The Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) on Wednesday unveiled a graphite membrane-based technology that can draw water from the air.
The technology was recognized this year at the US-based R&D 100 Awards, the institute told a news conference at an innovation forum at its Southern Region Campus in Tainan’s Lioujia District (六甲).
The graphite oxide membrane is housed in a “ubiquitous water wand,” which collects water vapor from the air and condensed water from it, potentially helping people in arid climates, the institute said.
Photo: CNA
Scientists are exploring possibilities to make use of the material on a large scale, which could provide a technological response to water scarcity, it said.
Other inventions highlighted at the forum included a miniaturized 3D sensing module that enables robots to grab objects with precision and a kilowatt-class fuel cell technology that boosts the efficiency of hydrogen batteries, it said.
Institute senior vice president Wu Cheng-wen (吳誠文), who is director-general of the southern campus, said that the semi-public foundation is working with the government to upgrade industry in southern Taiwan.
The institute has collaborated with nearly 4,500 enterprises to integrate the technological research and innovation resources of the private sector, academia and the government, Wu said.
Tainan Deputy Mayor Chao Ching-hui (趙卿惠) said that the city has established complete industry value chains that are to be augmented by other projects, including the Shalun Green Energy Technology Demonstration Site and expansions to the Tainan Technology Industrial Park.
The ITRI is a valued partner in the city government’s efforts to promote economic growth via investments in technology and renewable energy, Chao said.
China has reserved offshore airspace in the Yellow Sea and East China Sea from March 27 to May 6, issuing alerts usually used to warn of military exercises, although no such exercises have been announced, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported yesterday. Reserving such a large area for 40 days without explanation is an “unusual step,” as military exercises normally only last a few days, the paper said. These alerts, known as Notice to Air Missions (Notams), “are intended to inform pilots and aviation authorities of temporary airspace hazards or restrictions,” the article said. The airspace reserved in the alert is
NAMING SPAT: The foreign ministry called on Denmark to propose an acceptable solution to the erroneous nationality used for Taiwanese on residence permits Taiwan has revoked some privileges for Danish diplomatic staff over a Danish permit that lists “Taiwan” as “China,” Eric Huang (黃鈞耀), head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Department of European Affairs, told a news conference in Taipei yesterday. Reporters asked Huang whether the Danish government had responded to the ministry’s request that it correct the nationality on Danish residence permits of Taiwanese, which has been listed as “China” since 2024. Taiwan’s representative office in Denmark continues to communicate with the Danish government, and the ministry has revoked some privileges previously granted to Danish representatives in Taiwan and would continue to review
More than 6,000 Taiwanese students have participated in exchange programs in China over the past two years, despite the Mainland Affairs Council’s (MAC) “orange light” travel advisory, government records showed. The MAC’s publicly available registry showed that Taiwanese college and university students who went on exchange programs across the Strait numbered 3,592 and 2,966 people respectively. The National Immigration Agency data revealed that 2,296 and 2,551 Chinese students visited Taiwan for study in the same two years. A review of the Web sites of publicly-run universities and colleges showed that Taiwanese higher education institutions continued to recruit students for Chinese educational programs without
The first bluefin tuna of the season, brought to shore in Pingtung County and weighing 190kg, was yesterday auctioned for NT$10,600 (US$333.5) per kilogram, setting a record high for the local market. The auction was held at the fish market in Donggang Fishing Harbor, where the Siaoliouciou Island-registered fishing vessel Fu Yu Ching No. 2 delivered the “Pingtung First Tuna” it had caught for bidding. Bidding was intense, and the tuna was ultimately jointly purchased by a local restaurant and a local company for NT$10,600 per kilogram — NT$300 ,more than last year — for a total of NT$2.014 million. The 67-year-old skipper
RSS