The IET Innovation Awards

Product Design Award winner 2011

QinetiQ Ltd The Zephyr Solar-electric Unmanned Aerial System

The judging panel commented:

This design ticks all the boxes - social impact, novelty, inventiveness and it could have a dramatic impact economically. The entire aircraft design has been considered and optimised - power, weight, sensors, propulsion in order to make the prospect of 'near-eternal' flight a realistic possibility. High altitude performance in the presence of varying thermals and pressures has been achieved. On top of this, it has already captured the world record for the longest duration flight of an unmanned aircraft (over two weeks) and has redefined what was believed to be achievable. A clear winner.

Also shortlisted:

Scope of category

Entries to the IET Product Design Innovation Award category are welcomed from all sectors of engineering, such as electronics, telecommunications, transport, manufacturing, power and computing.

The Product Design category welcomes nominations from (but is not limited to) projects such as:

• Design teams and individuals who have developed tangible solutions to specific needs which are both pioneering and original
• The winning innovation can be the product itself or a specific feature of the product (the product itself may be mass-produced or custom-made)

Please note

If you have entered, or are planning to enter this category, and if you have used software in an innovative way in the design process of the product, please also consider entering the Software in Design category.

Winning innovations in this category

2010:
A holographic laser projection (Light Blue Optics)

2009 :
Groundbreaking innovation advancing towards a life-like prosthetic hand and beyond
(Touch Bionics)

2008 :
Moisture-activated, polymer-tube kink valve (Liquid Lever Solutions Ltd)

2007 :
Active Power – Energy efficient UPS systems (Active Power)

See also

• How to enter
• All categories