October 5, 2015 — Procyrion Inc. of Houston has been awarded the grand prize of $20,000 in the 2015 "Create the Future" Design Contest for the first catheter-deployed heart pump intended for long-term treatment of chronic heart failure. The Aortix device — thinner than a No. 2 pencil and only 6 cm long — features a powerful micro-pump designed to rest and heal the heart without surgery and with minimal risk.
Aortix was among the record 1,159 new product ideas submitted in the 13th annual design contest, which was established in 2002 to recognize and reward engineering innovations that benefit humanity, the environment and the economy. This year's design contest was co-sponsored by COMSOL and Mouser Electronics. Analog Devices and Intel were supporting sponsors.
In addition to the grand prize of $20,000, first-place winners were named in seven categories in various industries. In the medical field Smart X-ray Source won for combining flat panel X-ray detector technology with classic X-ray physics to provide portable, inexpensive computed tomography (CT) systems using open software sources to underserved populations around the world.
Finalists were selected by senior editors at Tech Briefs Media Group and judged by an independent panel of design engineers. Visitors to the contest website could vote on entries, with the 10 most popular designs awarded an Ollie robotic gaming device provided by Sphero.
For more information: www.createthefuturecontest.com
October 19, 2026 
