in Nature Communications. BSD provides a novel strategy for improving performance with low cost by optimizing the design at nanoscale with desirable features for a variety of applications, realizing a profound impact on the world of nanoelectronics and the devices that rely on them. R&D WORLD | NOVEMBER 2020

2020

PROCESS/PROTOTYPING WINNERS

Electric Thermal Energy Storage – Key Element for the Energy Transition Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy The energy system is currently facing several challenges, including grid stability problems, the curtailment of renewable energy (RE), security of supply and an imbalance between supply and demand in the RE generation. The aim of Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy’s Electric Thermal Energy Storage (ETES) makes it possible to increase the share of RE in total electricity generation is to counteract these challenges and thus to advance the energy transition. Due to the regionally uneven distribution of RE, an increased grid expansion is necessary. Energy storage enables base load capability of RE and increases grid stability. In times of high REgeneration, in which the grid reaches its capacity limits, RE are switched off, causing financial losses for the RE operator and/or for the end user. ETES reduces such financial losses storing electricity in periods of over-capacity and feeding it into the grid in times of RE production. In addition, ETES increases the flexibility of conventional steam-power-processes, but also the conversion of conventional power plants into emission-free energy storage systems, thus ensuring ETES future security of supply and gives conventional power plants a second life.

TEPEZZA Horizon Therapeutics

Ultrasonic ExtractionReaction Process System for Optimal Distilled Spirits Persedo Started by the founder’s father working with a simple vacuum system, Persedo recruited a team of scientists to transform and develop the Ultrasonic ExtractionReaction Process System for Optimal Distilled Spirits technology with scientific innovations. In developing the technology, Persedo progressed stepwise from multiple lab bench systems. The distillation-partner technology the company has developed represents a 10-year research effort lead by a Ph.D. chemist who was an Apollo 11 scientist and a 3-time winner of NASA’s inventor of the year award, who is also a micro-encapsulation expert and author of over 50 patents and disclosures. In bringing the technology to a commercial reality, Persedo recruited a M.B.A. process engineer who led a team which included the company’s founder, an original scientific patent holder and technology contractors. The process is a revolutionary game-changer for the spirits industry, capable of upgrading and enhancing average spirits to premium quality and enabling distillers to focus on blending and composition without the distractions of off-flavors and aromas which mask the true character of a spirit.

Thyroid Eye Disease (TED), a serious, progressive, vision-threatening rare autoimmune disease that affects a small patient population, causes serious damage including proptosis (eye bulging), strabismus (misalignment of the eyes) and diplopia (double vision) and in some cases can lead to blindness. Until the FDA approval of TEPEZZA, TED patients had no approved options for treatment and received palliative therapy. Patients had to live with the condition until the inflammation subsided, after which they were often left with permanent vision-impairing consequences. Multiple complex surgeries were often required for TED patients. In order to combat this disease, Horizon developed TEPEZZA and took the unique approach of educating health care practitioners on its use as a biologic. With a 6-month course of TEPEZZA showing long-term durability, the novel infused biologic therapy administered to patients once every three weeks – a total of eight infusions – demonstrated strong efficacy, with 82.9% of patients achieving needed proptosis reduction. Only 11 days after TEPEZZA was approved, the first patient was treated, beginning a new era in TED treatment.

R&D WORLD | NOVEMBER 2020

WWW.RDWORLDONLINE.COM

2020

PROCESS/PROTOTYPING WINNERS

HP Jet Fusion 5200 Series 3D Printing Solution

ShAPE (Shear Assisted Processing and Extrusion)

HP 3D Printing

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

3D printing has been around for decades, with a lot of hype around its potential, but has remained mainly in the prototyping space. The HP Jet Fusion 5200 Series 3D Printing Solution, from HP 3D Printing, brings 3D printing quality and productivity to a level that rivals or can be easily combined with traditional manufacturing. The solution brings together new systems, data intelligence, software, services and materials innovations enabling customers to scale their 3D production and target business growth, or to create completely new business models. Leveraging these innovations, the new solution expands manufacturing predictability with high-quality and optimal-yield of parts at industrial levels of efficiency, accuracy and repeatability; delivers best-in-class economics and productivity for production environments; and provides the increased flexibility, improved uptime, streamlined workflows and simplified fleet management required for factory production settings. New data intelligence, software and services capabilities, including the HP 3D Process Control and HP 3D Center software offerings and the HP 3D Parts Assessment service, enable customers to achieve new heights of operational efficiency, repeatability, identify and optimize production of new 3D applications.

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ShAPE (Shear Assisted Processing and Extrusion), from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, is a revolutionary new manufacturing process for a new generation of high-performance materials. Because ShAPE is radically different from conventional extrusion methods — eliminating the need for heating and melting to alloy and form metal products — it offers a scalable pathway to entirely new metals, with a combination of performance characteristics never before reported. ShAPE is also a greener manufacturing process, consuming less energy and emitting fewer greenhouse gases than conventional extrusion of equivalent products. And the benefits of ShAPE are not limited to new metal alloys: conventional metal products also show markedly improved performance and reduced environmental footprint when extruded by ShAPE. Because it is a truly innovative approach to manufacturing, metals producers and end users from industries spanning the breadth of the automotive, aerospace and energy sectors, have joined forces with PNNL to understand how ShAPE can deliver solutions for their specific product needs. The results prove again and again that ShAPE is better, cheaper and greener.

R&D WORLD | NOVEMBER 2020

• 2019 • 2020

WINNER FINALIST

Congratulations to LLNL’s R&D100 Award Winner and Finalist

Versatile Cold Spray

Easy-to-use coating device to deposit highdensity, functional materials to produce energy harvesting devices or magnets in almost any setting.

• 2019 • 2020

FINALIST FINALIST

MFEM

Open-source software library to produce advanced algorithms for highly accurate simulations of ﬂuid ﬂow, heat transfer, electromagnetics, and more.

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY ON A MISSION

COVID-19

Researchers and partner BioMedInnovations developed a portable ventilator using parts outside the industry supply chain and secured FDA approval for emergency use.

LLNL joined the COVID-19 High Performance Computing Consortium, which empowers researchers around the world to accelerate their understanding of the virus.

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) strengthens the nation’s security by developing and applying world-class science and engineering. In 2020, LLNL joined the worldwide ﬁght to address the COVID-19 pandemic as a science and technology resource to the U.S. government, industry, and academia.

“We conduct research for solutions to national problems, year in and year out, but LLNL shines when there’s a critical need for solutions to important challenges. That’s something within the DNA of the Laboratory.”

Bio-Rad Laboratories developed a sensitive COVID-19 test kit based on Droplet Digital PCR technology licensed from LLNL and commercialized for DNA analysis.

A rapid-response team tested 3D-printed nasal swab designs from commercial and academic partners, providing feedback on swabs to meet COVID-19 testing needs.

~ RICH RANKIN LLNL Innovation and Partnerships Ofﬁce Director

Bioscientists and bioengineers on a multi-lab team are updating the Lawrence Livermore Microbial Detection Array for accurate detection of the coronavirus.

This work was performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under Contract DE-AC52-07NA27344. | TID-60316

The Innovation and Partnerships Ofﬁce developed express licenses enabling deployment of LLNL innovations for COVID-19-related applications.

2020

SOFTWARE/SERVICES WINNERS

The Resilience Planning and Analysis Tool (RAPT)

Crop Artificial Intelligence Quotient (Crop AIQ)

Argonne National Laboratory

Idaho National Laboratory

Impacts from large disasters can spread across cities and regions through interconnected infrastructure systems, affecting vulnerable populations more acutely. While many jurisdictions have their own resilience-related analysis tools, the underlying methodologies may not be accessible. This prompted the Argonne National Laboratory team to develop a tool incorporating the resilience indicators validated by scientific consensus. The Resilience Planning and Analysis Tool (RAPT) enables emergency managers to see relationships among indicators, examine risk vs. resilience and communicate more effectively with at-risk populations. Having these data layers housed within one tool helps EMs to better address resilience barriers. Since spring, FEMA has trained nearly 3,500 people via webinars on its use, most recently at the start of hurricane season. The USACE used RAPT in its strategic contingency contracting process in determining likely locations for alternate care facilities (e.g., pop-up hospitals) during COVID; and the NWS’s chief meteorologist has noted that RAPT identifies new issues and underlying problems that would hinder resilience. RAPT use is clearly resonating within the resilience community.

