2021 NASA iTech Cycle I Winners Announced
Software that advances the perception capabilities of autonomous vehicles, a process that allows mixed waste to be up-cycled into high quality bio-plastic, and a system that uses artificial intelligence and augmented reality to quickly find and warn maintenance crews to wiring faults in aircraft took top honors at the 2021 NASA iTech Cycle I Forum. The forum, held virtually May 27, was the pinnacle event of NASA iTech's latest endeavor to find and foster innovative solutions to technology challenges on Earth, in our skies and in space. Competitors for the forum were evaluated and finalists selected from NASA iTech's three most recent "Ignite the Night" events and inventive entries from innovators in 32 states.
Nine teams showcased their ideas to NASA judges and prospective stakeholders with an online audience from around the world. The judges selected the top three innovations based on technical viability, likely impact on future agency missions, benefits to humanity and commercialization potential.
The three winners of NASA iTech's 2021 Cycle I Forum (in alphabetical order) are:
BlueSpace.ai Inc. – Santa Clara, California
BlueSpace.ai - autonomous vehicle software
Full Cycle Bioplastics – San Jose, California
New Technology for Space-Age Packaging
United Aircraft Technologies Inc. – Troy, New York
Sensor Network, AI, and Augmented Reality for Isolating Wiring Faults
"Congratulations to the top three winners for presenting technologies designed to solve important problems," said Maxwell Briggs, NASA iTech program executive for the agency's Space Technology Mission Directorate. “These innovations address a wide variety of challenges for NASA and society, but they all share a common goal to make our future safer, more efficient, and more sustainable.”
See videos of the finalist presentations from the 2021 NASA iTech Cycle I Forum at: https://livestream.com/nasaitech/2021cycle1forum.
NASA iTech is an initiative by NASA's STMD and is managed by the National Institute of Aerospace in Hampton, Virginia.
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