Connect Marks 30th Year of Most Innovative New Product Awards

cellular voice and data service in industrial settings by eliminating dead zones and dropped calls.

Life Science Diagnostics and Research Tools: StemoniX

StemoniX developed its microHeart product for use by major pharmaceutical companies in drug toxicity screening. Using stem cells derived from skin cells, StemoniX says it can create biologically accurate beating heart micro-organs in the wells of high-density assay screening trays.

Life Science Products, Clinical Stage: ViaCyte

ViaCyte has developed PEC-Direct as a functional cure for patients with high-risk Type 1 diabetes. The product is composed of stem cell-derived pancreatic progenitor cells contained within a semi-permeable packet that is implanted just beneath the skin. After implantation, ViaCyte says the precursor stem cells mature into the full complement of islet cells that secrete insulin and other hormones to a way that regulates blood sugar levels.

Medical Devices: TereoPneuna

TereoPneuna has developed an oxygen facemask with a sensor display that provides a visual signal of how well a patient is breathing. The ReDe Mask is green if a patient is breathing normally, turns yellow to alert caregivers to potential breathing problems, and red if the respiration rate is too irregular.

Mobile Apps: NotesFirst

NotesFirst has developed a mobile app for capturing and improving the quality of health data for lower-middle income regions of the world.

Robotics and Unmanned Vehicles: Brain Corp.

With backing from Qualcomm and SoftBank, Brain Corp. has developed a proprietary “brain” operating system for self-driving vehicles. Brain Corp. says its A.I. technology enables robots to perceive their environment, control their motion, and navigate using visual cues and landmarks while avoiding people and obstacles.

Software & Digital Media: Sourcify

Sourcify has developed Web-based technology that enables companies to connect with factories in China, and uses project management tools to guide them through the product development cycle.

Sport & Active Lifestyle Technologies: Levitate Technologies

Levitate Technologies has developed lightweight and wearable exoskeleton technology that has been engineered to support the upper extremity of professionals and skilled trade workers whose work requires repetitive arm extension and elevation. Levitate says its “Airframe” provides ergonomic support and reduces muscle fatigue.

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Author: Bruce V. Bigelow

In Memoriam: Our dear friend Bruce V. Bigelow passed away on June 29, 2018. He was the editor of Xconomy San Diego from 2008 to 2018. Read more about his life and work here. Bruce Bigelow joined Xconomy from the business desk of the San Diego Union-Tribune. He was a member of the team of reporters who were awarded the 2006 Pulitzer Prize in National Reporting for uncovering bribes paid to San Diego Republican Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham in exchange for special legislation earmarks. He also shared a 2006 award for enterprise reporting from the Society of Business Editors and Writers for “In Harm’s Way,” an article about the extraordinary casualty rate among employees working in Iraq for San Diego’s Titan Corp. He has written extensively about the 2002 corporate accounting scandal at software goliath Peregrine Systems. He also was a Gerald Loeb Award finalist and National Headline Award winner for “The Toymaker,” a 14-part chronicle of a San Diego start-up company. He takes special satisfaction, though, that the series was included in the library for nonfiction narrative journalism at the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard University. Bigelow graduated from U.C. Berkeley in 1977 with a degree in English Literature and from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism in 1979. Before joining the Union-Tribune in 1990, he worked for the Associated Press in Los Angeles and The Kansas City Times.