Researchers from Idaho National Laboratory have developed Crop Artificial Intelligence Quotient (Crop AIQ) to provide a vital function: agricultural performance assessments that allow land managers to make more informed decisions about how they grow plants for food, feed, fiber and fuel. The tool gives farmers the ability to generate an accurate yield map without having to rely on harvester data, the only other way to produce such a map. A yield map is fundamental to precision agriculture and integrated land management. It is also basic to maximizing agriculture productivity and profitability, while minimizing environmental impact. One research study in four counties found that farmers could significantly increase their annual biomass production – from nearly double to 21 times more – by planting energy crops on unprofitable land. To fully achieve the gains highlighted in the study, farmers would need to adopt precision agriculture made possible by Crop AIQ.

M2R2 CLLBC Multimode Radioisotope Identification Detector (RIID) Kromek Group The M2R2 CLLBC Multimode Radioisotope Identification Detector (RIID), from the Kromek Group, is the first product of its kind incorporating the dual-mode, gamma-neutron sensitive CLLBC crystal. This next generation material, developed by RMD, previously won this award and this is the first instrument to move the technology from material to product. The M2R2 is an all-in-one, high-performance medium resolution RIID, designed for full ANSI 42.34 compliance and DNDO Technical Capability Standard compliance beyond anything currently available for SNM identification. The device is integrated into Military Standards, suitable for a wide variety of applications; from commercial security to DHS programs, to DoD operations for search, identification and characterization of radioactive materials in support of countering nuclear threats and mitigating human exposure to radioactivity. By leveraging new detection technologies and the world-leading PCS algorithm, the device introduces new features such as continuous isotope ID, while maintaining a small form factor and weight and a low lifetime operational cost. The longevity and stability of kit ensures minimal disruption in both commercial and military operations.

R&D WORLD | NOVEMBER 2020

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2020

SOFTWARE/SERVICES WINNERS

TIDE (Threat Identification, Determination and Evaluation) Argonne National Laboratory TIDE (Threat Identification, Determination and Evaluation), developed by Argonne National Laboratory, is the most comprehensive, generally applicable and thoroughly vetted facility threat assessment tool available today. TIDE provides security professionals with a more effective, efficient and cost-effective way to evaluate threats to facilities, and to identify threat-specific mitigation options. Moreover, TIDE provides a more customized, defensible and repeatable threat assessment that security professionals can use with confidence when making their recommendations to stakeholders. The TIDE solution eliminates the subjective or text-based evaluations of threat often found with other approaches. TIDE ensures that the issue of threat is addressed at the beginning of an assessment process. This allows security professionals to immediately finalize any mitigation recommendations based on likely threats, rather than waiting for a written report, or worse, making their mitigation recommendations prior to arrival of the threat assessment. TIDE ensures that facilities can maximize their security postures with available resources.

• 2019 • 2020

We are honored to be an R&D 100 Award Winner in the Process/Prototyping category for our

ULTRASONIC EXTRACTION-REACTION PROCESS FOR OPTIMAL DISTILLED SPIRITS. The Persedo process is a revolutionary game-changer for the spirits industry, with its ability to improve the quality of spirits without the alcohol losses associated with traditional rectification methods. Persedo equipment enables distillers to focus on their craft without the frustrating impediments of off -flavors and impurities that co-distill and contaminate the end product.

WINNER FINALIST

RICKY FORD

PRESIDENT / CEO

The distillation-partner technology was developed as a result of a 10-year research effort led by a Ph.D. Chemist who was an Apollo 11 scientist, a 3-time winner of NASA’s inventor of the year award and is the author of over 50 patents and disclosures.

BENJAMIN MOSIER, PH.D. RESEARCH DIRECTOR

GREG GEORGE

SR. STAFF CHEMIST

JEREMY MEADOWS SR. STAFF ENGINEER

STEVE DEARTH

OPERATIONS MANAGER

P E R S E D O • 5 3 1 8 F M 5 17 B U I L D I N G C • A LV I N , T E X A S 7 75 1 1

JENNY HOLLAND COWAN BEVERAGE SPECIALIST

2020

SOFTWARE/SERVICES WINNERS

Production Decision Support System (PDSS) with Digital Twins Solution for Bicycle Industry Institute for Information Industry The Production Decision Support System (PDSS) with Digital Twins Solution for Bicycle Industry is a quality inspection system for Taiwan’s bicycle industry developed by the Institute for Information Industry. Driven by a digital twin quality decision support system, it is slated to help Taiwan return to its bicycle A-team glory days and push forward the development of the bicycle industry. This solution narrows the three gaps in the bicycle industry: information, equipment and process. SMEs have limited capital, resulting in the inability to digitize the production line due to outdated equipment and know-how. PDSS links different machines, allows data visualization, and enables smart manufacturing without having to replace existing equipment and production processes; adopts aggressive quality control in place of passive manual sampling; and uses the digital twin prediction model to reduce the implementation cost and time by a large margin, which signiﬁcantly improves the production efﬁciency and reduces the defect rate to successfully transform the bicycle industry. In 2019, the turnover of Taiwan’s bicycle parts industry reached a historical high of $2.39 bil, registering a 9.23% growth.

Building Efficiency Targeting Tool for Energy Retrofits (BETTER) Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Buildings represent 40% of the world’s primary energy use and are the second-largest source of carbon dioxide emissions. However, global building energy use can be reduced by one-half if energy efficiency (EE) equipment and systems are implemented at scale. To speed those reductions, the Building Efficiency Targeting Tool for Energy Retrofits (BETTER), developed by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, enables building operators worldwide to quickly, easily identify the most effective cost-saving EE measures using readily available building and energy data. Its novel open-source, data-driven analytical engine and user-friendly web application allow users to automatically analyze those data in response to weather conditions. With minimal computing resources and minimal data entry, it benchmarks a building’s or portfolio’s energy use against peers in a single run; quantifies energy, cost and greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction potential for investors; and recommends EE improvements for individual buildings or portfolios, targeting specific energy savings levels. No other tool so comprehensively analyzes buildings and portfolios with such ease. If fully implemented, BETTER could reduce about 0.92 quads of site energy use and 165.8 megatons of carbon dioxide equivalent by 2030.

LAVA: Large-Scale Vulnerability Addition MIT Lincoln Laboratory

Work on automating software vulnerability discovery has long been hampered by a shortage of ground truth corpora with which to evaluate tools and techniques. This lack of ground truth prevents authors and users of tools from being able to measure fundamental quantities such as the miss and false alarm rates of bug-ﬁnding systems. Large-scale Automated Vulnerability Addition (LAVA), developed by MIT Lincoln Laboratory, is a novel system based on dynamic taint analysis that is capable of producing ground truth corpora by quickly and automatically injecting large numbers of realistic bugs into program source code. Every LAVA bug is accompanied by an input that triggers it, whereas normal inputs are extremely unlikely to do so. LAVA-generated vulnerabilities are synthetic but still realistic, as they are embedded deep within programs and triggered by real inputs. LAVA forms the basis of an approach for generating large ground truth vulnerability corpora on demand, enabling rigorous tool evaluation and providing a high-quality target for tool developers.

R&D WORLD | NOVEMBER 2020

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2020

SOFTWARE/SERVICES WINNERS

Thermo Scientific Chromeleon 7.3 Chromatography Data System

Keylime MIT Lincoln Laboratory

Thermo Fisher Scientific The Thermo Scientific Chromeleon 7.3 CDS software can be seamlessly scaled from the workstation to global enterprise deployment. Flexibility is also provided by multivendor control and support of over 525 different instrument modules. The cloud-based two-click eWorkflow system captures all the unique aspects of a chromatography or MS workflow, and guides the operator through a minimal number of choices. This means productivity is increased and out-of-specification results are decreased. With a range of adaptable workflow templates that can be customized to the laboratory needs, new eWorkflows can be created quickly and easily, facilitating efficient sample analysis. Secure, administratorcontrolled user permissions ensure data integrity and compliance with GxP and 21 CFR Part 11. This makes it easier than ever to keep up with ever-evolving standards and regulations. Simple standardization across your systems reduces administrative costs, while adding to laboratory efficiency gains, meeting the needs of both laboratory scientists and IT experts.

