Be a boss: Make your own tech!
The maker culture has taken the world by storm and helped students gain the abilities and experience to bring their imagination to life using their own two hands, which is the goal of modern engineering and science education. To encourage young learners to implement what they learn, the Instrument Technology Research Center (ITRC) has built a maker platform that facilitates open learning and set up the Instrument Technology Innovation Competition (i-ONE), which rewards creative work by young learners in Taiwan and abroad. Submissions are now open for i-ONE 2017. For more information, visit the official website and Facebook page. All comers are welcome.
This year’s i-ONE will be the ninth to date and will boast an evaluation committee of Taiwanese industry experts and scholars who will rate submissions according to their creativity, scientific basis and availability over two phases. In addition to the regular awards, this year will see a popular award, with competitors who make the final cut being invited to promote their projects on the i-ONE Facebook Page, and the prize going to whoever receives the most likes.
The continual growth of the internet means entering the global market is no longer about technical competition; nowadays, it’s all about innovation. If we want to help the next generation learn to innovate, we have to start with schools. Giving young learners the opportunity to realize their creative ideas helps them develop independent thinking and understand the importance of academic principles when actually put into practice. It also encourages more students to become makers and gives them the chance to interact with overseas makers. Imagination is what motivates creativity, and practice is the basis for innovation, enabling you to turn your maker abilities into future competitive strengths. The Instrument Technology Innovation Competition invites everybody to challenge their ability to turn creative ideas into practical reality.
For more details, visit the official website.
Last year’s winners
The winner of the 2016 first prize for the high school category was “Fog Screen Projection with Touchscreen” by Shourong Huang (黃守榕) of Chongde Junior High School. This project uses fluid mechanics and optics to create a floating fog medium or “fog screen” onto which images are projected, with a touchscreen made from an infrared transmitter. The fog screen is a viable alternative to a budget 3D projector.
First prize was not awarded to the higher education category in 2016. Rather, joint second prize went to “Optical Portable Instrumentation for Whole Blood and Coagulation” by Youren Wang (王友仁) of National Cheng Kung University, and the “Low-cost Multi-constellation GNSS Real Time Kinematic” by Chengxuan Xin (辛承宣) of National Taiwan Normal University. Most coagulation analyzers on the market are quite expensive and thus not suited for the general public, so Mr. Wang designed a device that uses wireless transmission for remote care and monitoring, enabling patients to carry out clotting time analysis anytime, anywhere. Meanwhile, noting that most commercial GNSS RTKs today are multi-band and expensive, Mr. Xin and his team developed an alternative that uses a low-cost, single band, multi-constellation satellite receiver and communication module. Paired with the real time kinematic program they developed, this inexpensive GNSS RTK features impressive availability and positioning accuracy.
All the teams drew their ideas from daily life, gave them a scientific theoretical foundation, and then turned them into reality. With guidance from teachers, the students crafted creative solutions using low-cost, easily accessible parts.
The Chinese version of this article is available here.