US EUROPE AFRICA ASIA 中文
China / Society

Innovators hail the appliance of science

By Luo Wangshu (China Daily) Updated: 2015-06-16 07:43

Innovators hail the appliance of science

A young visitor to the expo plays with a pen that can create 3-D artworks.

Mental health is as important as physical well-being, according to Zhang Bo, founder of Gold Noah, a start-up company that makes "meditation helmets" and mats. "People living in modern society are under a lot of pressure, which results in nerves and insomnia," he said.

Zhang and his business partner met at Harvard University's medical school, where they both worked as researchers. When they came up with the idea of meditation helmets and mats, they quit their jobs and returned to China to develop their invention.

The helmets collect brain waves, which are then transmitted to a computer app that uses carefully designed algorithms to select music appropriate for the user's mental condition and also triggers a circuit that makes the mat vibrate accordingly, helping the user to relax.

Student societies

The government is also encouraging the country's leading seats of learning to nurture innovation and the entrepreneurial spirit, which has led many schools to establish relevant programs.

Pei Jisheng and Wang Yifeng, both doctoral students at Tsinghua University, have incorporated a health monitor into a wristwatch, so that in addition to telling the time, the device also records the wearer's blood pressure every two seconds.

"Our watch is unique because it tests blood pressure levels via an opto-electrical technique," Wang said.

The innovation was developed at X-lab, Tsinghua's innovation platform, which provides students with practical advice to help them make the most of their inventions.

More than 80 students have been involved in the development of the watch. "We know about science and technology, but we haven't a clue when it comes to administration or marketing," said computer student Wang. "X-lab is a place for people like us to meet and share ideas, and eventually to take action. It also provides invaluable guidance, such as training in administration and teamwork to increase the chances of success."

Cycling fan Xie Liangqiu, a student in Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province, brought his bike to the Beijing event. However, it was no ordinary bike - the sophomore in the School of Mechanical Engineering at Southwest Jiaotong University has installed a small, pedal-driven washing machine behind the saddle so he can clean his clothes and enjoy his favorite pastime simultaneously. Every time the pedals turn a full revolution, the dirty clothes spin around the tub.

"The mechanism of the 'mobile washtub' is not advanced technology," the 22-year-old said, peering through heavy, black-framed spectacles as he displayed the chain that links the pedals to the washer.

The invention was inspired by a practical need because Xie loves traveling by bike, but sometimes the journeys are long and arduous and he winds up "soaked with sweat".

"The sweat often caused my skin to become pale and sometimes it itched badly too. That was annoying because during a bike trip no one wants to stop for a change of clothes. With the mobile washer, I can toss a dirty T-shirt or a pair of socks into the tub while I cycle," he said. Xie recently updated the invention by installing a hand crank so he can use it in his dorm. "When I really don't want to wash just a T-shirt by hand, I can roll the grip and make the washer do the job instead," he said.

As a member of Maker Space, a club where student innovators gather, Xie encouraged Yu Zhiwei, a freshman, to display his own invention during science week.

Yu, 18, has installed a motor and a camera in a "walking suitcase" programmed to recognize and follow the color yellow. As a demonstration, Yu attached a yellow sticker to the heel of his shoe and as he walked, the suitcase followed in his wake like a clumsy duckling waddling after its mother.

The idea came to the Jiangsu province native when he moved to Chengdu and had to lug a huge suitcase with him. The memory is not one he savors, but Yu was inspired by what he saw around him.

"I saw mothers carrying a baby with one hand and a suitcase with the other, which was dangerous and inconvenient. The 'walking suitcase' frees up our hands and eases the problem," Yu said. He is now working on programming a more sensitive recognition pattern to prevent the suitcase following the wrong owner by mistake. "That's something we have to iron out - it could be pretty embarrassing otherwise," he said with a smile.

Contact the writer at luowangshu@chinadaily.com.cn

 

 

Previous Page 1 2 Next Page

Highlights
Hot Topics
...