Physics technology shines at Summerfest Tech

profile photo of Kieran Furlong
Kieran Furlong

Six top technologies in development at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and other UW System campuses headlined WARF Innovation Day at Summerfest Tech June 29. Wednesday’s event at BMO Tower in Milwaukee drew dozens of in-person and virtual investors who heard seven-minute pitch presentations on high-tech innovations ranging from fusion power to bridge safety monitoring.

“This forum was an exceptional opportunity for investors, media and the public to interface with top University of Wisconsin ideas,” said Erik Iverson, CEO of WARF. “It is this exchange of passion and expertise that forwards the state’s innovation ecosystem.”

One of the presenters included Kieran Furlong, an Honorary Fellow with the College of Letters & Science and CEO of Realta Fusion. Furlong is also the Technology-to-Market (T2M) Advisor to the WHAM project, a fusion energy project led by physics professor Cary Forest.

Furlong’s presentation, titled “Breakthrough Physics for Clean Energy Generation,” had this summary:

The Wisconsin High-field Axisymmetric Mirror (WHAM) project is leveraging major advances in superconducting magnets and plasma heating to pursue commercially viable nuclear fusion power. Fusion is how energy is generated in the sun, yet it has been tremendously challenging to harness on Earth. This project seeks to pave the way to a comparatively low-cost fusion device that can be a net energy generator.

ACCESS THE PITCH DECK.

Read the original article by WARF

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