April 28, 2015
Popular Science names "brilliant" Waterloo invention to Top 10
Voltera’s 3D custom circuit board printer is named among top innovations for 2015 by leading science and tech magazine
Popular Science, one of the most well-read science and tech publications in the world, has chosen an invention created at the University of Waterloo to be one of the Top 10 innovations for 2015.
“Popular Science has been a leading publisher of the latest and greatest science and technology news for over 140 years. Being honoured by them in this way is something that we could have only dreamed about as children,” says Alroy Almeida, co-founder of Voltera, a Waterloo startup that has developed a custom circuit board 3D printer.
“This recognition would never have occurred if it wasn't for the professional support and educational foundation we gained through our time enrolled in the prestigious Waterloo mechatronics and nanotechnology programs and through our valuable experiences at various co-op jobs, says Almeida.
Invention awards name rising stars in design and engineering
For the past nine years, Popular Science has used the Invention Awards to recognize the rising stars of design and engineering. The tech developed by Voltera will help hardware professionals and hobbyists create custom circuit board prototypes quickly and easily. The Popular Science article writes that the 3D printer for circuit boards is one of ten brilliant inventions of 2015.
The project began as a Capstone Design project in Waterloo’s Faculty of Engineering. Upon graduation in 2013, Alroy Almeida, Katarina Ilic, James Pickard, and Jesús Zozaya moved into the Velocity Foundry and set aggressive fundraising goals to enable manufacturing.
After its big win of $50,000 during the TechCrunch Hardware Battlefield competition, Voltera launched a Kickstarter campaign that managed to raise more than $500,000, the eighth largest Kickstarter campaign in Canada. Part of the team is now in China to begin manufacturing.
Other inventions named to the Popular Science top 10 include a patch that delivers needle free vaccinations, a wearable personal pollution monitor and a self-balancing two-wheeled car. Helping with the review and selection process this year was Bre Pettis, co-founder of 3D-print company MakerBot.
From left to right: James Pickard, Jesús Zozaya, Katarina Ilic and Alroy Almeida.
