Chicago, IL – MxD and mHUB celebrated Midwest manufacturing innovation and leadership in a virtual ceremony for the 2020 Fourth Revolution Awards on October 13. The event recognized leaders, companies, products and initiatives that have made significant contributions to the region’s manufacturing ecosystem.
Chandra Brown, CEO of MxD, and Haven Allen, CEO of mHUB, hosted this year’s event. The evening featured leaders in the industry to present the awards including Luis Andrade, Director of Exploratory Innovation and Experience Design; Ushma Kriplani, Acting Director at Argonne National Laboratory; Jennifer Kopach, Executive Director of SVP Marketing Communications at Science Olympiad; Leslie McKinney, Chicago Director at Black Women in Science and Engineering; and Abin Kuriakose, Director at ChicagoNEXT.
This year’s awards were decided by a combination of expert judging panels and public voting. The 2020 Fourth Revolution winners are listed in the following five categories.
Product of the Year Winner
The Ability Hand by PSYONIC – an affordable, robust, muscle-controlled prosthetic hand that incorporates compliant materials for more natural grasping as well as pressure sensors in the fingertips to manipulate delicate objects.
Small and Medium-Sized Manufacturer of the Year Winner
Laystrom Manufacturing out of Chicago, Illinois – since 1951 Laystrom Manufacturing has manufactured metal products for a host of markets including utilities, telecommunications, medical, agriculture, construction, music, packaging, lawn and garden, pet supplies, and transportation.
Rising Star Award Winner
Mesh++ – Mesh++ enables anyone to bring last-mile internet access to their community. Using mobile processing power, they cover hundreds of acres at high speeds without even using a single cable.
Community Empowerment Award Winner
CREDMADE by Chicago CRED – Chicago CRED’s social enterprise, CREDMADE is a commercial organization that builds on the Chicago CRED foundation to position participants to launch a career in manufacturing by creating apprenticeships in the food manufacturing industry.
Innovation of the Year Winner
MP – A17 Qi Design Specification by NuCurrent – NuCurrent supplies leading companies with wireless power technologies and systems integration expertise. Its solutions are based on inductive and inductive resonant wireless power transfer and can be developed on Qi, AirFuel, and NFC Direct Charge standards, as well as other proprietary (client-customized) designs.
This year’s sponsors included Bank of America, Comcast Business, KPMG, Cristaux, and the Illinois Manufacturing Excellence Center (IMEC). MxD and mHUB also invited registrants to support area manufacturing workforce development. The event raised over $15,000, with proceeds supporting scholarships and apprenticeship programs at Richard J. Daley College.
About MxD
MxD, the nation’s digital manufacturing institute, is where innovative manufacturers go to forge their futures. In partnership with the Department of Defense, MxD equips U.S. factories with the digital tools, cybersecurity, and workforce expertise they need to begin building every part better than the last. As a result, our nearly 300 partners increase their productivity and win more business.
About mHUB
mHUB is the nation’s largest and fastest growing innovation center for physical product development and manufacturing. mHUB is a community of product designers and developers, entrepreneurs, engineers and manufacturers, a network of manufacturing mentors, industry experts and investors and a source of intellectual and economic capital. mHUB is home to more than $5 million in resources including ten unique prototyping labs and microfactory for onsite low-volume production runs. Learn more at mHUBChicago.com
