Cover Check out these Filipino inventions by who showcase talent and skill in the field of science and technology (Photo: Pexels)
Check out these Filipino inventions by who showcase talent and skill in the field of science and technology (Photo: Pexels)
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These Filipino inventions by innovative minds demonstrate how technological advancement is alive in the Philippines
The year 2024 started well for the science, technology, and robotics community. A Tuguegarao City Science High School team won the Robotics World Championship Competition held in Yantai, China, and, to make things even better, they also won the Best Cultural Award.
Winning such awards is no news. From science fairs and research conferences to the James Dyson Awards and World Robort Olympiads, there is no scarcity of talent and skill for Filipinos. The same could be said in today’s time, especially as we await the results of the 49th International Exhibition of Inventions in Geneva on April 17–21, where our government’s science arm is bringing nine homegrown inventions and innovations from the DOST (Department of Science and Technology) Research and Development Institutes.
As we wait for the results, we list some recent accolades by Filipinos who made waves across borders by inventing and innovating gadgets that are of the utmost importance to society.
More from Tatler: Eco-Warriors: Engr Mark Bantugon on his James Dyson award-winning invention and its impact on aeronautics
Edible cutlery—the answer to plastic pollution?
Above John Paul Fernandez, Amiel Salvania, Elyza Marielle Camiguing, Stanley del Rosario, Emmanuelle Dave Santos, and Faron Jabez Nonan (Photo: TIP Marketing and Communications Office)
John Paul Fernandez, Amiel Salvania, Elyza Marielle Camiguing, Stanley del Rosario, Emmanuelle Dave Santos, and Faron Jabez Nonan (Photo: TIP Marketing and Communications Office)
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Engineering students from the Technological Institute of the Philippines proposed reducing plastic pollution by making cutlery from flour instead of single-use plastics. The 2023 Swiss Innovation Prize competition panel of judges recognised their study,
The six-member “Edgetec” team led by Stanley del Rosario initially submitted the paper as part of their Tech 101 Engineering and Entrepreneurship class coursework. “We believe it can be a sustainable solution to lessen our need for single-use plastics,” del Rosario stated. “It won’t cause a problem for the community, especially for marine animals, because even if they ingest it, it is safe.”
Among the 150 entries from students and professionals nationwide, their work was awarded third place in the sustainability category. The group received a cash prize of PhP 30,000 and a trophy.
Related: 6 Filipino inventions to know: Solar windows, COVID-19 test kits, ginhawa ventilator
Low-cost sensors: the future of texture analysis, medicine, and telerobotics
Above Dr Alexander Co Abad wins a Queen Mary UK Best PhD in Robotics Award (Photo: Liverpool Hope University)
Dr Alexander Co Abad wins a Queen Mary UK Best PhD in Robotics Award (Photo: Liverpool Hope University)
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Dr Alexander Co Abad, a Filipino professor and international postgraduate student in England, won second place in the Queen Mary UK Best PhD in Robotics Award for inventing a novel sensor that measures force, vibration, and temperature. This device could be used in telemedicine and telerobotics. He made history as the first Filipino to place in the top three of the competition.
The 43-year-old innovator was recognised for his study “Fine-grained Haptics: Sensing and Actuating Haptic Primary Colours (force, vibration, and temperature)”.
The HaptiTemp sensor he developed is a silicone-based sensor that can detect different levels of temperature and recognise tactile images, object movement, and vibration with human-like capabilities. It uses only a low-cost silicone sponge readily available on the market.
This invention will benefit medicine, space exploration, material texture analysis, and telerobotics.
Handy and more affordable microscopes?
Above The DOST-funded Make-roscope Keychain by Jeremy De Leon (Photo: DOST)
The DOST-funded Make-roscope Keychain by Jeremy De Leon (Photo: DOST)
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Jeremy De Leon, an engineering graduate from Mapua University, was named the recipient of the 2023 James Dyson Award. His Make-roscope, a keychain microscope, turns a smartphone or tablet into a microscope.
De Leon shared on the James Dyson website that he was inspired to invent the Make-roscope during the COVID-19 pandemic, when “students and teachers found it difficult to study and teach biology and life sciences because school labs were closed.”
He used food-grade silicone. It has flexible arms that users can bend to make things clearer, can be used repeatedly, and can also get wet.
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Angela Nicole Regis Guiral is the assistant digital editor of Tatler Philippines. She studied journalism and has since written features that look closely at how culture, lifestyle and social impact converge, while occasionally wandering into the worlds of style and travel.
