Ultraleap wins overall National prize at The Spectator Economic Innovator Awards
Posted; November 27, 2020
27 November 2020 – Ultraleap has won both the national and West and South West regional prizes at The Spectator Economic Innovator Awards. These awards recognise Ultraleap’s achievements in haptics and hand tracking, but also the company’s commitment to continual innovation in light of the pandemic.
In a virtual awards ceremony on the 25th of November, Ultraleap became the first ever winner of the West and South West region to go on to take the overall prize since the awards began.
The Spectator Economic Innovator Awards celebrates creative entrepreneurship and outstanding contributions to innovation across the UK. This year the awards were renamed from Economic Disruptor to Economic Innovator in recognition of the importance of innovation and how it can contribute to human progress and help in the response to the pandemic.
Judging the awards were Hugh Campbell, founding partner of tech investment bank GP Bullhound, Angela Spindler Luger, non-executive director of New Look, ScS and Portmeirion Group and former CEO of online clothing retailer N Brown in addition to representatives of The Spectator and Julius Baer.
David Durlacher, CEO of Julius Baer and sponsor of the national award, praised Ultraleap for their “ground-breaking technology of great relevance, not just for these pandemic times, but for the world around us.” Andrew Neil, chairman of The Spectator and presenter of the regional awards, added that “it is truly a glimpse of the future.”
Ultraleap CEO and President, Steve Cliffe, said: “I am very proud of our team at Ultraleap and what we have achieved this year under these unprecedented circumstances. To win not only the regional award, but the national one at The Spectator’s Economic Innovator Awards is a huge honour. We are excited to be recognised as a leader in innovation alongside the other finalists and are extremely humbled to have won the top prize.”
Mike Tobin, Chairman of Ultraleap, accepted both awards on the company’s behalf and said: “These awards are a great testament to Tom Carter and his vision that began just a few years ago, and to Steve Cliffe who’s driven the business from a three-person team to a global organisation. The team at Ultraleap are doing fantastic work around the world to reduce the spread of COVID-19 through touchless interfaces and I know they will be proud of the recognition.”
Ultraleap’s unique haptics technology uses ultrasound to project the tactile sensations through the air onto a user’s hands, enabling them to ‘feel’ virtual buttons, get touch feedback for mid-air gestures, and interact with virtual objects. The company’s world leading hand tracking technology tracks your hand in 3D space and allows you to interact with just your hands. Combined the technologies allow you to control and feel digital content with your bare hands, without needing to touch public displays.
Ultraleap has utilised their technologies during the pandemic by working with brands, venues and integrators to create engaging and safe touchless experiences. Recent examples include touchless experiences with LEGO and Skoda and partnerships with CEN and Cortina Productions.
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About Ultraleap
Ultraleap’s world-leading hand tracking and unrivalled mid-air haptic technologies allow you to engage with the digital world naturally - without touching surfaces. No touchscreens. No controllers. No keypads. From enhancing 2D screens to developing fully immersive 3D experiences, Ultraleap powers natural, safe and effortless digital interaction in the increasingly connected world.
Ultraleap employs more than 150 people across Europe, North America and Asia. It has become the first to offer the full vertical stack of software and hardware to enable spatial computing for the automotive, out of home, industrial, XR, entertainment and medical sectors.