Innovation awards.

Presented by Stoel Rives LLP and Utah Technology Council

Now in its 15th year, the Innovation Awards pay tribute to the innovative spirit that permeates Utah companies, along with the talented people working to ameliorate complex problems with elegant solutions. Nominees in the program are evaluated by leaders within Utah's business and academic communities, who vote to select the finalists and award winners. The result is a cohort of truly impressive innovations that impact a wide spectrum of markets and industries.

CLEAN TECHNOLOGY AND ENERGY

VUTILITY PULSE BY VUTILITY

Vutility brings utility metering into the future by gathering real-time usage information to help users monitor and adjust use, and budget better. The combination of the hardware and software records and guides use of utilities for government entities, companies and private customers alike. The box communicates wirelessly with the system and has a range of up to a mile, depending on topography. Data collected is securely stored, and the system is compatible with all existing metering technologies for gas, electricity and water. The mobile and web programs that accompany the box can also guide users to ways to reduce and conserve their use of water, gas and electricity, to help save them money and be more eco-friendly. It has led to a 20 percent reduction in utility use for customers. In addition, through delivering data in real time, the system can also help alert customers faster if there is a power outage or other problem with utilities.

PASSIVE LOGIC INTELLIGENT BUILDING AUTOMATION BY PASSIVELOGIC

Building automation has largely remained unchanged for decades. PassiveLogic's Intelligent Building Automation changes that. The automation system applies a physics-based approach to building automation--the artificial intelligence the system employs is itself built upon a physics-based decision engine. The result is safer, faster and more intelligent building automation to maximize human comfort and minimize energy use. The system is also easy enough to use that it can be used by all customers, regardless of expertise, thereby democratizing the process. The system also allows for machine learning, to make it even more efficient. The result is a more efficient balance for the various needs of a building--cooling, heating, lights, energy systems, changeable architectural features, air quality--no matter what changes in light, weather or other factors it has to account for. The system can also self-diagnose problems and

CONSUMER SOFTWARE

SKY BY VIVINT SMART HOME

Vivint Smart Home's Sky takes the term "smart home" to a whole new level. The Lehi-based company's smart home assistant lets homeowners control lights, locks, temperature and more from a mobile app--but it takes it a step further with machine learning. Using technology from more than 200 patents, the system uses the sensors in the house (an average of 14) to track, record and learn from the typical habits of the home's occupants. When everyone gets up, leaves for the day or calls it a night, the system can make automatic adjustments based on those behaviors. For example, when people have gone to work or school, it might ask the homeowner if they want the system to lock the doors, turn off the lights and adjust the temperature. Likewise, the system can ask the homeowner if they would like it to get ready for their return by turning on the lights, raising the temperature and unlocking doors.

TAXILLA BY TAXILLA

Forget Uber--the sharing economy has now hit your taxes. Taxilla builds upon the model of the sharing economy to connect users with tax professionals, standing in the middle of a highly competitive market somewhere between do-it-yourself services like TurboTax and professional services like CPAs and H&R Block. Taxilla streamlines the tax preparation process by making the bulk of communication between user and professional be via text or voice messages. An integrated...