Visualant ChromaID Nominated For 2013 Annual Prism Awards For Photonics Innovation

Recognized for its patented ChromaID technology, Visualant, Inc. is a finalist in the Green Photonics category of the Prism Awards

Visualant, Inc., an industry-leading provider of chromatic-based identification and diagnostic solutions, announced recently that it is a finalist in the 2013 Annual Prism Awards for Photonic Innovation, in the Green Photonics category. Visualant’s ‘Cyclops’ hand-held ChromaID scanner is only one of three award finalists named in this category, and winners will be announced at the upcoming SPIE Photonics West 2013 event held in San Francisco, CA from February 2-7, 2013.

The Prism Awards for Photonics Innovation is a leading international competition honoring the best new photonic products on the market. Considered as the "Photonics Oscar", the Prism Awards honors companies and their innovations in nine categories from Scientific Lasers to Defense and Security. Since 2008, the Prism Awards has received applications from more than 35 countries across the globe. A panel of leading industry experts, venture capitalists, luminaries and visionaries judges these applications to determine the winners in each category.

Visualant ChromaID technology was recognized as a finalist in the Green Photonics category, which honors solutions that generate or conserve energy, cut emissions, reduce pollution, and yield sustainable outputs. Previous winners in this category include cylindrical modules incorporating CIGS thin-film technology (2008) and National Semiconductor, SolarMagic Power Optimizer (2009).

Visualant ChromaID technology was developed in conjunction with renowned research scientists, Prof. Tom Furness and Dr Brian Schowengerdt. ChromaID technology can read and record natural chromatic markers by shining structured light onto a substance, through a liquid or gas, or off a surface. The technology captures the reflected light using a simple Photodiode and produces a unique ChromaID profile. This ChromaID profile can be matched against existing databases to identify, detect, or diagnose markers invisible to the human eye.

“To have Visualant recognized for such a prestigious industry award validates the benefits ChromaID can bring to a wide range of industries from security and defense to environmental,” Visualant Founder and CEO Ron Erickson. “We’re incredibly grateful to be nominated for the 2013 Prism Awards, and it's a privilege to have our technology sit alongside some of the industry’s finest.”

Visualant and its executive team will attend the SPIE and Photonics West 2013 event to celebrate award winners, and provide demonstrations of its latest prototype using ChromaID technology. Built by licensee and investor Sumitomo Precision Products with the intention of being the first step in transferring the technology to market, Visualant announced the Cyclops ChromaID hand-held scanner in October 2012. Cyclops contains thirty-two LED Emitters, which paint structured light onto a substance and then captures the reflected light in a simple Photodiode resulting in a unique ChromaID profile.

About Visualant, Inc.
Visualant is a public company whose shares trade under the stock symbol, VSUL. The Visualant Spectral Pattern Matching technology directs structured light onto a substance, through a liquid/gas, or off a surface, to capture a unique ChromaID. When matched against existing databases, a ChromaID can be used to identify, detect, or diagnosis markers invisible to the human eye. ChromaID scanner modules can be integrated into a variety of mobile or fixed-mount form factors. The patented technology is disruptive, making it possible to effectively conduct analysis in the field that could only previously be performed by large and expensive lab–based tests.

Visualant entered into a one year Joint Development Agreement on May 31, 2012 with Sumitomo Precision Products Co., Ltd. ("SPP"), which focuses on the commercialization of the SPM technology and a License Agreement providing SPP with an exclusive license of the SPM technology in identified Asian territories. For more information, visit http://www.visualant.net.