Hydroplane and founder win three awards at CES 2023
Dr. Anita Sengupta, founder and CEO, Hydroplane collects her award at the Consumer Electronics Show 2023 in Las Vegas. (credit: Hydroplane)
Hydroplane and its founder Dr. Anita Sengupta won three awards at the Women in Emerging Aviation Technologies Women and Drones Award Ceremony at the Consumer Electronics Show 2023.
The hydrogen powerplant maker received the Titan Aviation Company Innovation Award from Women and Drones. Which recognises “outstanding innovation” by a woman-owned company.
Hydroplane is one of eight firms, three in the US, to receive a Top Companies for Women in Emerging Aviation Award. The award is for companies, agencies, and organisations in “the global emerging aviation industry with a culture where women can thrive”.
Whilst, Sengupta is one of 12 women chosen by Women and Drones inducted into the Women in Emerging Aviation Technologies Hall of Fame. “Growing Hydroplane as a company has been a journey in technical innovation, resiliency, and all-star teamwork,” she said. “It is humbling to be recognised for our work and also validating of our mission to help the planet by taking a complex challenge head on.”
A former NASA engineer, Sengupta founded Hydroplane to develop a hydrogen fuel cell to eliminate aircraft carbon emissions. The firm is also an awardee of two US Air Force Agility Prime contracts.
The company is developing a modular 200-kW (270 hp) hydrogen fuel cell powerplant for small aircraft, including, it says, UAM. The powerplant is being designed to replace combustion engines in already-certified, experimental, and future aircraft. Hydroplane is on track to fly its demonstrator aircraft in 2023.
Last year, Sengupta spoke to Revolution.Aero about Hydroplane’s work to develop its powerplant and why hydrogen makes the most sense for sustainable aircraft propulsion. She also spoke on the panel Is Hydrogen the answer? panel at Revolution.Aero ’22 in San Francisco in September.
