Dec 14, 2012 | Michael E. Casey - Inventors of the Year 2012

As physicians strive for earlier and more accurate detection of neurological disorders, cardiovascular disease and cancers, positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) molecular imaging innovations play an essential role in revealing the complete picture of the disease. Unlike conventional anatomic medical imaging, PET/CT enables physicians to visualize biological processes at the cellular level, where disease begins. The widespread availability of PET/CT technology has led to the significant growth and acceptance of molecular imaging over the past several years, according to Michael Casey (60), a developer of PET devices. Casey has helped to create numerous inventions relating to PET/CT, many of which have accelerated patient scan times and improved image quality—contributing to enhanced patient care. Casey works at Siemens Healthcare in Tennessee, U.S. 

Reference number: soaxx201226-01

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Dec 14, 2012 | Peder Bay Enevoldsen - Inventors of the Year 2012

What do dinosaur tails have to do with the rotor blades of wind turbines? It's very simple: Serrations on the trailing edges of rotor blades reduce noise and increase wind turbine efficiency — and the jagged edges make the blades look a little like dinosaur tails. These serrations are only one of the inventions for optimizing wind turbines devised by Peder Bay Enevoldsen, 44. The teeth are either manufactured as an integral part of the rotor blade or can be retrofitted using glue to improve older blades' performance. They can increase the energy output by up to four percent per year. Enevoldsen works for Siemens Wind Power in Brande/Denmark. 

Reference number: soaxx201226-02

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Dec 14, 2012 | Hans-Joachim Felkl - Inventors of the Year 2012

Stainless steel is a valuable material. However, a relatively large amount of scrap is generated during production. This is because the metal produced is no longer of equal thickness when worn-out work rolls have to be replaced with new ones. Hans-Joachim Felkl, 58, has developed a new process for replacing rolls that is easier on the material. A cold rolling mill equipped to carry out the new process can achieve an increase of at least seven percent in throughput. Felkl, who specializes in control technology for rolling mills, works for the Industry sector in Erlangen. 

Reference number: soaxx201226-03

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Dec 14, 2012 | Manfred Fuchs - Inventors of the Year 2012

Scintillators play an important role in modern X-ray machines. They contain chemical substances that convert X-rays into visible light and thus make it possible to portray an image on an electronic display. Manfred Fuchs, 55, from Erlangen/Germany has long specialized in developing phosphor coatings for X-ray detectors and improving them so that patients are exposed to less radiation. Fuchs works for Siemens Healthcare in Erlangen. 

Reference number: soaxx201226-04

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Dec 14, 2012 | Dr. Bogdan Georgescu - Inventors of the Year 2012

Minimally invasive surgical methods make operations much more comfortable for heart patients. Princeton researcher Dr. Bogdan Georgescu (40) is working to improve state-of-the-art imaging processes that make such operations possible. Thanks to Georgescu's inventions, Siemens is now one of the first companies in the world to offer medical imaging systems that automatically produce 3D computer models of patients' hearts. The new algorithms used here can also simulate blood flow as a fourth-dimension feature, which enables physicians to better align treatment methods with the needs of individual patients. A native of Romania, Georgescu now works at Siemens Corporate Technology in Princeton, U.S. 

Reference number: soaxx201226-05

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Dec 14, 2012 | Philippe Leray - Inventors of the Year 2012

One of Philippe Leray's inventions has helped make it possible for high-speed trains to roll along the rails at up to 400 kilometers per hour. Leray, a French engineer, has improved the retensioners that keep the overhead conductors of railroad tracks taut. As a result, the conductors continue to operate reliably at high train speeds. The improved design of the retensioners also ensures that if a conductor breaks the retensioner will remain undamaged. Railroad operation can therefore quickly be resumed. Leray, who moved to Germany directly after his graduation, works in the Infrastructure & Cities Sector in Erlangen. 

