Portable PPB Pty Ltd, a developer of in-field gold detection technology, has been crowned the WA Innovator of the Year 2023 for its cutting-edge portable gold detector.
The company received the award at the distinguished awards ceremony, where a collective of 17 finalists contended for acknowledgment across different categories.
The high sensitivity of Portable PPB’s gold detector captured the attention of judges, earning them the top prize, the WA government said in a media statement.
Innovation and Digital Economy Minister Stephen Dawson praised the winners, emphasising the diversity of groundbreaking inventions emerging from Western Australia.
Among the notable winners were devices addressing chronic ear infections for children at home and an autonomous solar cleaning robotics system.
The six distinguished winners, set to share a collective prize pool of $220,000, showcased the breadth of innovative solutions spanning different industries.
In the Rio Tinto Emerging Innovation category, Earflo stood out for their device designed to treat chronic ear infections in children within the comfort of their homes.
Meanwhile, Leisure Technologies Pty Ltd secured the Rio Tinto Growth Innovation Category with their wireless towing and anti-theft system.
Reliis Ltd earned the Business News ‘Great for the State’ Platinum Award for their Aqueous Quetiapine solution, while Inspiring Holdings Pty Ltd claimed the Wesfarmers Wellbeing Platinum Award for their Novel Universal Spacer System.
The Woodside Energy Platinum Award for Energy Innovation went to Innovation Energy Solutions for their autonomous solar cleaning robotics.
Minister Dawson expressed congratulations to the six winners and all the other finalists at this year’s Innovator of the Year awards on behalf of the Western Australian Government.
“It was a very tough job for the judges to choose the winners from such a wide range of amazing high tech and innovative solutions and full credit to Portable PPB Pty Ltd for coming out on top with their gold detector,” the minister noted.
Reflecting on the 17-year history of the Innovator of the Year awards, Dawson remarked on the continuous growth and impressive talent displayed each year by participants.
Before the awards ceremony, each finalist had the opportunity to participate in a range of training and development workshops geared towards fostering the growth of their innovations.
The event was made possible through the sponsorship of Rio Tinto, alongside partners such as Business News, Wesfarmers, Woodside Energy, and several others who shared a commitment to supporting and recognising groundbreaking advancements.
For further details about the WA Innovator of the Year awards and its winners, interested individuals can visit the Department of Jobs, Tourism, Science, and Innovation’s dedicated webpage.