Tracktable Sandia National Laboratories Previous methods for analyzing trajectories were focused on complex one-to-one geometric comparisons using curve alignment. This limited both the type and number of trajectories that could be analyzed. Sandia National Laboratory developed, Tracktable’s patented representation techniques dramatically increase this limit from hours or days of data to many years. This enables analysis of patterns of activity that aren’t even visible with previous approaches. Moreover, Tracktable’s expressive analysis capability helps the computer identify things worth users’ attention instead of requiring them to forage through a mountain of noise in the hope of finding scarce signals. In addition to national security applications, we have applied Tracktable to the problem of eye tracking: where is the user’s gaze focused on a screen? The shapes of gaze patterns respond to the same sorts of analysis as moving objects. Tracktable applies in any field where motion data is common. With GPS data now ubiquitous, this includes wildlife tracking, traffic analysis, airspace management, and even comparing runners’ daily meanderings. Tracktable’s expressive power and scalability provide the next generation of capability for trajectory analysis applications.

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Keylime, developed by MIT Lincoln Laboratory, is a free, open-source key bootstrapping and integrity management software architecture designed to increase the security and privacy of Edge/Cloud and Internet of Things (IoT) devices. Keylime enables users to securely bootstrap secrets (e.g., cryptographic keys, passwords and certiﬁcates) without divulging them unnecessarily and to continuously verify trust in their computing resources without needing to rely on trusting their cloud provider. The Keylime software architecture ensures four crucial features for enabling security: •

•

Using a hardware root of trust. A user-veriﬁable hardware root of trust allows a system to attest its state as early in the boot process as possible. Allowing for tenant-controlled keys. Tenantcontrolled keys allow users to provision their machines without divulging these secrets to the provider. Maintaining cloud scalability. Cloud security solutions should be able to scale to support thousands of machines. Maintaining cloud compatibility. Users should not need to redesign their software or be limited to non-virtualized environments. Keylime is able to achieve all four of these critical properties without sacriﬁcing performance, scalability or support.

R&D WORLD | NOVEMBER 2020

2020

SOFTWARE/SERVICES WINNERS

nanoHUB: Making simulation and data pervasive

Rapid Analytics for Disaster Response (RADR)

Purdue University

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

In 2002 nanoHUB offered online simulations to a small group of friendly users. Since then it has grown to 18,000 users per year, connecting research grade software, data science tools and data repositories to their end users: domain experts, instructors and student. nanoHUB, from Purdue University, accelerates innovation by making scientific software and associated data available and useful to research, development and education communities, removing traditional barriers of computational expertise and access to specialized hardware. It does so by enabling simulation software developers to easily transform their products into Apps that run in the cloud with a simple interface presented through a web-browser. Thus, domain experts can focus on the application of these products to advance their fields. nanoHUB.org has changed how people from around the world consume simulation and data. It serves over 18,000 annual simulation users who perform over 1 million simulations using more than 600 online apps driven by powerful scientific software. In addition, 2 million worldwide visitors access nanHUB’s 7,000 online resources, including seminars, cutting-edge courses, animations and teaching materials.

Rapid Analytics for Disaster Response (RADR), developed by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, is the only known deployable damage assessment software suite that brings together combinations of government and commercial satellite and airborne imagery resources to produce damage analytics for a wide range of events — floods, hurricanes, tornados and earthquakes — in targeted areas. Information is typically captured within eight hours of an event and three to six times faster than traditional methods — providing utilities, energy providers, disaster managers, and first responders with a capability that allows for rapid recovery of lifeline critical infrastructure. RADR can be deployed at multiple scales — from homes, substations and plants to communities and municipalities, to utility service areas and regional energy providers. The technology minimizes the number and expertise of personnel required, versus expert teams required by similar software. RADR has the ability to use multiple imagery and sensor platforms to rapidly provide damage assessment to utilities and others in all weather conditions, at various scales, and with minimal personnel and expertise.

Handheld Sensor for Screening Crop Quality Ohio Soybean Council (OSC) The traditional method for evaluating crop quality is to send samples to a lab for testing, which is costly and time-consuming. The agriculture industry has a clear need for a user-friendly technology that provides crop composition analysis — i.e., quality evaluation — in situ and at a reasonable price. The NIRCrop Scanner, Handheld Sensor for Screening Crop Quality, meets that demand. The process is quick, simple and inexpensive. It allows farmers to evaluate their own products’ quality — on the spot and within seconds. The technology uses NIR spectroscopy to detect protein, starch, amino acids and a range of other nutrients. The device can be operated with a smartphone app, has an easy-to-use interface and generates results in a clear format. Farmers, crop distributors and food producers can all beneﬁt from this technology. Farmers can make informed and timely decisions to improve the quality of the harvest, and the technology can also be used at point of sale.

R&D WORLD | NOVEMBER 2020

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2020

SOFTWARE/SERVICES WINNERS

Regional Energy Deployment System 2.0 National Renewable Energy Laboratory As a state-of-the-art capacity expansion planning model, Regional Energy Deployment System (ReEDS) 2.0 provides unprecedented insight into how policy, economic, technology and regulatory variables will shape the transformation of the sector through 2050. ReEDS 2.0 empowers more users to make better-informed decisions that are pivotal to power system optimization because: It is freely available; has the highest spatial resolution of models of its class; incorporates NREL’s rich renewable energy geospatial data sets at high resolution; is sophisticated in its treatment of renewable energy integration issues. It also has earned the confidence of a diverse set of power system stakeholders. More than 400 people from more than 250 organizations — including universities, utilities, government agencies, financial institutions, nonprofit organizations, and software companies — have requested access to ReEDS2.0 since its public release. “ReEDS has been one of the main tools for understanding how climate and clean energy policy would reduce CO2 emissions, impact overall electric system cost and change the electricity generation mix on a granular level,” said Sandra Sattler, Senior Energy Modeler, Union of Concerned Scientists.

Illuminating innovations

For optically clear protection — especially in harsh conditions — we have a cost-effective, robust encapsulant for LED luminaires. Award-winning, patented DOWSIL™ EI-2888 Primerless Silicone Encapsulant protects your lighting from moisture and surface contaminants. It’s ideal for indoor and outdoor LED lighting, outdoor displays, explosion-proof lighting and flexible or rigid LED strips. With long-term performance, easy processing and material flexibility, this technology will help light up the world. How can we help with your LED lighting? Find out more at dow.com/lighting.

• 2019 • 2020

WINNER FINALIST

DOWSIL™ EI-2888 Primerless Silicone Encapsulant

2020

SOFTWARE/SERVICES WINNERS

CyberPow: Cyber Sensing for Power Outage Detection MIT Lincoln Laboratory MIT Lincoln Laboratory’s CyberPow: Cyber Sensing for Power Outage Detection uses pervasive, Internet-connected devices as an alternative sensing network to rapidly estimate and map the extent and location of power outages across geographic boundaries without needing to rely on electric utilities to produce near real-time situational awareness, enabling more timely and effective post-disaster decision making and resource prioritization. It provides a single, easily understood source of power status data in one consistent format. The method, which is complementary to existing solutions and addresses many of their shortcomings, is low cost and easily scalable with cloud computing services. CyberPow has provided real-time results upon request to government responders, such as FEMA and the Massachusetts Air National Guard, during multiple large-scale events to aid response efforts and resource prioritization, such as informing daily search-andrescue plans. Additionally, CyberPow has the potential to provide multiple market segments and use cases with previously unavailable access to power status data, which can be correlated with other data to enable new insights.

FAST 3D Camera for optimized radiation dose and image quality in Computed Tomography Siemens Healthineers The Siemens Healthineers FAST 3D Camera supports technologists in their daily clinical routine by helping to reduce the variabilities in patient positioning on the CT bed. It optimizes radiation dose and achieves improved, more standardized image quality through reduced image noise caused by isocenter misalignment. It helps reduce patient mispositioning resulting in wrong topogram acquisitions and, thus, unnecessary rescanning and overdosing of patients. It allows technologist to focus less on the machine and more on the patient’s needs and experience using the mobile tablet workflow to perform the patient positioning steps. And it increases their efficiency in preparing and positioning patients for examinations in combination with the mobile workflow To summarize, the Siemens Healthineers FAST 3D Camera is composed of a wide range of AI-driven technologies that address numerous challenges that technologists were facing in their daily working routine while improving the overall patient experience with more personalized care. Customers and organizations have recognized it as a significant technological advancement contributing to the better acquisition and quality of clinical images.

