Dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the cantonal economic promotion, the 2022 edition of the Innovation Award of the canton of Fribourg has honored the region’s companies that have most impressed by their innovation capacity, their high level of skills, as well as the diversity of the projects presented.
New X-ray technology to test electric vehicle batteries
Comet was awarded the Business Award of CHF 10’000. The company has developed a completely new technology for X-ray sources that allows for more efficient testing of electric car batteries.
Since faulty batteries can cause fires, the safest way to detect production faults is through X-ray inspection. However, traditional solutions are only suitable to a limited extent: they either make production errors visible, but the modules are not suitable for an industrial environment, or the solutions are suitable for production, but the image quality is insufficient. Comet’s MesoFocus X-ray technology enables accurate testing of batteries in an industrial environment. The result is long-lasting batteries and increased safety for electric vehicle users.
With the Business Award 2022, the jury of the Innovation Award has distinguished a technology project that provides a practical answer to a highly topical and relevant problem. With its new MesoFocus X-ray technology, Comet not only increases safety in the field of electromobility, but also opens up a new market for the automotive industry.
Improving eating habits with digital therapy
The winner of the CHF 30’000 Start-up Prize is Neuria, which was voted for by both the jury and the public. Neuria has developed a digital therapy hidden in video games to improve eating habits. Conventional approaches to treating overweight rely on prescribing restrictive diets. Since these diets often involve fighting cravings and are frustrating to control over the long term, they fail in 90% of cases.
Neuria is shifting the paradigm with the discovery of a way to change food preferences. The start-up has identified cognitive tasks whose repeated practice induces targeted brain plasticity in the brain’s reward circuitry, resulting in a reduction in the appeal of unhealthy foods. As a result, less food is consumed and weight is naturally reduced. Training tasks are “hidden” in smartphone video games, and individuals need simply play to see their health improve without even realizing it.
Providing job opportunities for people with disabilities
PMF-System has won the first ever Sustainable Economy Prize of the canton of Fribourg, in the amount of CHF 10’000. The company has developed a digital assembly assistant for SMEs and sheltered workshops. Leave no one behind: this is one of the messages of the 2030 Agenda for sustainability. The digital assembly assistant from PMF-System allows people with disabilities to enter the job market. The opportunity for sheltered workshops to expand their services and for small and medium-sized manufacturers to become more efficient is the direct impact of this digital assistant.
The next edition of the Innovation Award will take place in 2024 and will once again celebrate the companies that embody the extraordinary innovation potential of the canton of Fribourg.