Reference number: soaxx201226-06

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Dec 14, 2012 | Karen Lontka - Inventors of the Year 2012

When fire breaks out in a building, lives are at risk. Particularly in high-rise office blocks, it is vital that fire alarm systems are 100 percent reliable, even in the event of a power failure. Karen Lontka has invented a special electrical circuit which ensures that the voltage available to a fire alarm system is always adequate — even in the event of a blackout, when the alarm system is powered by a battery. Lontka works in the Infrastructure & Cities Sector in Florham, New Jersey, U.S. Her new circuit is already in use in the fire alarm systems produced by Siemens in the U.S. 

Reference number: soaxx201226-07

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Dec 14, 2012 | Manuela Lüftl - Inventors of the Year 2012

When it comes to controlling motors in automation technology, one device is irreplaceable: the contactor. In Siemens' Industry Sector, the engineer Manuela Lüftl specializes in developing contactors for a wide range of output classes. After managing a development department in India for two years, Lüftl recently returned to the plant in Amberg, Germany. Her invention, which involves a special quenching plate arrangement in the arc chamber, is an important innovation. The plates extinguish the arc that is created when a contactor is switched at high outputs. Applications for the new generation of contactors that Lüftl helped to develop include motors used in the automotive, steel, and machine construction industries. 

Reference number: soaxx201226-08

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Dec 14, 2012 | Toni Schiffers - Inventors of the Year 2012

Many innovations for rail vehicles aim to reduce energy consumption in order to make mass transportation systems less costly and more environmentally friendly. This is also the objective that Toni Schiffers pursues by means of his inventions. A brake specialist by trade, Schiffers has developed a self-energizing hydraulic brake system for rail vehicles. The brake system not only saves a lot of weight but also sets the required braking energy with great precision. The first trials are scheduled to take place in early 2014. Schiffers developed a non-self-energizing system for these trials to simplify the safety approval procedures — and with good reason. The approval processes for rail vehicle safety are becoming increasingly complex, especially when new technologies are being introduced. Schiffers works at the Infrastructure & Cities Sector in Erlangen, Germany. 

Reference number: soaxx201226-09

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Dec 14, 2012 | Erich Schmid - Inventors of the Year 2012

Nowadays, power plants need to operate flexibly. Whereas a constant electrical output was the norm in the past, production at today's conventional plants needs to fluctuate because of the increasing use of energy from renewable sources. Erich Schmid had developed a whole range of operating processes that quickly increase electricity production in combined cycle power plants and maintain this higher production level for a specific period of time. The resulting rapid increase in electricity production is especially important in what is known as the frequency stability mode. Here, sudden differences between the required and the actual amount of electricity generated are balanced. Such differences can lead to changes in the line frequency. In the worst case, the discrepancies can cause the grid to break down completely. For this reason, network operators purchase reserve output from electricity producers. Any power plant that is required to provide reserve output must be able to deliver th 

Reference number: soaxx201226-10

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Dec 14, 2012 | Dr. Wolf-Stephan Wilke - Inventors of the Year 2012

Every one of Germany's 82 letter sorting centers uses sorting machines that work according to a principle invented by Dr. Wolf-Stephan Wilke. These large-letter sorting machines use a special arrangement of pocket carousels that move above the containers into which the letters are sorted. Thanks to this arrangement, the letter throughput is dramatically increased without the need for more space. These modern sorting systems have also attracted attention from postal services outside Germany. Wilke works at the Infrastructure & Cities Sector in Konstanz, Germany. 

Reference number: soaxx201226-11

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Dec 14, 2012 | Dr. Xiang Sean Zhou - Inventors of the Year 2012

Dr. Sean Zhou, 42, specializes in computer vision and data mining for medical imaging applications. Zhou, an inventor from Siemens Healthcare in Malvern, Pennsylvania, in the U.S., has developed imaging system software that employs statistical methods to identify anatomical landmarks and structures—e.g., precisely defined points in a patient's body. This innovation is intended to make Siemens medical imaging scanners smarter, quicker, more precise, and more consistent. The technology can also be employed to improve the analysis and comparison of medical images for radiologists at the reading time. Zhou was born in the Chinese province of Hubei and attended Tsinghua University, a top University in China. 

Reference number: soaxx201226-12

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