SeedMeLab – A branded data repository for teams San Diego Supercomputer Center, University of California, San Diego Data growth and collaboration needs have turned data management into a complex and unpleasant undertaking. Often data lives on a filesystem, its context is in someone’s memory and its discussion spread in multiple email chains. This fragmentation curtails data use or reuse, impedes progress and reduces knowledge retention over time. SeedMeLab, developed by San Diego Supercomputer Center, UC San Diego, overcomes these obstacles with a rich data management platform that features an extensible filesystem and API. It enables users to express the data with annotated context along with discussions. Flexible data layout and visualization aid in data presentation and discovery. Custom branding adds a new recognition vector for data and its stakeholder. SeedMeLab unifies data, description, discussion, display and discovery in one spot. This is an innovative way to grapple rising data growth where new tools are essential to harness and share insights from them.

R&D WORLD | NOVEMBER 2020

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2020

SOFTWARE/SERVICES WINNERS

EW Test System (EWTS) for System Performance and Real Time Analysis (SPARTA) Southwest Research Institute System Performance and Real Time Analysis (SPARTA), from Southwest Research Institute, represents a leap forward in electronic countermeasures (ECM) processing, analysis, visualization and reporting capabilities. It can measure parameters that competitive products cannot. Customers especially like the out-of-limit notifications, error tables and visualization presented via interactive video graphs. To meet complex test needs, SPARTA has simulated 50 signal-emitters with over one million pulses per second within a 500 MHz span to replicate today’s congested electromagnetic environments. SPARTA provides more than just an automated pass or fail of individual parameters; it also allows engineers to further determine the cause of the failure in their system with a drill down capability to the pulse or sample level. This allows a quick diagnosis of failures early in the acquisition or sustainment processes saving total costs and minimizing time to get systems onto the war-fighters’ aircrafts. SPARTA is more than just a testing tool — it also functions as a visualization platform that can be used for testing/simulation/reporting. We often build tailored report modules as needed. These clear-cut competitive advantages place SPARTA as the leader in the test and evaluation arena.

Timely Randomization Applied to Commodity Executables at Runtime (TRACER)

FOVEA (Forensic Video Exploitation and Analysis) Tool Suite

MIT Lincoln Laboratory

Sophisticated, modern cyberattacks that hijack the control of a machine remotely heavily rely on the static and homogeneous nature of computer systems. Researchers at MIT Lincoln Laboratory developed Timely Randomization Applied to Commodity Executables at Runtime TRACER, a patented technology to prevent such attacks in closed-source commodity applications running on top of Windows operating system by automatically and transparently randomizing their key internal data and layout. Since vulnerable applications can leak how their internals have been randomized, it is crucial to continuously re-randomize these values. A time-based rerandomization would still be vulnerable because the leakage and the attack can happen within a short period of time. As such, TRACER implements an output-based re-randomization strategy to thwart a potential attacker. With this re-randomization strategy, any information leaked by the application will be stale when attackers attempt to exploit it. TRACER is lightweight, seamless to use and easy to install. It is sold as part of a security suite by Polyverse and is the recipient of MIT Lincoln Laboratory’s 2019 Best Invention Award.

The FOVEA tool suite, MIT Lincoln Laboratory, addresses a major capability gap in video surveillance systems: efficient forensic review and investigation. Once integrated with a video management system, the analytics can be applied to any camera feed without any additional hardware or need for preprocessing the video data. FOVEA acts as a force-multiplier for security operators by reducing workload and mental burden. The tools provide capabilities that are not available in any commercial systems, such as new methods of navigating between cameras, or creating composite videos from multiple camera views. The tools are flexible and can be used on many scene types and for unpredictable tasks, unlike commercial solutions that are generally limited to detection of people and vehicles. FOVEA has been deployed in operational environments at several mass transit systems, including Washington, DC. Ongoing evaluation at these sites has resulted in faster alarm resolution and investigation. Additionally, laboratory experiments have shown significant time savings ranging from 2-300x. Complex tasks that usually take hours can be completed on the order of minutes when using the FOVEA tool suite.

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R&D WORLD | NOVEMBER 2020

2020

SOFTWARE/SERVICES WINNERS

The Institute for Design of Advanced Energy Systems Integrated Platform (IDAES) PSE Computational Platform U.S. Department of Energy, National Energy Technology Laboratory Over the next decade, hundreds of billions of dollars will be invested in new 21st century energy systems and processes that are more dynamic and interconnected than ever before. The Institute for Design of Advanced Energy Systems Integrated Platform (IDAES), developed by U.S. Department of Energy and the National Energy Technology Laboratory, helps companies, technology developers and researchers to model, design and optimize these complex systems, potentially resulting in tens of billions of dollars in savings. As an equation-oriented, optimization-based integrated process modeling platform, IDAES enables rigorous analysis of multi-scale, dynamic processes and operating scenarios to improve efficiency of existing systems and develop next-generation energy systems. IDAES has thousands of downloads and an active, growing global user community from multiple industries. Since its release in March 2019, IDAES has demonstrated significant impacts through its unique capabilities.

High-density Evaluator of COTS Applications for Trust and Efficacy (HECATE) Sandia National Laboratories Recent advances in adversary sophistication have led to targeting the software supply chain to inject malicious code into trusted software applications, subverting visibility to developers and users alike. As Hecate was a protector in Greek mythology, such is Sandia’s HECATE platform, protecting organizations by assessing the risk of commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) applications before they hit the enterprise. Unlike other products that rely solely on the availability of source code to assess supply-chain risk, HECATE’s rigor in generating a software risk profile is amplified through a multifaceted approach to accumulate trust in both compiled COTS and open source software. HECATE assesses software from a system-wide context, curating a list of indicators that enables continual and repeatable measurement of software. These outputs describe a software’s execution and facilitates a full-spectrum analytic capability to aid risk owners, developers and analysts. Essentially, HECATE helps them x-ray their software. The culmination of all these features under the HECATE platform is a novel and critical capability that does not exist in the software supply chain market space today.

A Smart-Care Solution for Chronic Wound, iSCare Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) Chronic wounds have devastating consequences for patients and contribute to billions of dollars in healthcare costs. Diabetic ulcers have the highest growth rate amongst the global population with wounds and require frequent observation to prevent them from becoming chronic. Fifteen percent of diabetic patients will experience at least one diabetic ulcer in a lifetime. Each year, approximately 3% of diabetic patients are faced with diabetic ulcers, amongst these, 6% of the patients need to be hospitalized. Moreover, the combined growth rate for the population with pressure and venous ulcers worldwide is 13.6%. A Smart-Care Solution for Chronic Wound (iSCare), from Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI), is a multi-sensing device integrating colored, thermal and 3D images, providing rash and swelling as well as blood circulation data from the surface of the wound to 2 mm under the epidermis, capable of remote and zero-contact measurement with a latency of one second and an accuracy of 85%, thereby significantly reducing the pressure on insufficient hospital medical personnel while providing patients with adequate medical treatment care.

R&D WORLD | NOVEMBER 2020

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2020

SOFTWARE/SERVICES WINNERS

CURENT Large Scale Testbed (LTB) CURENT Research Center The CURENT Large Scale Testbed (LTB), from CURENT Research Center, is the first of its kind to provide a virtual electric power grid for researchers to experiment with closed-loop controls and algorithms. Research and application ideas can be quickly and seamlessly integrated for verification in this virtual power system. Without CURENT LTB, researchers have to either write a set of additional ad-hoc scripts or manually link multiple tools. Then, they can form a manually operated closed-loop environment or have to run an “open-loop” study without feedback. The CURENT LTB behaves precisely like a virtual power grid with closed-loop capability such that researchers can test their algorithms or controls (as modules or components in the overall CURENT LTB loop) for fast testing and prototyping. Everything is automated with one or a few button-clicks instead of tedious manual operations. The CURENT LTB also integrates power system simulation with communication network emulation to accurately simulate a modern cyber-physical power system with both power flow and information flow. The CURENT LTB is the only open platform available for cyber-physical power system simulation. B:9.25" T:9" S:8.5"

A F T E R T H I S, R&D WI L L H AV E TO I N V E N T N E W WAY S T O C E L E B R AT E . General Motors is proud to celebrate our Research and Development team, winners of this year’s R&D 100 Award. Thank you for continuing to bring us closer to our goal of Zero Crashes, Zero Emissions and Zero Congestion.

