Innovators hail the appliance of science

College student Xie Liangqiu demonstrates his "mobile washtub" at the recent Beijing session of the National Science and Technology Week. Photos by Guan Xin / China Daily

Chinese inventors unveil a wide range of projects, from a walking suitcase to a washing-machine bicycle, at one of the nation's top scientific expos, as Luo Wangshu reports

If you've ever wanted to play the piano but never found time to learn, He Yusha's "piano trainer" may be just the thing. The attachment, which features a computerized tutor, can pare decades of repetitive practice down to less than a quarter of an hour.

"This device can teach anyone, with or without previous experience or the ability to read a score, to play a song in 10 minutes," said He, founder and chief marketing officer of The One Piano Co, which makes the device in Beijing.

"I started learning piano at a young age, and I have a deep and abiding memory of just how boring the lessons were," she said, adding that she also studied musical theory and constantly practiced scales, rhythm and fingering exercises, all of which was time-consuming.

"However, with the help of a smartphone, 'the ONE' can teach kids to play any song they want, and can also inspire them to continue playing on a conventional instrument," she added.

She and her team conceived of and developed the attachment that plugs into an electric piano and uses a series of lights to mimic the arrangement of the keys. When the lights are connected to a smartphone and a tune is played on a purpose-designed music app, the lights indicate the correct sequence in which the notes should be played, allowing the player to press the correct keys. The app contains thousands of scores, so players never have to worry about running out of music.

Players follow the order of the lights above the keyboard, and can adjust the tempo on the app accordingly. Each musical phrase repeats until the player hits the keys in the correct sequence.

Since it was put on the market in October, the ONE, which costs about 4,000 yuan ($645), has become the best-selling online piano product in China and has garnered more than 2,000 positive reviews on one of the country's largest online stores, according to He.

Promoting new ideas

The ONE was among nearly 300 inventions and projects on display at the recent Beijing session of China's National Science and Technology Week, when universities and research institutes, such as the Chinese Academy of Sciences, opened their doors to the public. The event is held simultaneously in several locations across the country, including the municipalities of Chongqing and Shanghai.

The event, jointly organized by the Ministry of Science and Technology and the China Association for Science and Technology, is designed to promote scientific development and to provide young people with opportunities to study related subjects. It has been held every year since 2001 and has attracted more than 1 billion people during its 15-year history.

As an extension of the events held annually in exhibition halls, the ministry also invites scientists and professionals to visit poverty-stricken rural areas with the aim of providing assistance and educational programs. This year, experts visited residents of villages in the provinces of Shaanxi and Liaoning, providing medical know-how and advice on the successful introduction of new equipment and innovative production methods.

"Innovation in science and technology is the current priority because we need to stimulate people's productivity," said Zhao Xinli, deputy director of the ministry's China Science and Technology Exchange Center.

Health benefits

Many of the exhibits on display were related to health and living standards. One of the most striking was a "rehabilitation wheelchair" that allows the user to perform a number of tasks that usually require the help of a caregiver.

"With this chair, people who require special attention can take care of themselves without a lot of outside assistance," said inventor Liu Tienian, head of Beijing Ke Te, which manufactures components for the pneumatics and hydraulics industries. The chair, which is motorized and highly maneuverable, also includes special panels that can be programmed to rise or fall, allowing the user to stand or sit unaided and also exercise damaged or wasted muscles.

Now Liu and his team are working to install a commode, so users can "live" in the chair and still have access to exercise and sanitary facilities. That would reduce the workload for caregivers who would be able to prepare the patients' daily necessities in the morning, and then return later in the day to clean up. "The patients will be virtually independent," Liu said.

Zhao Long, a doctoral candidate in the mechanical engineering department at Tsinghua University, displayed his invention - an air purifier that so impressed the Beijing Science and Technology Commission that it provided development funding.

Traditional purifiers use physical filters to clean the air, but they have to be changed regularly, which can cost as much as 1,000 yuan a year. However, unlike conventional machines, Zhao's invention uses water as a filter to clean the air. "I mimicked the cleansing mechanism of rain. The rate and density of the water droplets can be altered to suit local conditions and provide effective removal of pollution, including dust and gases," Zhao said.

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