Updated June 19, 2019: Please note location change to Mountain View, California
NASA iTech challenges entrepreneurs to think outside the box and consider applications for their innovations in space. A range of technology ideas, from new mixed reality headsets to deployable antennas, could support future exploration missions to the Moon and Mars.
NASA has selected 10 competition finalists to present their ideas July 10-11 at the NASA iTech forum in Mountain View, California. Chief technologists from various NASA centers, other federal agencies and industry will listen to the presentations and meet with participants. NASA judges will then choose three winners of the 2019 NASA iTech Cycle I competition.
“NASA iTech provides the opportunity for companies to engage with NASA center chief technologists, investors, and industry leaders so they can continue to make an impact on Earth and in space,” said Kira Blackwell the NASA iTech program executive for the Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD). “These interactions between NASA, industry and entrepreneurs are valuable for the entire community.”
Among the finalists are medical, data, material and other technologies. The top 10 2019 NASA iTech Cycle I finalists (in alphabetical order) are:
- Aris MD, Wilmington, Delaware
Three-dimensional medical scans
- Baker Street Scientific, Rome, Georgia
Big data technology that extracts relevant information for more informed decision-making
- Cluster Imaging, Inc., Sunnyvale, California
A technology that adds depth to images for accurate image recognition
- CREAL3D, Saint-Sulpice, Switzerland
Next-generation display of virtual and mixed reality headsets and smart glasses that creates hologram-like images
- Enduralock, LLC, Lenexa, Kansas
A new fastener that permanently locks with high vibration resistance, while providing reversibility and reusability
- GoRout, Rochester, Minnesota
Wearable helmet display system that shows football play diagrams
- LOOMIA Technologies, Inc., New York, New York
Light and flexible space structures
- Momentus, Inc., Santa Clara, California
Spacecraft that use water as fuel to move satellites between different orbits.
- Oxford Space Systems, Harwell, United Kingdom
Light-weight deployable antennas for space
- WISER Systems, Inc., Raleigh, North Carolina
Instantaneous location and tracking in a variety of environments
The three winning teams will be selected and recognized during a non-monetary awards ceremony at the culmination of the forum. They will receive continued mentorship to help further develop the technologies for the commercial market.