Known for spotting the 'next big thing' in the technology sector, the MacRobert Award identifies outstanding innovation with proven commercial success and tangible social benefit. As well as gaining from the prestige of the award, the winners receive a gold medal and a £50,000 prize.
Artemis has developed a Digital Displacement power system, with digitally controlled hydraulics, that that has the potential to transform the viability of offshore wind power and low carbon transportation. As well as improving power capacity the system has been designed to overcome the reliability issues associated with existing turbines.
Dame Sue Ion DBE FREng, Chair of the MacRobert Award judging panel, said, "Artemis has achieved a technical advance of global importance, making significant power delivery from offshore wind considerably more credible and realisable, and facilitating the global goal of reducing CO2 emissions."
Artemis is also applying the same technology to reduce the fuel consumption of commuter trains and buses. A regenerative braking energy storage system based on Digital Displacement can be retrofitted to existing diesel commuter trains, and recent trials with Ricardo and Bombardier have shown that it can reduce fuel consumption by around 10%. The system also generates less noise and cuts exhaust emissions within stations.
Hybrid buses are also becoming more viable thanks to Digital Displacement. Together with Lothian Buses and Alexander Dennis, Artemis claims to have successfully demonstrated fuel savings of up to 27% on urban buses. Mainstream electric hybrid technology requires many expensive materials and processes, which can add 50% to the initial cost and means higher maintenance costs. This means that, despite saving fuel, hybrid buses have previously not made business sense without government subsidies. The Artemis system is made of common materials using regular processes, which significantly reduces the cost and means the systems can be maintained by existing staff.
Dame Ion concluded: "Artemis has produced a unique, world-beating product and is realising significant commercial success as a result. As a UK SME, Artemis represents the very best of modern UK engineering with global significance, which the Academy continues to champion through its Engineering for Growth campaign."
