Two of the seven recipients of the second round of the Design Innovation Seed Fund (DISF) have won prestigious awards.

SmartBlade took home the World Federation of Societies of Anaesthesiologists (WFSA) Fresenius Innovation Award 2017.

Dr Caroline Corbett developed the SmartBlade in conjunction with her husband Nick Nevin in a bid to enhance access to quality medical equipment.

The SmartBlade device is a locally designed, extremely cost-effective video laryngoscope‚ which is used to intubate difficult airways. It has been hailed for its novel design and how it harnesses the power of smartphone technology.

SmartBlade was one of seven Western Cape entrepreneurs to receive grants of up to half a million Rands each from the second round of the Design Innovation Seed Fund (DISF).

The DISF is a project of the Craft and Design Institute (CDI) with investment and management funds respectively provided by the Technology Innovation Agency (TIA) and the Western Cape Department of Economic Development and Tourism. The Fund is being managed by the CDI’s subsidiary CDI Capital, the CDI’s investment entity.

“We are truly honoured to be the recipients of such a prestigious award and extremely grateful for the opportunities it will offer in ultimately facilitating the delivery of the (device) to clinicians who need it most,” said Dr Caroline Corbett.

Article and image above courtesy of Savant.

DISF recipient and Cape Town based startup, FlyH2 Aerospace, was recently awarded the prestigious OR TAMBO CUMULUS Award by Air Traffic and Navigation Services (ATNS) at their 2017 ATNS AVI-AFRIQUE awards ceremony.

The AVI AFRIQUE Summit theme for 2017 was “In Africa, for Africa, by Africa” and focused on enhancing sustainability of the African aviation market within the global arena. At the summit, the AVI Awards seeks to recognize innovative individuals and organisations that elevate the aviation industry through intelligent design of products and processes which enhance the capabilities of the aviation industry.

The programme is run by Air Traffic and Navigation Services (ATNS) which provides air traffic control, radar and navigation services to the South African aviation industry.

FlyH2 Aerospace were awarded the first prize for UAV-based systems they are developing to combat False Codling Moth – a phytosanitary pest that threatens South Africa’s $1bn citrus industry.

Article and image above courtesy of FlyH2 Aerospace.