S:4.75"

2020

FINALISTS

ANALYTICAL/TEST

The AngioVac System – Gen 3, AngioDynamics Axalta LiDAR Gonio-Retroreflectometer System (ALGRS), Axalta Coating D8 DISCOVER Plus, Bruker AXS, affiliated company of Bruker Corp. Systems Navigator-100, the High-throughput SEM, Focus e-Beam Technology (Beijing) 3D Printed Auxetic Scaffold System (3D-PASS), Georgia Tech Manufacturing Institute, Georgia Institute of Technology AFSEM Nano, GETec Microscopy i3 Terrain, Identification International The world’s first wireless handheld laser scanner, Leica Geosystems, part of Hexagon Electrochemical Hydrogen Contamination Detector, Los Alamos National Laboratory Open Body Area Network (OBAN) Physiological Status Monitor (PSM), MIT Lincoln Laboratory Multi-look Airborne Collector for Human Encampment and Terrain Extraction (MACHETE) 2.0, MIT Lincoln Laboratory LA-dropletProbe, Oak Ridge National Laboratory Precision Optical Wind System (POWS), Sandia National Laboratories Breezing Metabolic Analyzer, TF Health (d.b.a. Breezing Co.) Invitrogen Qubit Flex Fluorometer, Thermo Fisher Scientific Thermo Scientific VeriSpray PaperSpray ion source, Thermo Fisher Scientific High-throughput Sequential Excitation, University of Washington

IT/TECHNICAL

UDE: iPad-based Picture Archiving and Communication System, EBM Technologies Scalable and Cost-Effective Smartphone Application Streaming, Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) Software-Orchestrated Flash Array (SOFA) with High Random Write Performance, Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) iServCloud: The Hybrid Cloud Management Platform, Institute for Information Industry Optical Building Sensors for Real-time Visualization of Earthquake Damage (OBSERVED), Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory The Neutron and Gamma Ray Source Localization and Mapping Platform, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Fairyview – Aerial-view Video Synthesis Technology, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation OptGrid for Distributed Energy Management, National Renewable Energy Laboratory

MECHANICAL/MATERIALS

DOWSIL CE-1607 Silicone Emulsion, Dow Dow SPECFLEX Microcellular Polyurethanes, Dow ENGAGE TR Polyolefin Elastomers, Dow Packaging and Specialty Plastics HeatGard High Performance Geomembranes, Dow Packaging and Specialty Plastics DOWSIL TC-3065 Thermal Conductive Silicone Gel, Dow Performance Silicones New Generation DOWSIL 993N Structural Glazing Sealant for Glass Curtain Wall, Dow Performance Silicones AMPLIFY Si PE 1000 Polymer System, Dow Silicones Corporation BETAFORCE 2800 TC for the Audi e-tron battery, DuPont Transportation & Industrial Delrin SC698, E.I. DuPont (Transportation and Industrial) CellSage-KTA (Kinetic & Transient Analyses), Idaho National Laboratory The innovative microbial dyes, MetabColor, Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) Ultra-high Energy Density Flywheel Battery, UED-FB, Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) Artificial Surface Modification (ASM) for Agile Surface Quality Inspection, Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) Flue Gas CO2 Capturing & Utilization technology, FG2CU, Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) Oleo-Furan Surfactants Made from Renewable Biomass, Los Alamos National Laboratory Westex DH Air – Lightweight Arc Resistant Protective Fabric, Milliken & Company Continuous Heating Technology for Air Conditioners, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation

R&D WORLD | NOVEMBER 2020

Super Deep Stress Reactor for Mineral and Energy Recoveries, Advanced Technology R&D Center Bio-mimic, Non-porous and Breathable Wig Cap, Monash University Nano and Advanced Materials Institute Application-Targeted Nanoprecipitate-Strengthened Aluminum Alloys Designed for Additive Manufacturing, NanoAL LLC Fully Renewable Non-Isocyanate Polyurethane Polymers from Bio-Derived Oils and Amino Acids, National Renewable Energy Laboratory A Superlubricity Coating Composed of Vertically Aligned Carbon Nanotubes, Oak Ridge National Laboratory Slitted electrode/current collector components for safer lithium-ion batteries, Oak Ridge National Laboratory PPG CORATHERM Thermal Gap Fillers, PPG Next generation SILASTIC LTC 9400 Low Temperature Cure Liquid Silicone Rubber, The Dow Chemical Company WALOCEL M120-01 Cellulose Ether, The Dow Chemical Company DuPontTM Zytel HTN42G30EF high performance polyamide resin, Transportation and Industrial, DuPont Enhancing Chemical Resistance and Durability for Industrial Shipping Drums using Univation’s ACCLAIM High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) Resin with the UNIPOL PE Process, Univation Technologies, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Dow Chemical Company Radiative cooling wood, University of Maryland Energy Harvesting Backpack for Military and Outdoor Applications, Virginia Tech

PROCESS/PROTOTYPING

EPiTRI full-thickness skin printing system, Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) Economically converting wet waste to fuels, Idaho National Laboratory 3D Intelligent Electro Chemical Machining System Technology, Metal Industries Research & Development Centre (MIRDC) Manufacturing Recyclable Wind Turbine Blades with the Thermoplastic Resin System, National Renewable Energy Laboratory A low-cost manufacturing process for hollow silica particles, Oak Ridge National Laboratory HEX-Packing, Oak Ridge National Laboratory PrintCast Metal-Metal Composites, Oak Ridge National Laboratory

SOFTWARE/SERVICES

Preventing Catastrophic Failure from Fracture Using Ansys SMART Simulation, Ansys Battery Performance and Cost (BatPaC) Model, Argonne National Laboratory Software Defined Networking Multiple Operating System Rotational Environment (SMORE), Argonne National Laboratory Argobots: A Lightweight and Highly Flexible Threading Framework, Argonne National Laboratory PK Submit, Certara The ESnet Portal, ESnet, the U.S. Department of Energy’s Energy Sciences Network OpDefender, Idaho National Laboratory Route Operable Unmanned Navigation of Drones (ROUNDS), Idaho National Laboratory MFEM: Advanced Simulation Algorithms for HPC Applications, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory DOZN – An Industry-First Quantitative Green Chemistry Tool, MilliporeSigma Over-Water Reconnaissance Coordination AI (ORCA), MIT Lincoln Laboratory Energy Resilience Assessment (ERA) Tool, MIT Lincoln Laboratory Augmented Annotation System, MIT Lincoln Laboratory URBANopt: Community- and District-Scale Energy Modeling for an Interconnected Future, National Renewable Energy Laboratory ICARUS: Intelligent Consequence Control by Aerial Reconnoiter using Unmanned Systems, Nevada National Security Site DCNNN (Deep Convolutional Neural Network for N-1), The University of Tennessee INCA/CoreMFA, Vanderbilt University XENDEE Cloud Computing Microgrid Platform, XENDEE Corporation

WWW.RDWORLDONLINE.COM

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2020

CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY SPECIAL RECOGNITION

SPECIAL RECOGNITION

2020

QUIC-Fire: A Fast 3D Fire-Atmosphere Feedback Model for Complex Wildland Fire Management Los Alamos National Laboratory QUIC-Fire is the first laptop-capable, real-time speed wildland fire prediction software to explicitly model a fire’s two-way interaction with the atmosphere and 3D heterogeneous vegetation — the very factors that drive fire and are essential to simulating complex sitespecific wildfire and prescribed fire scenarios. QUIC-Fire transforms a fire practitioner’s ability to assess risk, optimize fuel treatments and plan prescribed burns. With QUIC-Fire, practitioners can quickly model how a fire will spread in situations previously impossible for fast-running tools. QUIC-Fire captures the critical influences of 3D vegetation structure, interactions between multiple fires, variable winds, and complex topography at meterscale resolutions. Such capabilities typically require a supercomputer, yet QUIC-Fire runs on a laptop orders of magnitude faster than supercomputer models. QUIC-Fire can also serve as a prescribed fire “flight simulator” to train fire practitioners. As the first fast-running tool with these capabilities, QUIC-Fire will revolutionize the assessment of wildfire risks and behavior, bolster safe expansion of prescribed fire, and train new fire professionals to help meet challenges of reducing fire risks and sustaining ecosystem resilience in evolving environments.

