Thirty-two inventions were chosen from this year’s International Exhibition for Young Inventors (IEYI) and Taiwan Representative Try Out Exhibition, which concluded on Sunday, to represent Taiwan in a competition in Bangkok next year.
Ma Te-chih (馬德志), who will be entering the sixth grade at Syue Jin Elementary School in Yilan County, was one of the young inventors selected for his device that helps the elderly put on their socks.
After slipping a sock onto a metal frame affixed to a wooden support and using a pin to fine-tune the angle, all one has to do is to put their foot into the device and the sock will slide onto the foot.
Photo: Chu Yu-ling, Taipei Times
Ma said he had designed the device because his grandfather was unable to put on his socks and there was not always someone at home to help him.
“It didn’t take me much time to create it, but it made grandpa and grandma were happy,” Ma said, adding that he found it hard to believe that the contraption had won the gold medal at the IEYI and was included among the 32 inventions that would represent Taiwan.
Ma Te-chih’s grandfather, Ma Kuei-yuan (馬魁元), said he was pleased that his grandson’s creativity stemmed from a desire to help his elders, adding that the whole family was proud of him.
“I’ve asked my daughter-in-law to encourage and nurture my beloved grandchild,” Ma Kuei-yuan said.
Another invention selected to represent the country was a multifunctional safety cane made by Fang Hsun-yi (方璿益), Fang Hsun-yung (方璿詠) and Hsu Yi-chun (許逸群) from the Tainan Municipal Dongguang Elementary School.
Fang Hsun-yi said he designed the cane after seeing his grandmother, who had trouble moving about, fall because couldn’t keep her balance whenever she was walking on an incline.
The cane has an adjustable angle, lighting equipment and can even play music, Fang Hsun-yi said.
Translated by Jake Chung, Staff Writer
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