By Ziling Yan (顏紫翎), CNW
Until mid-July, the official
report about the global confirmed cases of Coronavirus (COVID 19) has reached 13
million and the number of deaths is nearly 600,000. The
number of daily infections is, unfortunately, skyrocketing but currently there are still no vaccines to protect the body against the
disease it causes, Covid-19. And, medical researchers are now racing to create one.
In addition to vaccine development, scientists, researchers and
inventors from all over the world have endeavored to tackle the epidemic. The
International Federation of Inventors, Associations (IFIA) and the World
Innovation Invention Foundation( WIIF) launched a contest called,"Be part
of the solutions Inventions VS Corona - invention contest for the benefit of
humanity against covid-19”, soliciting the world inventors to help the lives of
people around the world get back on track.
In early May, the members of the Global Invention Association were
called to solicit solutions for problem situation. In a week, 47 countries hang
together to respond to this world,s 1st cloud contest fight for the virus in a
new way. In just one month, a total of
35 countries invention associations sternly screened 202 elite works. From the
various anti-epidemic and anti-virus projects, most of them designed masks,
anti-epidemic clothing, equipment, and cloud detection talents. The jury of the contest selected 2 grand awards,
29 gold awards, 40 silver awards and 68 bronze awards through the professional
evaluation day and night.
Among the winners, the reporter interviewed the Macau team. Mr. Danny
P. K. Lai (黎栢強), President of the Macao Innovation and Invention Association (澳門創明協會), led a faulty
member, Dr. Perry Y. K. Ip, Assistant Professor, and a student Wang Yilin of
the City University of Macau. They were the ones responsible for the design. Zixin
Luo, a undergraduate student from Polytechnic Institute, for the layout of the
inner box , Mr. W. K. Chu, a teacher from Hou Kong middle School, for
electronic testing and the chairman, Dr. Wing Chan, for the patent application.
This ?Environmental Mouth and Eye Masks Sterilization Box? of the Macau Team
defeated 171 solutions and won gold award. Their invention is about a disposal and
multiple-time mask disinfection and repeated use, especially the mask and eye
mask disinfection box.
The face masks is in short supply in some places on one hand and an
environmental disaster of daily disposing numerous one-time-use items is on the
other. The team, composed of three members
holding INV title of international inventor members, has developed a practical
product, the mask keeper that allows the masks be re-used. The keeper is a portable container that can
disinfect masks and eye masks. The double sterilization system of the container
effectively reduces the consumption of masks, alleviates the pressure on the
mask demand and promotes environmental-friendliness.
Dr. Perry Ip (葉仁傑) says an inventor may think of a hundred ways of developing an
invention, but only one or two can be finalized and eventually be patented.
Plenty of hours and efforts are in vain during the course of the development.
Even if a hundred of patents are granted, merely one or two can finally be
commercialized and be found in the marketplace.
The team is willing to license their patent to those interested parties who
can transform the invention into a product.
Dr. Wing Chan (陳榮) advocates we need to wear a mask now and we don?t need it in the
future. Wearing a mask is not only a social responsibility but also the liability
to family members and neighbors. He said
let’s cut off the spread of the virus, and restore the society to a normal.
In the epidemic, hundreds of millions of face masks are disposed every
day, and may eventually become marine debris and enter the food chain. The
Invention of this affordable mask keeper serves as a portable container to reduce
mask consumption.
For further detail, please access to the following websites:
- Official website http://www.ifia.com
Announcement website
- http://www.istanbul-inventions.org/en/41465/