Taiwan shines at Sevastopol invention show

2015/10/06

Taiwan bagged 34 golds, 22 silvers and seven bronzes at International Salon of Inventions and New Technologies Oct. 1-3 in Sevastopol, trailing only Ukraine at the annual event.

Local submissions beat out more than 410 others from 21 countries and territories to spotlight the creativity and innovation of the nation’s inventors, according to Taipei City-based Chinese Innovation and Invention Society.

Among Taiwan’s top-placed entries is a system protecting the feet of motorcyclists. It was developed by a student-faculty team from College of Electrical, Information and Resources Engineering at New Taipei City-headquartered Jinwen University of Science and Technology.

Installed under motorcycle footboards, the device triggers an airbag if it senses the vehicle is about to tip over, averting or minimizing possible injuries to a rider’s feet.

Team advisor Chen I-fong said over 70 percent of the injuries in motorcycle accidents involve either the head or feet, and while riders are legally required to wear a helmet, there is no such stipulation for feet.

“Using Bluetooth technology, the creation can send a message via the rider’s handset to inform emergency centers of an incident,” he said, adding that the system is under patent application and ready for mass production next year.

Equally impressive is a lightweight multifunction leg brace developed by Tseng Chia-teng from Hsinchu City-based Chung Hua University. Made with polyvinylchloride and measuring 20 centimeters wide and 30 cm long, the device can be easily stored in a first aid chest and used as an ice bag and flotation unit.

Tseng said the invention came from his personal experiences as a Red Cross volunteer assisting in water rescue operations of the local fire department.

“I also broke my leg in a car accident earlier this year and had to wear a plastic cast,” he said. “This gave me further motivation to create a better, more wearable form of protective gear.”

Source: Taiwan Today (http://taiwantoday.tw/ct.asp?xItem=237344&ctNode=2194&mp=9)