After over 200 ideas were sifted through students, engineers, and the AIC committee, 20 were presented on Friday, October 21 to a panel of judges. Tension was high in the packed Wood Center ballroom when the following winners were announced:

$1,000– Fourth Place: Edward Ashby, Individual Assisting Device for Bathtubs

This removable device sits in a bathtub and supports a person who would otherwise be unable to bathe unassisted. The device operates using a hydraulic jack and wouldn’t require an electric power source. This device could be used in private residences to aid the elderly or handicapped, as well as in assisted-living facilities.

$2,000– Third Place: Fr. Joshua Resnick & Seraphim McGann, Power-Dense Motor for Marine Applications

Modifying an existing three-phase motor, the power-dense motor (PDM) aims to solve the problem of high-cost, diesel-electric propulsion motors used on fishing boats. The PDM would provide a low-cost way for fishing boats to increase efficiency and use less fuel, while featuring a low engine room profile and elegant twin-prop design.

$5,000– Second Place: Jeremiah Costly, Reciprocating File

Allows motorized movement of a bastard file. This product is the only of its type to utilize an ordinary blade as its coupler, eliminating need for moving parts and allowing further use of dull blades. Whatever the material, the Reciprocating File makes short work of the task at hand.

$10,000– First Place: Billy Koitzsch & Bob Ostrom, HydroHeater

A winter hydration system with a heating element inside the drinking tubes. HydroHeater thaws the tube in even the very coldest conditions, lessening the potentially life-threatening risk of dehydration. With the HydroHeater, users never have to worry about their hydration system freezing.

Congratulations are also in order for the rest of the top 20, who each won $100.

Thank you to everyone who made this event possible, whether through submitting your innovative idea, or investing in the AIC. We hope to see you next year – at the 2012 Arctic Innovation Competition!

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Here are the top 20 competitors and their ideas:

Edward Ashby – Individual Assisting Device for Bathtubs
Josh Bennett – Insulated, Exhaust-Vent Cover
Tamara Byrd & Jane Moore – Logger’s Buddy
Jeremiah Costly – Reciprocating File
Dayne Ellanna – Portable, Renewable-Energy Unit
Michael Golub – Ultra-Efficient Personal Transportation
Karina Huffaker – Airplane Sleeping Trays
Tom A. Johnson – Backrack
Tom H. Johnson – Open-Neutral Compensation for Residential Power Problems
Billy Koitzsch & Bob Ostrom – HydroHeater
Shaun Milke – No-Line Dust Pan
Ralph Moore – Variable Valve Actuation Camshaft
Aaron & Shannon Mosdal – Arctic Accumulator Engine Start Assist
Carl Olson – Micro-Processor, Controlled-Air Adjustment for Household Boilers
Julia Phillips – Flashing Emblem Creates Safer Roads in Winter
Shane Powers – Advanced Tracheal Device
Fr. Joshua Resnick & Seraphim McGann – Power-Dense Motor for Marine Applications
Pete Seims – Heated Trailer Brakes
Isaac Thompson – Cold-Weather, Energy-Dense Battery
Sabrina Yarsley – Temporary, Sunscreen-Reminder Tattoos

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