Taiwanese innovations won six gold medals at the 124th edition of the Concours Lepine, an annual invention competition in Paris.
They stood out among 250 competitors, with jury president Rene Lavergne praising them for embodying the spirit of the century-old event.
“Taiwan really showed the spirit of the Concours Lepine. These are the inventions we are looking for — something creative, voluntary and would contribute to society,” Lavergne said.
Photo: CNA
Thirty-five Taiwan-based companies showcased a total of 61 patented inventions at the event, making Taiwan the largest foreign delegation.
Among the featured inventions were a red fluorescent protein extracted from indigenous algae for use in cell observation and precision medicine, a biomimetic waterproof car coating inspired by the lotus leaf effect and a multifunctional emergency survival kit.
Tseng Ming-kuo (曾明國), CEO of Luxwell — a sports and fitness equipment manufacturer that has participated in the event five times — said that only new inventions are eligible for entry, and awards are reserved for those that contribute meaningfully to human society.
Taiwan’s entries reflected the nation’s strong foundation in industries such as semiconductors, electronics and artificial intelligence (AI), he said.
Meanwhile, Hsu Chieh (徐捷), head of the Taiwanese delegation, said that branding and healthcare were the two major trends this year.
As the US-China trade war intensifies, contract manufacturing — with its razor-thin profit margins — is likely to fade, Hsu said.
Companies that excel in branding are more likely to thrive, he added.
He also commented on the growing interest in automated and AI-assisted products, especially as Taiwan and France face aging populations and declining birthrates.
“The public is curious to see how these products can help the elderly live better lives,” he said.
Only gold medals were awarded at Friday’s ceremony. Silver and bronze medals were slated to be announced yesterday.
Established in 1901, the Concours Lepine is the world’s oldest invention competition. It is held alongside the Foire de Paris at Porte de Versailles.
It begun on April 30 and is to run until today.
As of Friday, the event had attracted more than 500,000 visitors, organizers said.
Eight Chinese naval vessels and 24 military aircraft were detected crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait between 6am yesterday and 6am today, the Ministry of National Defense said this morning. The aircraft entered Taiwan’s northern, central, southwestern and eastern air defense identification zones, the ministry said. The armed forces responded with mission aircraft, naval vessels and shore-based missile systems to closely monitor the situation, it added. Eight naval vessels, one official ship and 36 aircraft sorties were spotted in total, the ministry said.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) today said that if South Korea does not reply appropriately to its request to correct Taiwan’s name on its e-Arrival card system before March 31, it would take corresponding measures to alter how South Korea is labeled on the online Taiwan Arrival Card system. South Korea’s e-Arrival card system lists Taiwan as “China (Taiwan)” in the “point of departure” and “next destination” fields. The ministry said that it changed the nationality for South Koreans on Taiwan’s Alien Resident Certificates from “Korea” to “South Korea” on March 1, in a gesture of goodwill and based on the
Taiwanese officials were shown the first of 66 F-16V fighter jets purchased by Taiwan from the United States, the Ministry of National Defense said yesterday, adding the aircraft has completed an initial flight test and is expected to be delivered later this year. A delegation led by Deputy Minister of National Defense Hsu Szu-chien (徐斯儉) visited Lockheed Martin’s F-16 C/D Block 70 (also known as F-16V) assembly line in South Carolina on March 16 to view the aircraft. The jet will undergo a final acceptance flight in the US before being delivered to Taiwan, the
The New Taipei Metro's Sanyin Line and the eastern extension of the Taipei Metro's Tamsui-Xinyi Line (Red Line) are scheduled to begin operations in June, the National Development Council said today. The Red Line, which terminates at Xiangshan Station, would be connected by the 1.4km extension to a new eastern terminal, Guangci/Fengtian Temple Station, while the Sanyin Line would link New Taipei City's Tucheng and Yingge stations via Sanxia District (三峽). The council gave the updates at a council meeting reviewing progress on public construction projects for this year. Taiwan's annual public infrastructure budget would remain at NT$800 billion (US$25.08 billion), with NT$97.3
RSS