InnoVision Awards 2020

Jamarcus Gaston Hosting the 2020 Awards

InnoVision awards recognizes innovation in South Carolina annually through its InnoVision Awards program. Established in 1999, the awards are dedicated to the advancement of innovations and technology.

I have been honored to be a judge for these awards since 2015. It is great to be part of this program to see all the innovation coming from my home state of South Carolina. 

2016 Program Guide

This year there were 11 winners and three I want to highlight below. 

Blinktbi, Inc. won the Technology Development award for their solution to assess the blink reflex. The stimulated trigeminal nerve sends a message to the brain stem that results in the facial nerve sending a message to the eyelids to blink. That process is the blink reflex. Their technology captures and analyzes 12,000 data points. Many conditions and diseases are indicated when the blink reflex changes. Depression, PTSD, substance abuse, and concussions can all trigger a change in the blink reflex as well as central nervous system disorders like Parkinson’s, Huntington’s, and Alzheimer’s.  

This year there were new categories around Covid response. The Covid-19 Response – Technology Deployment winner, Blue Eye Soft Corp is using AI to help accurate diagnosis of diseases (including Covid) through chest X-rays. They system has the capability to analyze chest X-rays in seconds with >90% accuracy. Using AI will free up time for doctors to tend to patients. This also allows for a global machine learning that would not be possible via human comparisons.  

Sustainability is a concern for everyone and if you shop online, like most, you know the waste involved in packaging. The Sustainability award winner, tForm Inc’s BubblePaper™ is a void fill solution that can also be used in consumer packaging such as bubble mailers and grocery bags. Many shippers use plastic bubbles and pillows to protect their shipment. BubblePaper™ can do this with less void fill that means a smaller box for shipping. The thermal properties of the solution allow it to be used where insulation is needed. Being made of paper, it is curbside recyclable, biodegradable, and crafted from renewable resources. If you want to learn about more about these solutions and all 11 winners, visit InnoVision Awards.  

I am proud of my home state and the technology advancements that come from the smart people who live there. South Carolina is a home for innovation and a wonderful place to call home.  

Someday soon when see concussion technology on the sideline of your favorite sport, X-rays getting reviewed in seconds, or that package coming in a smaller better insulated package, you can thank South Carolina!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

vExpert Application: What VMUG Members Should Know

Image
Recently the vExpert application opened and I encourage all VMUG members to consider applying.  If you are unfamiliar with the program, let me give you an overview.  The vExpert program has been around for over a decade and is VMware’s global evangelism and advocacy program.  They accept applications twice a year, so this opportunity is only available for a limited time. The application is straight forward, but here are some tips for you to get started.  First, applicants must pick a qualification path.  This can be customer, partner, evangelist, or VCDX.  The customer and partners are self-explanatory.  The evangelist is someone who is excited about VMware products and evangelizes their benefits and solutions.  The VCDX route is for those who have that certification.  One thing I like about vExpert program is your application is based on you.  Not your company, company spend, certifications, or deployments.  Some of these should be mentioned when filling out the
Read more

DATA PROTECTION CONTENT PREVIEW – DELL TECH WORLD EDITION!

Image
Hi everyone! I’m looking forward to attending Dell Tech World this year and I’m excited for it to be back in person! I’ve highlighted some sessions that will help you on your data protection journey. Remember, data protection and security are a journey, not a destination. You should always be thinking how to better secure and protect your data. With all sessions being LIVE and IN PERSON, be sure to engage with the speakers – ask questions, continue the conversations with the presenters and network with your peers. These are the reasons why we enjoy in person events! First up: Cyber Recovery as-a-Service: Gain Recovery Confidence with the “Three I’s”. Why? You can’t do cyber security alone. Get with professionals! Go the aaS route. You can’t do all of it aaS, but where you can, do it! Second: Performance, Security and Innovation at Scale with PowerProtect Appliances. Why? Appliances are simple and perform like your own aaS offering for your internal customers. Third: Fortify Your Organi
Read more

MEMBER HCI INSIGHTS – THREE-YEAR TRENDS

Image
The Dell SDS (Software-Defined Storage)/HCI (Hyperconverged Infrastructure) Survey Installment #3 The third installment of the HCI Member Survey has concluded and there are some obvious results as well as some surprises as the IT landscape continues to shift. With IT being asked to deal with the long tail of a pandemic, global turmoil, supply shortages, and a talent gap, making our systems run efficiently is key. Also important is focusing on your core business, not the minutiae of maintaining servers, VMs, and appliances. Trends The majority, 87%, of respondents are using vSphere. This continues to be the de facto standard hypervisor for on-premises and has been for the past 3 years. However, recently, there has been significant growth in KVM, increasing 9% (from 10% in 2021 to 19% in 2022), and AHV, increasing 6% (from a 6% to 12% increase). In 2020, 15% of companies transitioned 50% or more to a cloud operating model. That increased to 21% in 2022. The top factors motivating transit
Read more