ABOUT

 

In March 2009, engineers Mark Ghinn and Marcel Blank met in a hotel lounge on the banks of the river Neckar in Heidelberg, Germany. Ghinn and Blank had not known each other or met before, but they sat at the same table over lunch following a shared business engagement. By the time their lunch was complete, Ghinn and Blank had not only forged a meaningful friendship, but they had chatted about an incredible spectrum of topics: thermal mapping for glider pilots, solid state accelerometers, glide-by-wire technology, dynamic antislip braking systems, and rapid response temperature sensors. The seeds of i-COTE had been sown.

 

Ghinn and Blank were both very aware that they had chanced upon a significant meeting of minds that could be developed for the purpose of future engineering projects. But it was much more than that. If other similar relationships could be facilitated and nurtured for other like-minded, lateral-thinking engineers around the world, then a global team could be created that would indeed be truly pioneering. With this in mind the INTERNATIONAL CONSORTIUM of TECHNICAL EXCELLENCE was created: to facilitate ground-breakers, to embrace extreme innovation, to collate radical ideas, to bring together incredible people who would otherwise be divided by location or language. With the uncomplicated criteria being engineering excellence, raw passion, genuine commitment, and honest integrity, the creation of a mission statement was simple.

 

"To work as a team, with integrity, creating the most innovative and pioneering solutions, setting new standards, producing world-beating performance, by escaping boundaries and limitations."

It was not long before others caught the vision. Experts such as: Gosling, Knowles, and Goodman joined the team - each a specialist in their own field, but collectively forming the framework of talent, knowledge, and experience that was to become the foundation of i-COTE. Since its conception, i-COTE has provoked the attention of engineers, the media, students, researchers, designers, and many other enthusiasts and their associates. Participants and observers alike have been inspired by the concept and are buying into the mission statement.

 

Some of the projects that i-COTE have embraced are described on this site. At times some of the project details and technical definitions are incomplete and vague. This is intentional, and has been done to protect intellectual property and safeguard the financial viability of project.

 

So who are we? The i-COTE team is a 'floating' consortium of experts and enthusiasts who have a wide variety of qualifications, experiences, skills, and available time. As we are 'virtual', we are not bound by location, time-zone, qualification, or language. Our intention is to only physically meet where it is essential, preferring to work as much as possible remotely. By using the internet and computer software to communicate and transfer information we are able to keep our costs relatively low, bring together the most creative and talented people, and achieve the greatest and most successful projects. The size of the consortium may vary from one person to 1001 people engaging in any number of projects. The i-COTE team use the forums of this site as: a hub of information, a place to share experiences and ideas, and an environment in which to be technically creative and communally supportive. This site is the centre of information and communication for all of the i-COTE team's projects and activities.

 

i-COTE has no company premises and is not a registered business entity in any country or region. This is intentional. The preferred method of operation is to negotiate independently with individuals on a case-by-case basis. It may be necessary to form business alliances or create companies for some projects to function successfully; but minimising complexity and red-tape, and maximising freedom and performance is what i-COTE is all about.

 

"The sky is not the limit."