SPECIAL RECOGNITION

2020

UltraPole NXT Viance UltraPole NXT is a polymer-delivered utility pole preservative system, based on a Presidential Green Chemistry Award Winning technology, engineered to preserve utility poles over a lifetime of 50 years. The polymer expertise and supply reliability of DuPont has been combined with technical application and market expertise of Viance to bring a new technology to the industry that offers compatibility with a broad range of wood species, long-life preservation and a more favorable environmental profile. Additionally, utility pole workers and installation crews will see benefits of low to no odor and excellent climbability. It is also designed to facilitate easy end-of-life disposal of utility poles This highly engineered system offers transformative technology for utility companies to reduce the environmental footprint of the energy sector.

R&D WORLD | NOVEMBER 2020

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2020

GREEN TECH SPECIAL RECOGNITION

SPECIAL RECOGNITION

2020

Apeel Apeel Apeel is the first post-harvest preventative approach to the $2.6 trillion per year global food waste crisis, as well as the first plant-derived solution for extending produce shelf life. Apeel is made of the same materials that comprise fruit skins and peels providing an extra layer of protection that slows the rate of water loss and oxidation — the primary causes of spoilage. Apeel produce stays fresh 2-3 times longer, which promotes more sustainable growing practices, better quality food and less food waste across the supply chain. For suppliers and retailers, Apeel is the only postharvest solution that creates an optimal microclimate inside of every piece of fruit, which leads to great quality, extended shelf life and transportability — without requiring refrigeration, controlled atmosphere or preservatives. Apeel has demonstrated a greater than 50% food waste reduction at the retail level following its introduction in the U.S. and EU and is on track to save 20-mil pieces of fruit from going to waste at grocery stores this year, while extending shelf-life at home where food waste rates are 3x as high.

SPECIAL RECOGNITION

2020

Self-Healing Cement Pacific Northwest National Laboratory PNNL’s transformative self-healing cement fills cracks and restores cement to its original mechanical integrity in intense, high-temperature environments. The combination of synthetic polymer and cement outperforms conventional concrete. The pollution-preventing technology extends the life of cement by at least 30 years. The cement also reduces drilling interruptions and costly repairs. Self-healing cement could resolve major concerns about the sealing of wellbores for oil, gas, and geothermal heat production. Leaks in wellbores cause contamination and limit the ability to provide clean energy alternatives. These leaks contaminate aquifers and surface waters. PNNL’s self-healing cement can deliver significant energy with minimal carbon release to the atmosphere. Currently, tens of thousands of tons of conventional cement ends up in landfills. With the additional 30 years of usage of the composite, less cement would go to landfills. The synthetic polymer brings flexibility to cement, making it useful for infrastructure that protects people worldwide, ranging from dams to nuclear waste facilities. The polymer’s flexibility adds 50 to 70% more elasticity to the cement, improving durability against natural disasters like earthquakes.

SPECIAL RECOGNITION

2020

Oleo-Furan Surfactants Made from Renewable Biomass Los Alamos National Laboratory It’s a well-kept secret that laundry detergents are harmful to the environment. Toxic chelators, fossil fuel-derived building blocks, and required energy compile a commonplace task into a massive environmental burden. The active ingredient — a surfactant — can’t work in hard water, which plagues 85% of the U.S. water supply. A better surfactant is needed — one that can tolerate hard water without toxic chelators. Los Alamos National Laboratory and Sironix Renewables have created a new class of surfactant, Oleo-Furan Surfactants (OFS), which are 200 times more tolerant to hard water. OFS is made from biorenewable building blocks that don’t tax the environment or compete with the food supply chain like the current so-called green options using palm oil do. OFS reduces energy use by cleaning clothes in cold water, creating more concentrated detergent with less packaging, and being produced through smart chemistry synthesis. OFS can also be used instead of traditional surfactants in paints, cosmetics and personal care products It’s a truly green solution that will change the way the world cleans.

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2020

MARKET DISRUPTER - PRODUCTS SPECIAL RECOGNITION

SPECIAL RECOGNITION

2020

AI-Rad Companion Chest CT Siemens Healthineers The Siemens Healthineers AI-Rad Companion Chest CT helps radiologists to cope with their daily workload by speeding up reading and reporting time of chest CT images, while also improving reporting quality, allowing them to focus on more complex tasks and decisions. It is the only solution on the market that offers a comprehensive analysis of central pulmonary, cardiovascular and musculoskeletal clinical questions. "Overall, this is a versatile platform that already addresses a variety of important disease detection and quantification tasks in the cloud," said Professor U. Joseph Schoepf, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston. Several award-winning technologies in the space of medical image analysis contributed to the robustness and performance in clinical routines.

SPECIAL RECOGNITION

2020

Amplatzer Piccolo Occluder Abbott Sometimes solving the biggest challenges means thinking small – very small. In the U.S. each year, nearly 12,000 very low birth weight babies are born with a persistent opening in their heart that requires medical intervention. This condition is known as patent ductus arteriosus (PDA), where a naturally occurring hole between two blood vessels in the heart doesn’t close as it should shortly following birth and requires urgent medical treatment for the baby to survive. At no bigger than a pea, Abbott’s Amplatzer Piccolo Occluder is one of the smallest heart devices ever. Most importantly, Piccolo is the first device approved in the U.S. that is small enough to close a hole in the heart of a premature infant weighing as little as just under two pounds. And because Piccolo is a minimally invasive device, it eliminates the need for riskier open-heart surgery, which many times can’t be done due to tiny, premature infants’ anatomies.

SPECIAL RECOGNITION

2020

Fully Renewable Non-Isocyanate Polyurethane Polymers from Bio-Derived Oils and Amino Acids National Renewable Energy Laboratory NREL’s non-isocyanate polyurethane technology is a potentially disruptive technology that will eliminate the use of a toxic petrochemical and provide renewable materials for multiple applications in a wide range of market sectors, including the fashion, outdoor recreation, furniture and automotive industries. The technology has promise for early adoption because it can be employed in existing commercial manufacturing facilities and can compete with standard polyurethanes in terms of cost. It also offers great promise for sustainability to meet the increasing consumer demand for green products: all the feedstocks are produced from renewable materials; the polymerization process provides a route to additional carbon capture; and the products are expected to be recyclable, upcyclable and biodegradable.

R&D WORLD | NOVEMBER 2020

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2020

MARKET DISRUPTER - SERVICES SPECIAL RECOGNITION

SPECIAL RECOGNITION

2020

Cluster Integrity, Exception Resolution and Reclustering Algorithm (CIERRA) Los Alamos National Laboratory CIERRA (Cluster Integrity, Exception Resolution and Reclustering Algorithm) ensures that all lightning – regardless of size – is represented properly and adds both context and in-depth descriptions for each flash. This information improves the understanding of lightning and situational awareness of lightning hazards. CIERRA is the first and only software that routinely identifies the most extraordinary and unpredictable type of lightning. These exceptional megaflashes differ from the current understanding of lightning as a short-duration, local-scale process. CIERRA provides an important tool at the forefront of the nascent research of extreme lightning and its hazards.

SPECIAL RECOGNITION

2020

Smart Microbial Cell Technology: A highthroughput platform to optimize biocatalysts Los Alamos National Laboratory Biocatalysts are essential to the catalysis of chemical reactions for food production, pharmaceuticals, specialty chemicals, renewable energy and environmental cleanup, with their importance reflected in a growing $10 billion industrial market. But current platforms for biocatalyst discovery are too slow. Smart Microbial Cell Technology is an ultra-high-throughput biocatalyst screening platform that alleviates the testing bottleneck in bioengineering, finds efficient and useful biocatalysts and provides delivery of optimized custom biocatalysts. This technology directly selects rare gain-of-function mutations needed for biocatalyst optimization at orders of magnitude faster than any current biocatalyst screening platforms on the market. The method is simple enough for minimally trained staff to execute and has the lowest consumption of reagents and labware; it can screen 107 variants using only a 1-mL tube of reagents. Across the world, biocatalysts play a pivotal role in essential industries.

