Industry players, private equity groups and venture capital firms all listened closely to the entrants' pitches, in an event highlighting the challenges facing young companies in turning bright ideas into commercial ventures.
Night camera
The winning entry was from NoblePeak Vision Corporation, based in Wakefield, Massachusetts and founded in 2002 as a spin-off from Bell Laboratories: its night-vision camera can pick up short-wave infrared (SWIR) light invisible to the eye.
The black-and-white night-time images are much sharper than those generated by thermal video cameras, and applications include battlefield vision, protecting buildings and helping car drivers avoid collisions at night.
Other finalists included biometric technology to recognise keyboard users by their typing behaviour - sparing users from memorising dozens of passwords - and a hand-held device for testing exposure to nerve agents.
By scanning the eye, it can also detect carbon monoxide or cyanide poisoning, or identify trauma to the brain.
Another company offered new high-strength fibres that get fatter when stretched and are highly resistant to blast damage, offering potential as special curtains to catch flying window glass in an explosion.
Also in contention was a 'face synthesis' device to create up to thousands of images from one photo, predicting how the subject will look in different lighting conditions, from different angles and with varying expressions or facial hair.
Kudos and cash
Phil Davies, marketing vice president for winning entrant NoblePeak Vision, said the company - funded by Matrix Partners and North Bridge Venture Partners - would use the kudos and cash to help it grow
Source link: http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/11/26/2101247.htm?section=world
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