3Shape TRIOS® Wins Prestigious Technology Award

3Shape TRIOS® achieves first-place in Denmark's 2011 Engineer's Product Award competing against prominent tech-leading companies in a region highly recognized for its wide-spread technology excellence.

Copenhagen, Denmark - November 8, 2011 - 3Shape TRIOS®, a branch of the 3Shape Corporation and the maker of TRIOS® intra-oral scanning technologies for digital impression-taking solutions, has been named as a winner of the Engineers Product Award 2011. The award was presented to members of the 3Shape TRIOS® engineering staff at the Danish Design Center in Copenhagen on October 13^th, 2011. The company's TRIOS® solution, which includes a hand-held scanner, operator's control cart, and intuitive software, was selected as this year's winner in the health, medico, and food category.

The best of the best

The award carries special weight as Denmark has long ago established itself as a technology-leading country. The Network Readiness Index report (NRI) is recognized as the 'Gold Standard' for benchmarking technology advancement and ICT competitiveness throughout the world's economies. Up against strong industry powers such as the USA, Germany, Singapore, and Japan, among others, Denmark has been rated in NRI's 1st place for 3 consecutive years in 2007, 2008, 2009, and among the Top Ten in 2010 and 2011. 

About the Engineer's Product Award

Denmark's worldwide high-standing within technology makes the country's most prominent technology award a special challenge that involves formidable competitors. The Engineer's Product Award is presented annually by the Danish trade journal "Ingeniøren" (The Engineer) and goes to products in various categories that excel in their technology, design and business-impact. The award traditionally alternates its focus on different engineering aspects, and this year ProductDesign was spotlighted as its central theme. 

Jury praises TRIOS® for its remarkable technology

As awards for each category were presented on stage, jury members voiced their evaluations and emphasized the specific qualities that determined their first-place choices. This is what they said about TRIOS® :

"Shorter visits to the dentist and better results. These are things that will matter to many people. Here we have a handheld intra-oral scanner that optimizes both time and examination results. The scanner contains super-advanced technology. It performs optical 3D scanning of teeth in real-time, omitting the need for traditional silicon impressions. The challenge solved by 3Shape [of providing spray-free intra-oral scanning] is notoriously difficult because light penetrates the semitransparent tissue. The product compensates by applying innovative algorithms. Impressive!"

Technology and design go hand-in-hand

Dr. Mike van der Poel, Project Manager for the hand-held scanner andSenior Developer at 3Shape was one of the 3 TRIOS® development team members on stage to receive the award.  We asked him to explain how technology and design are merged in TRIOS® to make it worthy of this year's prize.

"The TRIOS® product is easy to use, fits easily into a busy dentist's workflow, and its outer form is esthetically pleasing for patients," says Dr. van der Poel.  "The ultra-fast scanning technology provides a unique scanning experience, and the hand-held scanner's convenient pistol grip, chosen by dentists to give them complete control."

TRIOS® awarded again

On the very same day, hundreds of kilometers away in Prague, Czech Republic, TRIOS was awarded once again at the Pragodent Expo 2011. Here, TRIOS achieved first place in Pragodent's award series in the category: "Best intra-oral scanner in the Czech Republic market".

"We are naturally honored to be chosen twice from among so many prominent technology companies competing for the same awards," says Flemming Thorup, CEO at 3Shape. "TRIOS® introduces many exciting innovations and unique market differences such as spray-free scanning and ultrafast optical sectioning technology.  TRIOS® is obviously already recognized as the next-generation impression solution and a brilliant stand-out in the market. "

TRIOS® is currently undergoing the final stages for commercialization and will be available in certain regions in the beginning of 2012.