INVENTORS CONGRESS
Western Research Alliance’s
First Inventor’s Congress
June 24 and 25, 2005
Hosted by:
- Western Research Alliance
Sponsored in part by:
- The South Dakota Small Business Innovative Research
Center
- South Dakota Office of Commercialization
- National Science Foundation Partnerships for Innovation Project
- Governors Office of Economic Development
The Western Research Alliance recently held its first Inventor’s
Congress June 24 and 25. The event brought together inventors, researchers,
and business development expertise. The Western Research Alliance believes
that the private sector, particularly individuals and small businesses,
together with university faculty and students can be the breeding ground
for innovation and invention. The WRA Inventor’s Congress featured
educational and networking opportunities, specifically to facilitate
technology-based ideas and their development
Activities began at the Rapid City Radisson on Friday, June 24 with
an SBIR Opportunities Workshop followed by a networking reception.
The Inventors Congress reconvened Saturday morning on the South Dakota
School of Mines and Technology campus. Saturday’s event allowed
six inventors, selected by a competition, to give 20-minute presentations
to a panel of business development professionals.
LIST OF INVENTIONS
Cookie Cookers
[Jaaron Johnson of Johnson Technologies, Rapid City, SD].
These devices, used with cookie dough, allow for the creation
of exotic, 3-dimensional cookies in the oven of your home or
at an industrial
bakery [patent pending]. |
 |
Hydraulic Jet Mill
[George “Duff” Kruse of SD
NanoMill LLC, Rapid City, SD].
The Hydraulic Jet Mill places
macro-sized
flake-shaped mineral particles in a very high-pressure stream
of fluids, which results in the simultaneous exfoliation and
particle
size reduction of the mineral into nano-sized flakes of high
aspect ratio and surface area. These flakes are of interest to
companies
that specialize in polymer compounding and industrial-coatings
formulation and need ever smaller and smaller particle size functional
fillers. |
 |
Stickmarks
[Jason Erickson of Rapid City, SD].
Stickmarks is
an Internet service that permits a person to store browser bookmarks
and web sites and to recall such storage items from a remote
server, thus allowing the bookmarks and web sites to be retrieved
from
machines at multiple locations. This service would be of interest
to anyone with a standard browser, and could be expanded to other
web-enabled devices, such as PDA devices like the PocketPC or
PalmOS, as well as Cellular phones. |
 |
Wall Vision
[Scott Thompson of RealTronics Corporation, Rapid
City, SD].
This invention is a radar sensing system that detects
and characterizes human and weapon silhouettes through walls.
The system allows the operator to see the silhouettes by means
of a
pair of head-mounted display goggles. The market potential of
the device lies with the military and law-enforcement agencies. |
 |
Wireless Scoring System for the Sport of Fencing
[Dr. Alan
Anderson and Dr. Jeff McGough of SDSM&T, Rapid City, SD].
This invention
uses novel detection techniques to determine the validity of touches
between the fencer’s weapon and the other fencer’s
metallic jacket and, by means of wireless technology, incorporates
a scoring system that is completely free of tethered connections
between the fencer and the scoring box. The market is linked to
the members of the United States Fencing Association and to international
fencing associations, including the Federation International D’Escrime
which hosts the World Cup fencing events. |
 |
Advanced Football Training System
[Jason Frye, Matt Gerlach,
Tim Parrie, Matt Reiffenberger, and Dr. Karim Muci of SDSM&T,
Rapid City, SD, in association with Dr. Greg Gruba of the Black
Hills Chiropractic Center, Rapid City, SD].
The invention is a
floor-mounted blocking machine that incorporates horizontal movement,
in and up motion, and swiveling of the dummy, and is intended to
accurately imitate either an offensive or defensive lineman’s
motion off the line of scrimmage. The market potential lies with
high schools, colleges and universities, and the NFL. |
 |
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