A Ministry of Science and Technology industry-academia cooperation program has helped commercialize 12 elite university projects over the past year — including a head-up vehicle display, a radar sensor system for vital signs and a graphene-based water filter — with an estimated value of NT$3.64 billion (US$113.7 million).
It is the ministry’s first joint venture with the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) to help academic research teams develop industrial applications by providing technical support, facilitating patent acquisition and investment, and promoting interdisciplinary cooperation, Ministry of Science and Technology Deputy Director Chen Ter-shing (陳德新) said.
The head-up vehicle display, a transparent display that presents data ahead of the windshield without requiring the driver to look down at the dashboard, was developed by a team led by National Chiao Tung University professor Chen Cheng-huan (陳政寰). It eliminates interfering reflections on the windshield.
A conventional head-up display that projects the image onto the windshield would result in two separate images, one from the front surface of the windshield and the other from the back surface, Chen said.
Chen’s team was able to eliminate the interfering “ghost images” by using a highly transparent optic film developed by the ITRI, which creates a new projection surface on the windshield, while adjusting the angle and brightness of the ghost images so that a single image is presented to the viewer.
An animal radar sensor system developed by a team led by National Sun Yat-sen University professor Horng Tzyy-sheng (洪子聖) detects the heartbeat of an animal from a distance, replacing pedometers that are put on cows to monitor their movements, the patterns of which are traditionally used to determine their health.
The system is the first to use continuous wave radar technology in the animal husbandry industry to control the quality of milk and animal reproduction, Horng said, adding that the system could also be used to detect bovine spongiform encephalopathy, commonly known as mad cow disease, which accelerates the heartbeat and breathing of the affected animals.
Horng said that a foreign farm had offered US$2 million in royalty payments to use the team’s patented product.
A Chung Yuan Christian University research team developed a flexible, electrically conductive graphene membrane which removes dissolved materials in water due to the graphene’s natural ability to let water molecules pass, but block other substances.
Graphene is a form of carbon consisting of planar sheets which are one atom thick, with the atoms arranged in a honeycomb-shaped lattice.
The membrane could also be used to develop touch screens, transparent conducting film and smart clothing, the team said.
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
Taiwan-Japan Travel Passes are available for use on public transit networks in the two countries, Taoyuan Metro Corp said yesterday, adding that discounts of up to 7 percent are available. Taoyuan Metro, the Taipei MRT and Japan’s Keisei Electric Railway teamed up to develop the pass. Taoyuan Metro operates the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT Line, while Keisei Electric Railway offers express services between Tokyo’s Narita Airport, and the Keisei Ueno and Nippori stations in the Japanese capital, as well as between Narita and Haneda airports. The basic package comprises one one-way ticket on the Taoyuan MRT Line and one Skyliner ticket on
A new tropical storm formed late yesterday near Guam and is to approach closest to Taiwan on Thursday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Tropical Storm Pulasan became the 14th named storm of the year at 9:25pm yesterday, the agency said. As of 8am today, it was near Guam traveling northwest at 21kph, it said. The storm’s structure is relatively loose and conditions for strengthening are limited, WeatherRisk analyst Wu Sheng-yu (吳聖宇) said on Facebook. Its path is likely to be similar to Typhoon Bebinca, which passed north of Taiwan over Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and made landfall in Shanghai this morning, he said. However, it
Starlux Airlines, Taiwan’s newest international carrier, has announced it would apply to join the Oneworld global airline alliance before the end of next year. In an investor conference on Monday, Starlux Airlines chief executive officer Glenn Chai (翟健華) said joining the alliance would help it access Taiwan. Chai said that if accepted, Starlux would work with other airlines in the alliance on flight schedules, passenger transits and frequent flyer programs. The Oneworld alliance has 13 members, including American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas, and serves more than 900 destinations in 170 territories. Joining Oneworld would also help boost