Jury nominates five companies for HERMES AWARD 2010

March 25, 2010 - An independent panel of judges has nominated five companies out of a total of some 50 applicants for the final round of the HERMES AWARD 2010. This award is one of the world's most famous technology prizes, and will be presented at the opening ceremony for HANNOVER MESSE 2010 on 18 April. The jury chairperson is Prof. Wolfgang Wahlster, Director and Chief Executive of the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI).

"The high quality of this year's entries demonstrates that the innovative power of enterprises remains unbroken. Especially in times of crisis, companies rely on the benefits of research and development. The five companies nominated for the HERMES AWARD demonstrate that innovation can also result from the novel combination of established technologies. The HERMES AWARD is comparable to an Olympic gold medal: It motivates researchers and developers to achieve their best performance and earns the recognition of colleagues and customers - and along with it, the desired business success," commented Wahlster.

The following five companies have been nominated for the award, sponsored by HANNOVER MESSE 2010 (in alphabetical order):

attocube systems, Munich: Not only the miniaturization of electronics and semiconductor components, but also nanotechnologies require improved measuring, analysis and consequently also positioning systems. attocube systems has been nominated for its nano-positioning system. This system is based on a new positioning motor which enables exact positioning even under adverse conditions, such as strong magnetic fields, moisture, high vacuum or ultra-low temperatures - right down to the nanometer.

ebm-papst, Mulfingen: The product nominated - RadiCal - is a particularly energy-efficient ventilator for air conditioning and ventilation technology. Consisting of a metal-plastic compound, the ventilator wheel has optimum fluid engineering characteristics, making it particularly efficient and quiet. The drive motor is compact and efficient and emits only a small amount of heat, allowing for quieter operation and reduced energy consumption of up to 50 percent.

LPKF Laser & Electronics AG, Hannover: The Fusion3D laser system allows for the modification of extremely complex plastic components. A laser beam writes the electronic conducting patterns directly onto the three-dimensional component, allowing for the creation of high-grade circuit substrates from simple plastic components like motorcycle grips or cellphone antennas. The laser system deploys four laser heads simultaneously for faster and more precise processing.

Proton Motor Fuel Cell, Puchheim: This company has developed a zero-emission urban bus which is powered by regenerative hydrogen. The bus runs off of fuel cells, batteries and super-capacitors. The technology takes full advantage of the electric drive system, storing the barking energy and thus allowing for energy savings of over 50 percent compared with conventional diesel-operated buses.

Rittal GmbH & Co. KG, Herborn: This company's RiCellFlex fuel cells serve simultaneously as emergency power and energy storage systems. When the fuel cells are hooked up to the power grid, the energy stored in them can be used to cover peak loads - as is planned for tomorrow's "SmartGrids". This new development enables the first economical deployment of previously unused storage cells in emergency power systems.