Bringing home the goods

Sarasota-based product design and development firm Robrady recently earned some global recognition for work on a portable fuel cell it did in conjunction with a New York engineering firm.

The portable fuel cell, built by Hampton Bays, N.Y.-based Merlin Power Systems, is designed to function in difficult environments and conditions where other power sources won't work. That especially includes disaster areas and remote locations without reliable power sources. The cell's design requires virtually no emissions.

Robrady received a Red Dot Award for design concepts it created that were used in the final product. A Red Dot Award, say Robrady officials, comes from one of the most prestigious and largest professional design competitions in the world. An international panel of design experts evaluated more than 4,700 entries over two days, according to a press release, and Robrady's submission ranked in the top 5%. A Red Dot Award ceremony was held Sept. 26, in Singapore.

“To win a Red Dot award with Merlin Power Systems is fantastic,” Robrady President Rob Brady says in the statement. “This award means even more knowing that it's for a product that can improve and actually save people's lives.”