Taiwan designs shine at Germany’s iENA

2014-11-04

Taiwan finished third at iENA International Trade Fair in Nuremberg, claiming 19 gold, 26 silver and 31 bronze medals, according to the Ministry of Economic Affairs.

“We are proud to win so many top honors at this prestigious invention event,” an MOEA official said. “It is a testament to the strength of the nation’s design sector and innovation capabilities.”

Running Oct. 30 to Nov. 2, the 66th iENA involved more than 700 submissions from 30 countries and territories. Taiwan’s 100 entries from 44 competitors achieved a winning rate of 76 percent.

The nation’s top iENA performer was Taipei Chengshih University of Science and Technology (TPCU). Bagging four golds, one silver and one bronze, the institution is representative of the talent present in the local tertiary education sector.

“Although all TPCU’s designs are equally praiseworthy,” the official said, “the Computer and Communication Engineering Department’s baby smart tub employing Bluetooth technology was a real standout performer.”

Scheduled for launch next year, the smart tub indicates water temperatures using three colors: Blue is less than 30 C, green is 31-39 C and red is above 40 C. It also produces an audible alert and cuts inflows if water levels rise too high.

Another design from the TPCU Department of Electrical Engineering with strong market potential is a multipurpose camping light. Weighing 900 grams, the sunlight or motion recharged light is GPS ready and emits UHF sound waves for repelling insects and snakes.

“The MOEA is ready to offer full assistance to the winners with product commercialization and cultivating various business opportunities,” the official said. “We will also work to assist local talents in winning more prizes at iENA going forward.”

Founded in 1948, iENA has emerged as one of the world’s three top invention fairs, on par with the International Exhibition of Inventions in Geneva and the Invention and New Product Exposition in Pittsburgh.

Source: Taiwan Today (http://taiwantoday.tw/ct.asp?xItem=223587&CtNode=413)