INNOVATION 66 JUNE 2016 © Pixabay, Parlamentsdirektion/PHOTO SIMONIS, AVL LIST, EPA comprehensive test phase in Austria, he founded the international network for optical ski goggles just in time for the start of the season. More than 60 opticians from Switzerland, Germany, South Tyrol, and Austria are already members and provide SEHKRAFT’s patented SK-x Technology©. This invention closes a big security gap in the winter sport segment while increasing its comfort and fun. There are approximately 50,000 skiing accidents every winter season in Austria alone; 35,000 happen in Switzerland and 42,000 in Germany. According to the German Ski Association, the majority of them (around 80 %) are caused by errors in perception. Skiers quickly became safety-conscious with the broad introduction of ski helmets. Pointed slogans like “Those who have a brain protect it” and prominent accident victims with - at times - serious injuries established ski helmets as key components of today’s skiing equipment within only a few years. Directly glazed optical ski goggles are the next logical step to meet the people’s safety requirements,” says Christoph Rauter happily. “We received only positive feedback for the SK-x Method© after the fi rst season. All customers are happy and some have already ordered their second goggles from us that will be processed with this new method!” AUSTRIAN WINS EUROPEAN INVENTOR OF THE YEAR AWARD The European Inventor of the Year Award, which is donated by the European Patent Offi ce and often called the “Oscars of the inventor scene”, was presented last year to an international team of electrical engineers led by the Austrian Franz Amtmann. This group of inventors played a major role in the development of near fi eld communication technology (NFC) and won over the jury in the “Industry” category. NFC facilitates contactless transmission of data across short distances and is most commonly used for cashless payments of smaller amounts with cashpoints or credit cards. The technology is based on the transmission of encrypted data and constitutes an improvement of the previous RFID technology (radio frequency identifi cation). The applications for NFC are virtually endless. It is also used for access control in security zones or for warehouse logistics. The European Inventor of the Year Award is presented annually in fi ve categories: Industry, SME, Research, Non-European States, and Lifetime Achievement. An increasing number of Austrian inventors have been nominated for this award and were also among its winners. In 2013, the trophy was presented to the Blum company from Vorarlberg. Four companies from Europe, three from the USA, two from Korea, and one from China made it into the top 10 of applications from EPO member states in 2015.
NEW BUSINESS - EXPORT TODAY 1/2016
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