SALT LAKE CITY, UT – Dr. Stephen C. Jacobsen received the Utah Genius Lifetime Achievement Award on Wednesday, April 25, 2012, at the Little America Hotel in downtown Salt Lake City.
Dr. Jacobsen is a Distinguished Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Utah and the Founder of Sarcos, Inc., as well as many other companies. Jacobsen has had a hand in developing a multitude of robotic devices including the Utah Arm (a prosthetic arm) and an exoskeleton that could be worn by soldiers. Jacobsen also helped engineer and build the robotic components for the fountains at the Bellagio Casino in Las Vegas, NV, and developed robotic characters for Disney.
One of the current devices on Jacobsen’s plate, and the one he displayed at the award ceremony, is a miniature camera that can go inside a person’s body and send back detailed photos of the organs, bones, and other biological systems. “Doctors already are imagining uses for [this camera], such as going through the spine as far as the brain to obtain images for diagnosis or treatment,” said Jacobsen. “You could do both localized diagnostics and therapies with low trauma. You could go up your nose, you could go in your ear.”
Dr. Jacobsen was honored along with other state leaders in engineering, including the top 20 patentees, the top 20 trademark registrants, and the top 20 companies by patents.