Pavegen wins innovation award for powering up pavements
London-based energy technology firm Pavegen has been given an innovation award in the Smart Cities category at the 20th annual South by Southwest Interactive Innovation Awards in Austin, Texas. The firm's product offering is a floor tile that converts energy from footsteps into a small quantity of electricity. The company has an installation in Washington DC's Dupont Circle neighbourhood, in which its tiles store energy generated by commuters' footsteps to power streetlights at night.
Tonight the 20th annual SXSW Interactive Innovation Awards celebrated the 2017 Finalists and Winners. Emcees Janina Gavankar and Lyndie Greenwood announced the winners of the 13 categories and 7 special honors ranging from achievements in digital design to health technology and beyond.

It was a wonderful night celebrating the incredible speakers, trends, ideas, and ingenuity that came to Austin this year. Congratulations to all the 2017 winners!

2017 SXSW Interactive Innovation Awards Winners

HEALTH, MED & BIOTECH

Awarded for the new technology that best improves the quality, efficacy, and cost-effectiveness of prevention, diagnosis, treatment and care in health and medicine.

PRIME Needle Free Injector by Portal Instruments

INNOVATION IN CONNECTING PEOPLE

Awarded for the best new way to connect and communicate with others.

Blendoor by Stephanie Lampkin

INNOVATIVE 3-DIY

Awarded for making 3D printing technology more accessible or affordable, or to the Maker using such technology in new and exciting ways.

3Doodler PRO by 3Doodler

MUSIC & AUDIO INNOVATION

Awarded for 2017’s best device or service that changes and improves the way we listen to and enjoy music.

HOLOPLOT Wave Field Generator by Holoplot GmbH

NEW ECONOMY

Awarded to those redefining the exchange of goods and services, from the sharing economy, to virtual currency, to micro-finance, to mobile-device-payment systems and beyond.

Blinker App by Blinker Inc

PRIVACY & SECURITY

Awarded for 2017’s most progressive accomplishment in the way we go about securing our data and ensuring our privacy.

D3CRYPT3D by PADECA LLC

RESPONSIVE DESIGN

Awarded for excellent digital design, creating the best-integrated interaction in terms of content, aesthetics, and functionality.

My Grandmother's Lingo by SBS Online Australia

SCIFI NO LONGER

Awarded for the coolest scientific achievement or discovery that before was only possible in science fiction.

DuoSkin by MIT Media Lab | Microsoft Research

SMART CITIES

Awarded for innovations in eco-friendly or sustainable energy, transportation, and IoT technology, making life in the connected world a smarter, cleaner, greener, and more efficient Internet of Everything.

V3 by Pavegen

STUDENT INNOVATION

Awarded to the student with an exceptional interactive technology project or startup; both of which are the future.

BionicM - Powering Mobility for All by Xiaojun Sun | JSK robotics lab at The University of Tokyo

VISUAL MEDIA EXPERIENCE

Awarded for content creation and delivery that moves beyond passive viewership by providing a more immersive and engaging entertainment experience.

JourneyMaker by The Art Institute of Chicago

VR & AR

Awarded for breakthroughs in augmented reality & virtual reality technology including the application of new hardware or software which truly make the Virtual a reality.

Tilt Brush by Google

WEARABLE TECH

Awarded for the new hardware that revolutionizes the convenience, comfort, functionality, efficiency, and fashion of having a device literally “on you."

Halo 2 Made for iPhone Hearing Aids by Starkey Hearing Technologies | Karten Design

SPECIAL HONORS

BEST OF SHOW

Finalist from the competition, who, overall, best exemplifies the values of innovation, inspiration and creativity.

The Sensel Morph by Sensel

PEOPLE’S CHOICE

Voted on by the SXSW Interactive community at the second Interactive Innovation Awards Finalist Showcase.

Johnson & Johnson CaringCrowd by CI&T and R/GA

BREAKOUT TREND OF THE EVENT

Trend that gained the most traction during SXSW Interactive 2017.

Deep Machine Learning

DAVID CARR PRIZE

Awarded for the best new writer’s essay, in honor of the late David Carr; our friend and great contributor to SXSW and the journalistic community, whose interest in the convergence of new media, technology, and culture inspires the essay topic for each year’s competition.

SPEAKER OF THE EVENT

Speaker from SXSW Interactive 2017 whose presentation makes the biggest impact on the digital community.

INTERACTIVE HALL OF FAME

Honoring those exceptional trailblazers whose work has helped shape the connected world and who continue to guide the direction of the digital industry.

MEME OF THE YEAR

Most ubiquitous meme that went viral in calendar year 2016 and that we just can’t get out of our heads or off of our screens.

Prankster Joe Biden