Jerome Rifkin, founder of Tensegrity Prosthetics, Louisville, Colorado, won the 2010 DaVinci Institute’s Inventor of the Year Award. Tensegrity Prosthetics was cited for “breaking from established technology paradigms in the prosthetics world to create a foot prosthesis that emulates the natural human foot,” according to a DaVinci Institute statement.
The DaVinci Institute describes itself as a “non-profit futurist think tank” that encourages cross-pollination among Colorado inventors and businesspeople. It also offers a year-round, co-working space for members to share ideas, known as The Vault.
Winners of this year’s Inventor Showcase were picked by 70 judges from venture capital firms, media companies, businesses, and academia. Nominees were judged on their innovation and the value of their creations to society.