NEW YORK (Nov. 30, 2020) – For the fourth consecutive year, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME)’s Mechanical Engineering® magazine considered dozens of recent innovations and planned to select five ascending technologies that have left the research and development phase, appearing poised to transform their fields. In 2020, however, several industries shifted focus from their regular production lines to help create medical technology to address the coronavirus pandemic. To highlight the response by the entire engineering community, the 2020 Emerging Technology Awards recognize five engineering innovations that are supporting society during COVID-19.
The 2020 winners are:
- Advanced Kiosks’ entry-point kiosk that measures temperatures and checks for mask compliance before allowing people to enter a building; By automating health screening at the portals of buildings, these kiosks may cut down on virus transmission.
- Medistar Corp.’s heated nickel foam air filter that kills coronavirus particles to a 99.8 percent efficiency; The HVAC filter, proven to kill COVID-19 and other airborne pathogens indoors, can be installed in existing residential or commercial ventilation systems.
- Prusa Research’s fully open-source design for a face shield that can be quickly 3D-printed and delivered to frontline workers; The 3D-printing community came together to bridge the supply-chain gap in personal protective equipment.
- Starship Technologies’ autonomous robot that delivers meals, groceries, and other parcels within a three-mile radius; By making deliveries without person-to-person contact, the robot lowers the odds of disease transmission.
- UVD Robots’ autonomous disinfecting robot system equipped with UV-C light; The self-guided system can eliminate 99.9 percent of all microbes from the surfaces of a room.
“The COVID-19 pandemic derailed the best-laid plans. And yet, the response from the engineering community has been remarkable,” says ASME Executive Director/CEO Tom Costabile. “The editors of Mechanical Engineering magazine spotlight these technologists as all of us at ASME celebrate engineers everywhere who have applied their heads and their hearts to meet real human needs this year.”
Mechanical Engineering® is the award-winning flagship publication of ASME, delivered every other month. For more information about the winning technologies, visit https://www.asme.org/topics-resources/content/engineers-in-action-during-covid-19. Watch a video honoring the winners: https://www.asme.org/topics-resources/content/video-2020-emerging-technology-awards. Members of the Society can read more about the innovations in the December 2020/January 2021 issue.
About ASME
ASME helps the global engineering community develop solutions to real-world challenges. Founded in 1880 as the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, ASME is a not-for-profit professional organization that enables collaboration, knowledge sharing and skill development across all engineering disciplines, while promoting the vital role of the engineer in society. ASME codes and standards, publications, conferences, continuing education, and professional development programs provide a foundation for advancing technical knowledge and a safer world. ASME recently formed the International Society of Interdisciplinary Engineers (ISIE) LLC, a new for-profit subsidiary to house business ventures that will bring new and innovative products, services, and technologies to the engineering community. For more information visit asme.org.
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