FSU's Fourth Annual Sneak Peek a Showcase for Cutting-edge Technology

By Dave Hodges | Business Matters Editor | @TallyBiz on Twitter
Fall 2012

Picture caption: Patrick Breslend, right, shows off his 2012 solar car. The fourth annual Sneak Peek event in Innovation Park took place on Thursday. Dozens of engineers and research scientists had their technologies and inventions on display, ready to extoll their commercial potential as products. / Mike Ewen/Democrat

An innovative sensor technology can monitor the stress on bridges and other structures, reporting when damaging cracks occur.

The solar panels covering the upper surface of an experimental car are controlled in such a way that the vehicle maximizes the available voltage when one or more panels is not getting optimum sun exposure.

Research on new ways to detect autistic behavior in very young children will enable doctors to identify the disorder sooner and keep it from becoming worse.

There were ideas aplenty Thursday night and the research to back them up at the fourth annual Sneak Peek presented by the Florida State University Office of Intellectual Property Development & Commercialization.

The event took place in Innovation Park at the Aero-Propulsion, Mechatronics and Energy Building. Among the exhibitors was David Olawale, who with fellow PhD candidate Tarik Dickens founded the company Nanotechnology Patronas Group Inc. in 2011.

NPGroup, as the firm is called, develops and markets proprietary sensors based on research from FSU's High Performance Materials Institute. The sensors detect any cracks or weaknesses in buildings, bridges and aircraft — giving an early warning of trouble, Olawale said.

"It gives us instantaneous, real-time, distributed sensing," he added. In the case of the more than 600,000 bridges in the U.S., a regular inspection may only occur once every two years. Olawale said NPGroup's sensors, once installed, can be the monitors engineers can rely on for constant readings. More...http://www.tallahassee.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2012310050013

Still shot pulled from video posted with the Democrat story and also posted on FSUNews.com

'Sneak Peak' showcases new innovations
FSU researchers have something to share with the marketplace