Almost all of the nation’s 55 entries at this year’s International Exhibition of Inventions in Geneva, Switzerland, received a medal — a testament to the quality of Taiwan’s inventions, the head of the Taiwanese delegation said.
In an awards ceremony on Friday, Taiwanese inventors received 53 medals — 26 gold, 16 silver and 11 bronze — as well as seven special awards, which was the highest percentage of wins Taiwan has ever attained at the fair, Taiwan Invetion Association head Chen Tsung-tai (陳宗台) said.
Among the gold medal winners was a transparent, semi -spherical box with three holes that allows people to polish their nails in a confined and hygienic space.
Ting Yung-chiang (丁永強), assistant professor at Far East University’s Department of Cosmetic Applications and Management, who led the invention project, said he could smell the odor coming from the nail-polishing classroom — located next to his research lab — and he was worried about its toxic effect.
“The students might not be bothered by it, but I was concerned,” said Ting, whose invention is equipped with a nanofilter that can filter out potentially toxic fumes emitted by nail polish.
Another gold medal winner was a water-saving urinal developed by a team led by Chang Chia-pao (張嘉寶), associate professor at National Chin-Yi University of Technology’s Department of Industrial Engineering and Management.
The urinal is cleaned with atomized water, which reduces water consumption by about 75 percent compared with a conventional urinal.
Chang said the invention is still “rough” and it would take about a year to commercialize the product.
Kou Chia-han (寇家翰), a student from Kainan High School of Commerce and Industry, won a gold medal for his invention of an interactive device that is claimed to allow plants to detect the approach of humans.
The device automatically sounds an alarm or audio tone when a person comes within 4m of a plant.
The annual fair, which is considered the world’s largest marketplace for inventions, ran from Wednesday to Sunday, showcasing the inventions of more than 700 companies, schools and individual inventors from more than 45 countries.
Taiwan has taken part in the event on a regular basis and often brings home dozens of medals. Last year, it won 37 gold, 39 silver and 16 bronze medals, in addition to six special awards.
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