Each year, global research and consulting firm Frost & Sullivan (Mountain View, CA) recognizes companies, strategies, processes, technologies, and executives with its Excellence in Medical Devices and Life Sciences Awards. The recipients include companies that Frost & Sullivan believes have achieved world-class performance in the pharmaceutical, biotech, drug-discovery, clinical diagnostics, medical imaging, and medical device industries. This year's winner of the North American Enabling Technology Award in Digital Radiography (DR) is Edge Medical Devices (Raanana, Israel) in recognition of its Plasma DR readout technology, which is used in its flat-panel detector and Universal Retrofit Kit.Edge Medical's Plasma DR technology improves the quality of obtainable images and lowers DR manufacturing costs, according to Frost & Sullivan. While the layers of a plasma DR detector are similar to those of direct-conversion amorphous selenium (aSe) detectors, the active matrix array (AMA) layer has been replaced by a virtual pixel array, an array of passive parallel strip electrodes that are connected to a separate channel of readout electronics. The elimination of the scintillator and AMA layers used in mainstream detectors simplifies and reduces the cost of manufacturing, while the removal of the voltage-sensitive elements of an AMA layer allows for adequate charging of the aSe. In addition, the absence of active elements in the virtual pixel array eliminates detector or image degradation caused by ionizing radiation. "Reducing prices while maintaining high image quality standards is necessary for penetrating new end-user segments and for driving further market growth in DR," remarks research analyst Roberto Aranibar. "With plasma DR technology, Edge Medical Devices has successfully addressed the challenge of high costs in DR while improving the quality of obtainable images. Edge Medical Devices has enabled the full potential of direct conversion as a technology to be realized at an affordable cost.""We are pleased that Frost & Sullivan has recognized the significance and potential that Edge's Plasma DR technology brings to the radiography market," comments Edge CEO Albert Zur. "Our unique approach allows hospitals, medical centers, and imaging facilities of all sizes and budgets to realize the benefits of affordable digital radiography without compromising quality."