Georgetown Rail Equipment Company (GREX) has been named an R&D 100 Awards winner for its Aurora Xi internal tie inspection technology, and was the only winner from the rail industry. The awards were presented in Maryland at a special black-tie dinner.
GREX announced in September that it was one of 52 finalists in the R&D 100 Special Recognition category and one of 194 in the overall R&D 100 Awards category. It was the only finalist and winner from the rail industry. At the awards ceremony to accept the award were: Jeb Belcher of GREX; Harry Cui, Jessica Salazar, James Baciak and Mike Liesenfelt of the University of Florida Nuclear Engineering Program.
Often referred to as the “Oscars of Invention,” the R&D 100 Awards have recognized excellence in research, design and innovation for more than 50 years. An independent panel of roughly 50 judges from various industries selected the finalists each year. This year’s winners represented industries ranging from aerospace, to consumer products, to automobiles, to health sciences and more.
“GREX is incredibly honored to accept an R&D 100 Award for Aurora Xi,” said Greg Grissom, chief operating officer at GREX. “We remain focused on applying brand new technology to solve the rail industry’s toughest problems.”
Aurora Xi is an X-ray backscatter system that scans wood railroad ties to detect problems below the surface. The technology allows railroad owners to determine where maintenance is necessary and prioritize the allocation of resources based on data collected by Aurora Xi.