October 1, 2010 — ROBRADY design has won this year’s Red Dot Concept award in the Protection category for their Rescue Wizard portable winch design. The Wizard, a gas-powered, portable winch, enables a single person to pull loads up to 12,000 lbs. (5,443.108kg). Designed for simple operation under the hardest circumstances, the winch can be used where heavy machinery and vehicles cannot and when electricity is unreliable, impractical (e.g. in or near water) or unavailable.

One of the largest and most prestigious design awards in the world, the Red Dot is a mark of excellence that serves as a preview of products to come. This year’s competition saw 180 awards issued among a pool of over 3,000 contestants from over 50 countries.

Andy Morrison, CEO of Wizard Machines, maker of the Rescue Wizard, approached ROBRADY with the concept for this life-saving tool unlike anything on the market. Leveraging mechanical and industrial design expertise, the studio exceeded the concept profile, delivering a device with great humanitarian and commercial appeal. Aside from obvious rescue applications, the Rescue Wizard could be indispensable for road crews, the forestry service, the military and outdoorsmen as well.

Andy Morrison of Naples, Florida founded Wizard Machines in 2008. Morrison had the idea for the Rescue Wizard for over 25 years, but until recently, the technology did not exist to achieve his vision for a reliable machine that was both light and durable. Then, in 2008 he discovered a new rope that had all of the attributes of steel cable but at 10% of the weight. Around that time, the devastating Sichuan, China earthquake struck, destroying as many as 600,000 structures in just seconds. These two events motivated him to search for a firm that shared his vision for the Rescue Wizard. His search culminated in a collaboration with ROBRADY design and the founding of Wizard Machines. Morrison has invested the last two years and substantial personal funds to bring make the Rescue Wizard to reality.