WA’s most innovative lauded and rewarded

 

John Day
Minister for Planning; Culture and the Arts; Science and Innovation

Western Australia’s most innovative creative thinkers were recognised in the WA Innovator of the Year Awards announced recently. The WA Innovator of the Year for 2011 was Intium Energy Ltd (West Perth) for its Conveyor Roller Monitoring Sensor. Intium has advanced traditional bulk haulage conveyor belts to include a sensor which identifies when the belt’s rollers are degrading; through an alert generated by the sensor, staff can schedule a replacement during scheduled maintenance.

In addition to Intium’s monitoring sensor, top accolades were won by a tablet that mimics insulin for diabetics; an underwater simulator to test subsea pipelines; a safety device to stop falls at high levels; and a system that detects unusual events in CCTV recordings.

“This year’s five winning innovations represent the strength and diversity of the State’s economy from health, to construction and resources, to ICT,” said Minister for Science and Innovation, John Day. “Each and every ‘big idea’ developed in WA has the potential to provide real and long-term benefits to our economy and community.”

The WA Innovator of the Year Awards are administered by the Department of Commerce with support from sponsors Mitsubishi Corporation, Woodside, iiNet and AusIndustry. The Awards have a prize pool of $200,000, which includes professional services and mentoring.

The photo shows Mr. Yamanaka, Deputy Managing Director, Mitsubishi Australia Ltd.; John Day, Minister for Science and Innovation; and David Lake, General Manager for Business Development, Mitsubishi Australia Ltd. at the WA Innovation Festival in May 2011.