TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A Taiwanese delegation has successfully secured second place at Japan's World Genius Convention and Education Expo 2020 by winning 39 gold medals, 25 silvers, and 3 bronzes, according to results announced on Sunday (Aug. 23).
Due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the convention was switched online this year, with participants showcasing their inventions in prerecorded videos. Despite no physical exhibition or seminars, nearly 200 inventions from a total of 10 countries, including Taiwan, Russia, Thailand, and Saudi Arabia, still entered the competition.
Among those awarded with a gold medal was a team from National Yunlin University of Science and Technology (YunTech) in central Taiwan that was recognized for its electric wheelchair that can self-generate power through a linear actuator, requiring less strength from the wheelchair occupant. National Taichung University of Science and Technology (NUTC) associate professor Huang Chi-fang (黃啓方) also won the gold for a smart head massage indicator that shows the locations of the meridians on the human body to ensure full-body relaxation.
Meanwhile, seventh-graders Chang Jie-ruei (張倢叡) and Chen Kuan-tung (陳冠東) from Taipei's Chingshin Academy became the youngest Taiwanese inventors to win the gold this year with their eco-friendly heating film. They said most heating films on the market use carbon to create warmth, but they chose to use agricultural waste instead to minimize environmental damage, reported Youth Daily News.
Eco-friendly heating film developed by Chingshin Academy students. (Taiwan Chinese Innovation and Invention Society photo)
Electric wheelchair designed by Yunlin University of Science and Technology. (Taiwan Chinese Innovation and Invention Society photo)