Gold detector wins innovation top prize
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A portable gold detector designed by Canning Vale-based Portable PPB has won the major prize at the state government’s WA Innovator of the Year awards.
The highly sensitive in-field handheld detector, detectORE, is designed to help geologists find low-level parts-per-billion gold results in the field, rather than having to wait on laboratory assays.
The process combines an off-the-shelf but optimised x-ray fluorescence device with a chemical process and software solution to speed up the in-field exploration process.
“You can see gold, and you can chase gold, and you can find gold, by measuring gold,” Portable PPB chair and co-founder Peter Williams said in a video prepared for the event.
“It’s a much more direct way of actually looking for gold, and therefore there’s much less environmental disturbance.”
The technology was one of 18 finalists vying for the overall title.
Five category winners were also announced, including the Business News ‘great for the state’ platinum award, won by pharmaceutical innovator Reliis for its Aqueous Quetiapine solution.
The liquid drug formation is being used as an alternative to tablets to treat agitated delirium, a condition that affects more than 130,000 people in Australia each year.
The drug will be the first globally registered treatment for the condition.
The Rio Tinto-sponsored emerging innovation and growth innovation category winners were Earflo and Leisure Technologies, respectively.
Earflo received its award for developing a non-surgical device as an alternative to grommets, currently used to treat chronic ear infections in children.
Leisure Technologies was recognised for a suite of wireless technologies designed to protect caravans, pop tops, camper trailers and heavy industrial trailers, preventing theft and offering support to assist braking.
The Wesfarmers wellbeing platinum award went to Inspiring Holdings for its Novel Universe Space System, a medical delivery device compatible with all forms of inhalation drug delivery equipment.
The device uses a collapsible reservoir, rather than the industry standard hard plastic, to assist in the delivery of inhaled medicines with minimal wastage.
Canning Vale’s Innovative Energy Solutions was the recipient of the Woodside Energy innovation category for the development of its autonomous solar cleaning robot.
The robot, developed to improve the effectiveness of solar panels in the state’s mining sector, is a waterless and autonomously operated device that uses a dry-cleaning brush to remove dust and maintain panel efficiency.
It featured in the November 13 edition of Business News, as part of a feature on new Western Australian innovations servicing and optimising the state’s burgeoning renewable energy sector.
Minister for innovation and the digital economy Stephen Dawson said the winners of the state’s 17th Innovator of the Year awards were an impressive display of the talent on offer in WA.
“It was a very tough job for the judges to choose the winners from such a wide range of amazing high tech and innovative solutions, and full credit to Portable PPB for coming out on top with their gold detector,” he said.
Finalists were given the opportunity to take part in training and development workshops to help grow innovation ahead of the awards ceremony.