The Ministry of Economic Affairs is holding a three-month exhibition in Taipei to showcase the latest technologies developed for daily life, including a portable projector, a seamless leather shoe-making technique and an intelligent driver warning system.
Running from last week to Dec. 24 at the old Air Force Headquarters, the event presents innovations developed by 13 government-financed institutions and is centered on three themes: lifestyle, transportation and health.
Minister Without Portfolio Yan Hong-sen (顏鴻森) said the event was organized to present interdisciplinary innovation and creativity based on consumers’ participation and feedback to transform the nation into a creative and driving economy, while encouraging young entrepreneurs to enter the creative industry.
A portable projector developed by the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRT) with a 3D image construction and gesture recognition system could turn a flat surface, such as a wall or the top of a table, into a touchscreen, allowing users to read web content, play games and do office work with simple hand gestures, the event organizers said.
The institute presented a flat-screen like OLED lighting device, which could be charged wirelessly and attached to any surface like a ceramic tile to create a lighting system without pigtail.
The institute also developed a water purification umbrella, which could be used to harvest and filter rainwater when placed upside down. The umbrella’s specially designed membrane could remove bacteria from collected water to produce drinkable water.
The Footwear and Recreation Technology Research Institute developed a seamless shoe-making technique that could fold a piece of leather into a shoe using hot pressing technology without stitching and sewing, while the technique could strengthen the shoe’s integrity and streamline the manufacturing process, the event organizers said.
A driver warning and assistance system developed by the Automotive Research and Testing Center utilizes an image recognition system to detect oncoming vehicles, while alerting both the driver and oncoming vehicles by producing a light signal.
The device could detect where a car’s lighting system could not reach and was awarded this year’s Red Dot Design Award, the event organizers said.
The Cycling and Health Tech Industry Research and Development Center produced a burglar alarm system for bike that would be automatically activated when a bike is moved, while notifying the bike owner via smartphone and tracking the bike with the GPS system.
The exhibition also displayed an instant coffee product that comes with an edible membrane, which could be put into a cup of brewed coffee to create latte art, while the membrane’s patterns could be customized, the event organizers said.
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