Announcing Our 2024 Finalists

Congratulations to the seven finalists who will be competing for the Grand Prize during a live presentation round in November:

AstroAnt: A Miniature Symbiotic Robotic Serving on the Outside Surfaces of Spacecraft, Rovers, and Landers for Inspection and Diagnostic Tasks

Cosmetic Silica Upcycled from Rice Husk as Natural Alternative to Microplastic Powders

Laser-Generated Anti-Icing and Anti-Fogging Transparent Materials

Multi-Modal Traffic Detection System

NETrolyze: A Novel Immunotherapy for Triple-Negative Breast Cancer

RHOBARR Barrier Dispersions Platform

Thin-Film Thermoelectric Cooling Device

Watch this space for more announcements, including the Top 100 entries and Top Ten most popular.

Help build a better tomorrow

Since Tech Briefs magazine launched the Create the Future Design contest in 2002 to recognize and reward engineering innovation, over 15,000 design ideas have been submitted by engineers, students, and entrepreneurs in more than 100 countries. Join the innovators who dared to dream big by entering your ideas today.

Read About Past Winners’ Success Stories

Special Report spotlights the eight top entries in 2023 as well as past winners whose ideas are now in the market, making a difference in the world.

Click here to read more

A ‘Create the Future’ Winner Featured on ‘Here’s an Idea’

Spinal cord injury affects 17,000 Americans and 700,000 people worldwide each year. A research team at NeuroPair, Inc. won the Grand Prize in the 2023 Create the Future Design Contest for a revolutionary approach to spinal cord repair. In this Here’s an Idea podcast episode, Dr. Johannes Dapprich, NeuroPair’s CEO and founder, discusses their groundbreaking approach that addresses a critical need in the medical field, offering a fast and minimally invasive solution to a long-standing problem.

Listen now

Thank you from our Sponsors

“At COMSOL, we are very excited to recognize innovators and their important work this year. We are grateful for the opportunity to support the Create the Future Design Contest, which is an excellent platform for designers to showcase their ideas and products in front of a worldwide audience. Best of luck to all participants!”

— Bernt Nilsson, Senior Vice President of Marketing, COMSOL, Inc.

“From our beginnings, Mouser has supported engineers, innovators and students. We are proud of our longstanding support for the Create the Future Design Contest and the many innovations it has inspired.”

— Kevin Hess, Senior Vice President of Marketing, Mouser Electronics

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James Lauer

6 Sigma Master Black Belt - Caterpillar Inc.
Morton, IL

Professional Engineer with BS and MS Industrial Engineering degrees as well as a MBA. Work experience of over 33 years in design, manufacture, safety and environmental needs of industries including aircraft/aerospace, engines/systems/components, and heavy construction equipment. Providing leadership, education, and training of creation and improvement methodologies for new/current products and processes through Lean and 6 Sigma tools and techniques.