Engineer of the Year 2018

"The modern engineer is capable of addressing societal challenges scientifically and turning them into breakthrough technologies. Nima Tolou has this ability. He sees challenges and combines them into appealing research that helps make the world a little better," said jury president Micaela dos Ramos.

Nima Tolou used his knowledge of elastic mechanisms and micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) to develop a watch with a completely new time mechanism in a close-knit team with the LVMH Watch Division (TAG Heuer/Zenith) and Flexous. In doing so, he turned a technique that has been used for 350 years on its head. The oscillator he designed, which replaces the traditional driving mechanism in the watch, can also be used in other ways. Namely, in a watch, the oscillator converts energy into movements, but the opposite - converting movements into energy - turns out to be possible too. With that principle, Nima Tolou holds a key to battery-free sensors and other microwatt devices that get their energy from the environment. The range of applications is huge: from Internet of Things to the healthcare sector, with, for example, batteries for a pacemaker charged by the movement of the heart itself.

Aanstormed Talent 2018

Ing Korné Walhout, Managing Director at Zeeland-based engineering firm Walhout Civil BV.