Taiwan claimed the No. 1 spot among exhibiting nations and took home the most awards at the 38th World Genius Convention and Education Expo in Tokyo.
Of the 63 entries Taiwan submitted, 29 won gold medals, 23 won silver medals and six were given special awards.
This year’s expo, held on Thursday and Friday, had more than 120 entries from 12 countries, including Taiwan, Canada, China, South Korea, Thailand and the US, Chinese Innovation and Invention Society chairman Wu Chih-yao (吳智堯) said yesterday.
Photo courtesy of the Chinese Innovation and Invention Society
The “Double zip compressed bin” invented by three eighth graders — Chao Tso-fu (趙作芙) and her twin brother, Chao Tso-hang (趙作迒), from Taipei Municipal Zhongzheng Junior High School and Chen Chia-chun (陳家鈞) from Taipei Municipal Ren Ai Junior High School — won a gold medal and a teen special award.
It was inspired by the often overflowing bins in schools or public bathrooms, Chao Tso-hang said, adding that no one wants to push the trash down as it might spill out.
Their bin can be opened using a foot pedal and automatically presses the garbage down when the lid closes, preventing garbage from falling out easily and enabling the bin to hold more, he said.
From finding the right material to choosing the best shape, the process of developing the bin took half a year, Chao Tso-fu said.
A team comprising six junior-high students from Kuang Jen Catholic High School — Tsai Yu-ma (蔡昱瑪), Yang Cheng-en (楊承恩), Chang Chih-chun (張植鈞), Wu Sung-tse (吳松澤), Lin Wan-chun (林宛寯) and Liu Hsuan-chen (劉軒辰) — invented a bike helmet that was awarded a gold medal and a teen special award.
The helmet enables the cyclist to signal the direction they plan on turning by winking one eye, using an infrared sensor installed near the wearer’s eyelids, team instructor Wang Yu-wen (王妤文) said.
When the cyclist blinks both eyes at the same time, the red light on the helmet lights up, indicating that they are going to slow down, she said.
A team of teachers and students at National Formosa University won a gold medal with their “coffee ground lubricant.”
They used a microwave to extract green lubricating oil from coffee grounds.
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