SPECIAL RECOGNITION

2020

Closing the Loop: Manufacturing Recyclable Wind Turbine Blades with the Thermoplastic Resin System National Renewable Energy Laboratory As wind energy continues to expand, so too will the pile of decommissioned blades left in its wake, posing substantial environmental and economic obstacles to further expansion. A truly sustainable, cost-effective, renewable energy revolution is now within reach, thanks to NREL’s groundbreaking thermoplastic resin system for wind turbine blades. This new technology will disrupt the wind energy industry’s current turbine manufacturing process, enabling recyclable blades that no longer end their usefulness in a landﬁll. Thermoplastic resins, combined with thermal welding techniques pioneered by NREL and partners, offer the potential for stronger, less expensive and longer wind turbine blades, increasing energy capture, decreasing energy and transportation costs, and increasing blade reliability –critical to advancing the wind energy market. These saltwatersafe thermoplastic blades also prime the marine energy industry for success, providing this emerging ﬁeld with the durable, costeffective materials on which to set sail. The technology can turbocharge wind energy’s strong trajectory of growth and jump-start the burgeoning marine energy industry, meeting the nation’s future energy needs sustainably and cost effectively.

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2020

WINNER INDEX

WINNERS

Abbott ..................................................................9

NICCA Chemical Co. ..........................................23

Agilent Technologies ..........................................8

Neveda National Security Site............................18

Air Company ......................................................21

Northern Illinois University .................................22

Argonne National Laboratory ............8, 22, 40, 41

Oak Ridge National Laboratory ..............15, 25, 33

Boston Scientiﬁc Corporation.............................14

Ohio Soybean Council (OSC) ............................44

CURENT Research Center ..................................49

OSTAR Meditech Corp. .....................................18

DermaClip US .......................................................9

Paciﬁc Northwest National

DENSO Corp. .....................................................17

Laboratory ........................................16, 26, 37, 44

Dow Chemical ..............................................23, 28

PerkinElmer ........................................................10

Dow Packaging and Specialty Plastics ...............21

Persedo ..............................................................36

Dow Performance Silicones ................................22

PPG...............................................................22, 26

ELDICO Scientiﬁc AG .........................................14

Purdue University................................................44

General Motors ...................................................9

Sandia National Laboratories .................35, 43, 48

Hitachi ..........................................................16, 24

San Diego Supercomputer Center,

Horizon Therapeutics .........................................36

University of California, San Diego ....................46

HP 3D Printing ....................................................37

Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy .................36

Idaho National Laboratory .......................8, 32, 40

Siemens Healthineers ...................................10, 46

Impulse Dynamics ..............................................11

Southwest Research Institute........................28, 47

Industrial Technology Research

Superclean Glass ................................................27

Institute (ITRI)..........................................21, 24, 48

Thermo Fisher Scientiﬁc ...............................10, 43

Institute for Information Industry ........................42

Touchstone Research Laboratory .......................28

Keyence Corporation of America .......................11

Toyota Central R&D Labs .............................17, 31

Kromek Group ....................................................40

Toyota Motor Corp. ............................................18

Lawrence Berkeley National

University of Maryland ........................................27

Laboratory ..................................12, 17, 25, 31, 42

U.S. Department of Energy ..........................32, 48

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory ..........33

Vanderbilt University...........................................30

Los Alamos National

Viance .................................................................30

Laboratory....................13, 14, 16, 17, 19, 24, 30, 35 Membrion ...........................................................25 Metal Industries Research & Development Centre ...........................................................26, 31 MilliporeSigma ...................................................13 MIT Lincoln Laboratory.........13, 20, 42, 43, 46, 47 The Molecular Foundry ......................................31 Nano and Advanced Materials Institute .............27 National Aeronautics and Space Administration ....................................................20 The National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL).........................................32, 48 National Renewable Energy Laboratory ........................................23, 32, 35, 45

R&D WORLD | NOVEMBER 2020

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Addressing the

fast-changing challenges of cybersecurity 58

R&D WORLD | NOVEMBER 2020

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C Y B E R SE C U R I TY

What scientists and engineers need to know to help keep software, hardware and connected systems secure. By: Patricia Panchak, Contributing Writer

the cat-and-mouse struggle against bad actors in our internetworked world, scientists and engineers are on the front lines.

As developers of technology that can mean the difference between an adversarial breach and a successful defense, they must remain vigilant in staying apprised of how their work can build-in security or open a vector for potential incursions. Now, with the introduction of the Internet of Things (IoT) technologies, the stakes are higher. An intense focus on cybersecurity is every researcher’s purview, not just the cybersecurity experts’. Here’s why and what you need to consider. The rise of the connected economy is accelerating the types and varieties of potential intrusions. Whereas earlier network architectures had boundaries that limited ingress and egress, “that’s signiﬁcantly changed with the advent of cloud mobility,” asserts Vince Urias, a cybersecurity researcher at Sandia National Laboratory. “The perimeter is now many places, so where we defend is now more pervasive, and how we defend becomes more of a data synthesis problem.” “Everywhere there’s a connection, there’s a potential attack vector where an adversary can comprise your network. It’s extremely terrifying,” Urias said. Addressing cybersecurity in this environment requires efforts on all fronts in designing software, ﬁrmware, hardware and connected systems that collect, move, combine and analyze data. Further, it takes a new mindset geared to counter adversarial efforts that can only be imagined.

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Data, data and more data

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Stacy J. Prowell, the chief cybersecurity research scientist at Oak Ridge National Labs, calls the overall megatrend the “IoT and computerization of everything.” This trend, he explained, encompasses three changes in the use of data: the need to collect all the data of a particular use case, to combine it with other data to make it more useful, and then to make that data available in a way that allows people to use it. “So, the question becomes, how do I then ﬁgure out how to operate in a secure manner in that world,” Prowell said. The upcoming shift to 5G will compound the challenges. “It has potential to have higher losses of data that are in a more distributed fashion,” Urias said. “How do you institute protections or even understand your reasoning at the volumes of data we’re talking about?”

R&D WORLD | NOVEMBER 2020

C Y B E R S E CURIT Y

microelectronics. “Those [types of] attacks use properties of how the microelectronics were built to affect the performance of that microelectronic device to do a digital job,” Gottschalk explained. “You trust the CPU to do its job, and so you usually only think about the software vulnerabilities as a point of attack for an attacker.” He cites as an example the Spectre and Meltdown vulnerabilities, which are flaws in the CPU’s design that could allow an attacker to gain access to software that was running on that microprocessor. To help prevent attackers from deliberately designing-in or manufacturing security flaws into microelectronics, Gottschalk’s team recently filed a patent on an approach that offers cyber secure “techniques and methods for people who design microelectronics circuits.” It features heuristics integrated with Computer Aided Design (CAD) tools that would help a circuit developer decide where to put wires or transistors to make the circuit less vulnerable to attack. He described the patent as a rule book that checks the design and indicates when circuit features are placed, say, to optimize circuit performance, but are not in “the best place for The threats and the bad actors who are cyber-hacking security.” and how they’re doing it — engineers and scientists Other hardware issues can track and monitor cyber-intelligence issues at the to watch out for, according following sources: to Gottschalk, are the “huge proliferation of IoT • Verizon’s Annual Data Breach Investigations devices.” In industry, he Report: An annual review of a broad array of pointed out, are devices cybersecurity trends. that are analogous to home • National Vulnerability Database: The U.S. devices such as Nest or government’s repository of standards based Ring, in which cyber security vulnerability management data using the Security researchers have found Content Automation Protocol (SCAP), which vulnerabilities. “In some enables automation of vulnerability management, cases, organizations may security measurement and compliance, according not pay attention to the to the website. security of those, depending • CrowdStrike’s Annual Global Threat Report: An annual on where they are in their in-depth analysis of the top cyber-threat trends. company’s ecosystem,” he • The Mitre Corporation’s National Cybersecurity said. Designers must now FFRDC: A federally funded research and pay attention to the security development center sponsored by the National implications of these new Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). devices that they may not • The Mandiant APT1 Report, published in 2013, otherwise consider potential detailed the advanced persistent threats to the U.S. attack vectors. “When and directly implicated China in cyber espionage. adding an IoT widget to your system, you might want

New approaches to creating software, firmware, hardware and systems development also expose researchers to potentially introducing vulnerabilities inadvertently. The increased use of open-source software is one area. “I think this notion that we understand how much risk we’re assuming in the software that we’re composing into our new products, and how much residual risk we have in that software, I think it is not well known,” Urias said. “Our ability to look at smart devices is all powered by software, firmware, etc. — and we’re sort of linking these libraries and linking these things that may not necessarily be fully trusted.” Meanwhile, Jeff Gottschalk, who heads the Cyber-Physical Systems research group at MIT Lincoln Laboratory, raised concerns about security arising from the electronics. “We typically think of cybersecurityrelated to the specifics of software,” he said. However, cyber vulnerabilities also are found in the firmware and hardware of

Cyberthreat intelligence

R&D WORLD | NOVEMBER 2020

to think about whether anyone has done any rating in terms of cybersecurity and choose one based on how secure it is.”

