IEEE/IFR Innovation and Entrepreneurship Award (IERA)

About the Award

Description: To recognize the entrepreneurial commercialization of ideas into actual products. Nominations should cite and describe the original work that has been translated into commercial application as well as the commercial product and its success. The nomination must also describe the unique characteristics of the transformation into the commercialized product that justify the award. The current and future impact of the commercial product is a fundamental element of the merit for selection.
Established: 2005
Prize: $2000 and plaque. In case there are multiple winners, each recipient will receive a plaque and the honorarium will be split equally between the recipients.
Funding: This award is co-sponsored by the IEEE Robotics & Automation Society (RAS) and the International Federation of Robotics (IFR). Each organization will provide $1000 of the award each year.
Eligibility: Individual or team of individuals responsible for the contribution. IEEE-RAS membership is not required.
Basis for Judging: An awards committee comprising representatives of IEEE-RAS and IFR will evaluate the applications and select finalists to present plenary speeches at the IEEE/IFR Workshop on Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Robotics and Automation.
Presentation: The Award will be presented during the IERA workshop which will be held at a location agreed upon by the IEEE-RAS and the IFR.

Click Here for information on how to apply. The deadline for application is 10 February 2024.


Winners of this Award  

2023
The ArmMotusTM EMU (Fourier Intelligence)
"for the combination of smart adaptive rehabilitation and entertainment technology can transform our healthcare landscape."

2022
Drishti (
Mountain View, California)
"for Action Recognition: Transforming video streams on production lines into data to operators in mere seconds thus avoiding errors, and improving productivity, quality and training as well as safety."

2021
ABB "PixelPaint" (Carrie-MiaoJing Zou, Zürich, Switzerland and ABB Engineering (Shanghai) Ltd, China)

"For innovations in the field of automated painting, providing more flexibility and customization with reduced wasted paint for the wellness of the environment"

2020
Photoneo (Svorad Stolc, Slovakia)

"For MotionCam-3D: a novel 3D imaging system merging the benefits of both stereo vision with structured light approaches to yield a fast and accurate perception system with applications in society and industry."

2019
UVD Robots/ Blue Ocean Robotics (Claus Risager, Denmark)

"For achievements in developing the UV Disinfection Robot for the unique application of service robotics technologies in the combination with UV disinfection equipment to fight the spread of (esp. multiresistant) bacteria in hospitals."

2018 - THREE Recipients this year!
Perception Robotics (USA)

"For the "Industrial Self-Cleaning Gecko Gripper", a Gecko-style gripping solution that uses NASA technology for industrial automation"

KUKA Deutschland
"For developing "LBR Med", a collaborative robot assistant for medicine & research as well as new applications"

Lely International (Netherlands)
"For the "Discovery 120 Collector", a barn floor cleaning robot that cleans solid floors in the dairy industry"

2017
Steve Cousins - Savioke, USA
Relay autonomous delivery robot
"For his achievements in developing core technology in professional service robotics to a readiness level which enables a 24/7 operation in public, human inhabited environments"

2016
Phil Crowther - ABB Robotics, Sweden
The collaborative dual-arm robot "YuMi®"

2015 - Two Recipients this Year!
Francois Boucher - Kinova Inc, Canada
"For providing an easy to use robotic solution that enhances the autonomy of disabled people"

Tom Lipinski - Q-Bot Limited, United Kingdom
"For developing a simple robotic solution for insulating homes thus positively impacting lives of people and protecting the environment by reducing energy consumption"

2014
Guy Caverot - BA Systemes, France
"Mobile base designed to receive an X-ray machine"

2013
Robert Horst - AlterG Inc. (former Tibion Corporation)
"for the Tibion Bionic Leg"

2012
Esben Østergaard - Universal Robots
"UR5 - a flexible and eco-friendly robot arm. The UR5 is a small, light and user friendly 6-axis industrial robot, which has been created specifically for small and medium sized enterprises"

Gino De-Gol - RoboCoaster
"Passenger Carrying Industrial Robotics - The RoboCoaster TÜV robot is the world's first application of industrial robotics being fully adapted and certified for passenger carrying operations"

2011
Bruno Maisonnier - Aldebaran Robotics
"For development of the Humanoid Robot Nao"

2010
Alexander Verl - Fraunhofer IPA
"Inline Measurement Robots - Robots Get the Precision for Car Body Inspection"

2009
Yoshiyuki Sankai - Cyberdyne Robot Suit HAL
"Wearable suit that expands, enhances, and supports the physical capabilities of its user"

2008
Mick Mountz, Pete Wurman, Raffaello D'Andrea - KIVA Systems
"Kiva Moblie Fulfillment System, in which pallets, cases, and orders are stored on inventory pods that are picked up and moved by a fleet of mobile robotic drive units to any operator on the factory floor"

Thomas Brandstetter, Dieter Steegmüller, Michael Zürn - Daimler
"The development of the Assembly 21: an innovative system and assembly concept for rear axle assembly for the new C-Class with cooperatíng robot teams"

2007
Hugh Durrant-Whyte - Australian Centre for Field Robotics
"AutoStrad: An Autonomous Straddle Carrier for movement of shipping containers"

2006
Rainer Bischoff - KUKA Roboter
"CAFIR: Flexible and Scalable Collision Avoidance for Industrial Robots based on complex geometric models"

2005
Joe Jones - I-Robot
"Roomba Discovery Robotic Floorvac"

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