The National Science Council (NSC) yesterday announced that “2011 Science Season — Technologies of the Future” would open on Oct. 14 at National Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, featuring Taiwan’s progress in innovative technologies and visions for the future.
Council Deputy Minister Jou Jing-yang (周景揚) said the NSC’s annual science season — its 11th this year — had a long tradition of influencing the latest technological developments and making science interesting to the public.
The exhibition has attracted more than 100,000 visitors every year since it was first held in 2006, Jou said.
As it coincides with the Republic of China centennial, this year’s exhibition will be different by not only showing current technology trends, but also focusing on the “future” and inviting the public to imagine what life would be like decades from now.
National Central University president Chiang Wei-ling (蔣偉寧), who is director of the project, said “the exhibition contemplates on the development of future technologies from the perspective of humanity, intelligence and sustainability.”
“The ideas will be presented in four dimensions: future life, future education, future medical care and future exploration,” Chiang said.
Convener of the “Future Life” area, National Taiwan University’s Center of Innovation and Synergy for Intelligent Home and Living Technology -director-general Liu Pei-ling (劉佩玲) said that as future life encompasses too many aspects, they chose appealing new concepts for food, clothing, housing, transportation and recreation, which will all influence future lifestyles.
A special feature in the exhibition’s “Future Life” area is a spinner machine called “Spiderman,” inspired by the comic book superhero that can shoot threads from his palms.
Taiwan Textile Research Institute’s Department of Products director Huang Po-hsiung (黃博雄) said without using threads or needles, the spinner can spray microfibers of various materials into clothes or accessories and a pair of shoes would only take two minutes to be manufactured using this method.
Huang said guides would all be wearing uniforms made via the “Spiderman.”
The machine is large and heavy, which makes it inconvenient to move around, but “we can imagine the machine to be as handy as a handheld vacuum cleaner and placed in future homes for daily use,” as such technology matures through the years, Huang said.
In addition, spray-made fabrics can be easily recycled in the machine and sprayed into new fabric, Huang said, adding that customized clothes that fit the body could easily be made while helping reduce the use of laundry detergent.
Huang said the innovation could spark a revolution in the textile industry, allowing people to imagine a future where weaving is unnecessary in the manufacture of clothes.
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