(COLORADO) — The Colorado Chamber of Commerce has announced the top 10 finalists for its second annual Coolest Thing Made in Colorado competition.
The finalists were chosen by an independent selection committee who reviewed and assessed each nomination. They will be honored at the Colorado Chamber’s Annual Meeting Luncheon on October 19, where the Coolest Thing winner and runner-up will be announced. The Chamber will also announce special categories of winners, including a “People’s Choice” award based on an online voting tool that will launch in the coming weeks.
The Coolest Thing Made in Colorado top ten finalists are as follows:
ACES Ejection Seat by Collins Aerospace
Collins Aerospace is the manufacturer of ACES Ejection Seats, a critical life-saving device for military fighter, bomber and trainer aircraft. When abandoning the aircraft is the only option, the ACES Ejection Seat will safely eject the aircrew from the stricken aircraft once initiated by the aircrew while minimizing any potential for further injury. The ejection seats have saved over 800 pilots and aircrew. The product is manufactured in Colorado Springs.
Cleragel by Gelsana Therapeutics
Cleragel is a novel technology that improves wound healing for diabetic ulcers and other wounds. The company’s highly elastic hydrogel systems offer unique wound healing properties that can stretch and conform across any wound, accelerate wound closure, generate strong epidermal layers post healing, and enable controlled delivery of therapeutics that could benefit certain types of wounds, including chronic wounds. Gelsana is based in Aurora.
Icelantic Shaman 2.0 by Icelantic Skis
The Shaman 2.0 is the revamped version of one of Icelantic’s most iconic skis: the Shaman. Icelantic, based in Golden, brought back the once-retired design with a new, modernized shape and construction. Its tapered shape, wide shovel, and rockered tip and tail allows skiers to stay in the front of their boots, driving the ski through any condition the mountain provides, never having the tip dive in even the deepest snow.
DNA Vibe’s Jazz Band Live is an advanced wearable regenerative light therapy technology – the only one of its kind manufactured in the United States. The cutting-edge technology combines molecular biology and genomics with particle and optical physics to stimulate the body’s natural regenerative processes. Made in Centennial, Jazz Band Live has been embraced by hundreds of professional and Olympic athletes and tens of thousands of everyday consumers.
Lavender Dark Chocolate Bar by Pollinator Chocolate
Made with Western Slope lavender from a farm in Palisade, this high-quality craft chocolate is made with care by a small, eco-conscious business. It’s made with 70% dark chocolate and ethically sourced ingredients.
OcuLenz by Ocutrx Vision Technologies
OcuLenz is a revolutionary technology for people with moderate to severe age-related macular degeneration. Manufactured in Colorado Springs, the OcuLenz utilizes patented technology in an augmented/mixed reality lightweight wearable headset that allows for corrected vision provided through digitally generated visual images to the patient.
NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission will study a near-Earth asteroid. Launched on Sept. 8, 2016, the spacecraft will rendezvous with asteroid Bennu, conduct a two-year detailed survey of Bennu from orbit, and collect a sample and bring it back to Earth. Lockheed Martin designed and built the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft, asteroid sampling system and sample return capsule at its facilities near Denver.
The Dobrato is the world’s first acoustic/electric, round neck resophonic guitar with B bender/vibrato built into the vibrato arm. The Grammy-winning design has a beautiful, full-bodied, reverberate voice, retaining natural deep and rich acoustic tone when amplified. Each guitar is hand-assembled with high quality materials in Gunnison.
Reveos Automated Whole Blood Processing System by Terumo BCT
Reveos by Lakewood-based Terumo BCT is the first and only device of its kind. This easy-to-use automated system integrates the manual steps of whole blood processing. Whole blood units are collected from donors and have traditionally been separated into components — platelets, plasma and red blood cells — using a semi-automatic and manual method that takes up to 20 steps. Reveos simplifies this process and eliminates over half of the steps. It has been used in 52 countries for more than a decade.
Wad-Free for Bed Sheets by Brayniacs LLC
Wad-Free for Bed Sheets is a tool that prevents bed sheets from tangling, twisting and balling-up in both the washing machine and dryer. With this product, sheets come out of the wash cleaner and dry faster with fewer wrinkles. It also keeps washing machines balanced and saves time, money and energy on washing bed sheets. Manufactured in Englewood, the product was recently featured on ABC’s Shark Tank.
