The 2010 R&D 100 Award winners reflect the technology trends and demands of the times, a pattern that has continued since the inception of the awards in 1963.
In spite of a stagnant economy, entries for this year’s awards were up 30% over 2009. Materials sciences, communication technologies, and process sciences were predominant themes this year. The winning technologies represented a diverse range of research:
- A snack food bag that disappears in weeks in a compost heap versus decades in a trash dump;
- A wheelchair that maneuvers on rough roads in developing nations, and can be serviced locally and cheaply;
- Three specialized instruments to monitor and diagnose eye diseases;
- Software and technology to facilitate health insurance coverage for prosthetics; and
- Numerous nano-driven advances in materials and process sciences.
In selecting the R&D 100 Awards, the judges and editors identify the top 100 new technologies, regardless of product type. The editors assign each winning product to one of 20 categories to help readers find and learn about similar technologies. A recent review of past winners reveals some interesting patterns.
While the Beatles and bell-bottoms were leading social trends in the 1960s, analytical instrumentation, electronic instrumentation, and materials were the leading technologies. Information technologies—computer components and systems—became more prominent in the 1970s and 1980s. Software became a strong player starting in the 1990s.
Signs of the times
Environmentally-themed technologies emerged in the 1980s and continue to grow. The production of biofuels and environmental monitoring are key areas. Interest in energy has also increased in the last 20 years. Solar power and energy storage devices were selected as winning technologies this year. As expected, safety and security-related technologies emerged post-2001. Imaging technologies have worked to keep up with the demand for higher resolution and imaging to the molecular level.
Life sciences has experienced the steadiest growth, spurred by advances in biotechnology, nanotechnology, and miniaturization. Many life science advances are also the result of new technologies in other product areas including imaging, software, and analytical tools.
Strength in numbers
Three other trends were evident from the historical data. In the mid-1980s, government research labs emerged as frequent participants and winners of R&D 100 Awards. In the mid-1990s, more winning entries were the result of the efforts of multiple organizations, not just a single company or laboratory. The size of the teams involved in the research process also grew. For example, in 2009, more than 85 researchers from 11 organizations in industry, academia, and government labs collaborated on the development of the artificial retina.
Future tech, future winners
While future winners may continue to reflect scientific, medical, or social demands of society, the editors know to expect—and welcome—the unexpected. Applications for the 2011 awards open October 1, 2010. See the Awards section on www.rdmag.com for details.
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Published in R & D magazine: Vol. 52, No. 5, September, 2010