Assumptions gone awry The way scientists and engineers design new systems also has to change, insisted Prowell. He sees two issues to address. First, when designing a component or system, engineers generally make assumptions about normal operating conditions, which, when violated, can create an access point for an adversary. “They assume failures will occur in a way that is independent and identically distributed, a statistical thing,” Prowell explained. Systems designed with these assumptions are secure — until they are used in a way that generates random errors.

“

Cybersecurity thinking

Everywhere there’s a connection, there’s a potential attack vector where an adversary can comprise your network.

A row hammer attack, for example, takes advantage of how causing random failures at a higher rate can break a system. Though a computer’s memory is subject to random errors, the user doesn’t notice because they are quickly corrected. However, “If I hammer on the memory with repeated read requests, I can toggle it fast enough to cause a random error in an adjacent row of memory,” Prowell said. “That may seem like that’s not particularly useful, but it turns out that you can leverage that to gain control of systems to break through security.” The second class of problems, said Prowell, includes “systems that may have been very well designed, even given a malicious environment, but then someone adds ease-ofuse on top of that, which creates a problem.” An example is connecting a wireless printer to a secure wireless network. “The WPA2 protocol used by wireless routers is pretty solid,” he explained. “But to connect a printer and other peripherals to it, designers created another

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protocol, WPS (WiFi Protected Setup),” which has been found to allow a remote attacker to gain access to the wireless system. Another example is the hacking of a Jeep Cherokee in 2015. Prowell said that the hackers remotely gained access to the vehicle through the head unit, which is the system that displays maps and is connected to external networks. However, in this case, that system was connected to the control area network (CAN) that governs the operation of the car, such as braking. While the CAN is designed to operate the vehicle, “it’s not designed to be secure against external attacks,” Prowell said. The assumption when the CAN was designed was that it would not be connected to external networks, a non-secure environment. By combining the secure CAN to the less secure head unit, the designers opened an attack vector. “So you can take a system that is very secure, then someone deploys it in a way that violates your assumptions, or discovers something unknown to you at the time you designed it, and you wind up with a very insecure system,” Prowell said. “The challenge for engineers trying to design a secure system is to think about the complete context in which the system will be deployed — different environments, adding features to it, etc.,” he advised. “And think of the way in which those may violate the security assumptions of the original system.”

Designing in resiliency Another countermeasure designers can take is to apply strategies for building resiliency into a product when confronted with a threat. “We do a great job of designing systems to be resilient against random failures — memory errors happen all the time in your computer, but you don’t notice it because it’s resilient to those kinds of small failures,” said Prowell. “We could do much better building resiliency with respect to cyberattacks.” For example, by imagining that an attacker might exploit a vehicle’s entertainment center to gain access to the CAN, the designer could have built in technology that recognized the breach and reacted by turning off the antenna, rebooting the entertainment system to a known secure state and then powering the antennae back up. In this case, maybe “you lose radio or satellite navigation for a while, but you can still control the car,” Prowell said. Ultimately, engineers and scientists must realize that perfect security is impossible, so they must design with cybersecurity in mind. One option Gottschalk suggested is that they adopt a Zero Trust mindset, a security concept that’s emerged over the past year and a half in the IT infrastructure world. “The idea here is that you’re never going to keep all the bad actors out of the infrastructure, so having a lot of monitoring and understanding of how to do that is really important,” he said.

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C Y B E R S E CURIT Y

Thrust and parry

Awareness, education and teamwork

Unfortunately, as engineers and scientists build ways to strengthen security, they can create new vulnerabilities. “Even when you introduce new security tools that are focused on making the system more resilient, more secure, those software or hardware packages provide another vector, another avenue for an adversary to explore,” said Adrian Chavez, a cybersecurity researcher at Sandia. “So one thing that needs to be considered when deploying cybersecurity focused software is how do we ensure that the software that’s supposed to secure the system doesn’t make it insecure.” Using IoT technologies is an option. “AI (artiﬁcial intelligence) is going to be helpful in Industrial IoT, where you’ll have millions of devices interacting with one another on the network,” Chavez said. Otherwise, it will be impossible to manage all of the data the devices are exchanging. “So you’re going to have to have algorithms that are looking at that data, analyzing that data, looking at anomalies and abnormal behavior, and making a decision on that abnormal behavior or at minimum presenting that abnormal behavior to an operator.” Even with AI and machine learning to help, however, engineers will have to be careful with the data they’re using to train the algorithms. Chavez warned: “There are problems where adversaries can analyze the data being monitored, make a slight manipulation to it, and cause your ML or AI algorithms to misclassify the data as normal when it’s actually abnormal.” That means engineers need to ﬁnd ways to build-in validation of the data.

Critically, however, designing for cybersecurity and leveraging technology still likely will not be enough. The vectors for an attack are too many and varied, and the attackers are endlessly creative. More awareness, along with more education and training is needed. “We’re already in a fast-changing environment,” Urias said. “But we’re not investing in security education and awareness.” He calls for more cybersecurity education in undergraduate degrees and corporate programs. The curriculum should highlight areas of concern, alerting engineers that, “As you write software, as you develop tools, as you collaborate, these are all these interactions may introduce vulnerabilities into your systems,” Urias said. Education then must continue throughout a designer’s career, increasingly focusing on domain-specific threats to security. “Security is a challenging problem because defenders have to plug every single hole in a system, while adversaries just have to find one hole to be successful,” Chavez pointed out. That means engineers and scientists must always look broadly for “potential areas where an adversary could leverage as opportunities for themselves, which is challenging. You have to have a different mindset,” he said. “When developing cybersecurity protections, having a wide breadth of knowledge across software, firmware, hardware to protect against adversaries is critical. That’s tough to get with one person, and often requires a multi-disciplinary team to accomplish.” Chavez stressed that teamwork inside and outside your organization is critical to meeting the challenge. “Including an independent security assessor on the project from the beginning is critical,” Chavez said. “An independent third-party red team assessor helps evaluate, cross-check, and provide an unbiased security assessment of hardware, firmware, and software cybersecurity solutions. The security assessments are most effective when performed throughout the lifecycle of the project, from design to deployment, to help ensure that the cybersecurity solutions developed are also secure before deployment.” For engineers and scientists, only one thing is certain. The challenges to building cyber-secure software, firmware, hardware and systems in the internetworked world will become increasingly challenging. They must remain constantly vigilant and use every tool and method available to stay ahead of the hackers. &

“

Even when you introduce new security tools that are focused on making the system more resilient, more secure, those software or hardware packages provide another vector, another avenue for an adversary to explore.

Chavez’s team recently completed a project which explored automatic detection and response to threats using AI to execute a rule-based algorithm. Eventually, the goal is to move toward developing autonomous systems, which involves developing AI algorithms that are capable of appropriately responding to alerts with no human intervention. Thinking out loud, he suggests that in the future, “a ﬁrst step could be deploying a digital twin that models the actual environment, and then validating that the observed behavior of the actual environment is consistent with the digital twin environment.”

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AD INDEX R&D WORLD • NOVEMBER 2020

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Two SwRI Technologies Earn R&D 100 Awards Two Southwest Research Institute-developed technologies — an electronic warfare test system to validate aircraft-targeted countermeasures and an industrial robot designed to remove aircraft coatings — won 2020 R&D 100 Awards. Military planes use various electronic countermeasure defense systems to thwart enemy radar and deny targeting. SwRI military defense engineers developed the SPARTA advanced electronic warfare test system to evaluate ECM technologies and make sure they send the correct countersignal for a given radar cue to help ensure aircrew survivability during operations. Stripping paint and other coatings from full-body aircraft is costly, time-consuming and potentially hazardous. The Laser Coating Removal (LCR) Robot, the world’s largest robot system, developed by SwRI engineers and XYREC INC, uses intelligent process monitoring and a computer vision system to direct a CO2 laser to precisely and safely remove aircraft coatings.

CONGRATULATIONS ON JOBS WELL DONE!

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