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Inventions including an early cancer detection device, a breakthrough in laser technology, and increased efficiencies for fibre optic networks, dazzled judges with the promise they hold to significantly improve quality of life.
The Gold Award winner was Wang Qijie of Nanyang Technological University (Singapore), while Randall Law of the National University of Singapore was awarded the Silver. The talented trio of Liang Xiaojun, Sun Yi and Zhang Xuming, also of Nanyang Technological University, won the Bronze Award.
Organised by the Asian Wall Street Journal in association with HP, The Young Inventors Awards aim to provide well-earned recognition for the novel thinking, precise execution and outstanding efforts of university students around the region. Winners are rewarded with computer equipment and a trip to HP Labs in Palo Alto, California, while their universities received cash prizes.
'These awards are a means to showcase the discoveries and talents in our universities in Asia-Pacific, but it is not enough for inventors to develop new technology,' said Cecilia Pang, Vice President, Corporate Marketing, HP Asia-Pacific Japan.
'They need support and help to commercialize their discoveries and bring the benefits of their ideas to the world.'
'These awards have to go beyond just recognizing ideas; ideally they should create interest in others who can help to advance the new discoveries.'
'We hope that by providing a platform to hold up their inventions to a larger community, we can create that connection between the inventor and the investor,' she said.
Competition for the top honors was tough, with 87 of the region's most respected universities submitting entries. Judged by an esteemed international panel of science and technology experts, entries were then shortlisted to 12 finalists.
Ultimately however, only three entries could win the coveted awards — unearthing five young scientists that have shown themselves to be truly at the cutting edge of modern invention.
Given the increasing reliance on fibre-optic networks for everything from Internet traffic to phone calls to television transmission, the demand for digital data is continually rising. To provide for this increased demand, companies use optical interleavers/deleavers — a key component of optical networks that enable more data channels to be packed onto the same fibre, to carry more information. Interleavers however are complex, expensive, and can lead to noisy phone calls and slower Internet connections.
Gold medallist, Wang Qijie, set himself the task of finding a better way to build optical networks. Over 18 months, painstakingly manipulating fine, fragile strands of fibre into a delicate lattice, Mr Wang finally hit the jackpot and built the first ever all-fibre, functioning, three-port interleaver.
Through his invention, he discovered an innovative and simple way to build cheaper optical interleavers/deleavers, making it easier for fibre-optic networks to carry even more data without passing additional costs on to the consumer.
With current interleavers costing around $1,000, experts anticipate interleavers based on Mr Wang's research to cost a few tens of dollars each.
It's no surprise that the device has attracted significant industry interest and Wintek Technology Singapore is one organisation already planning on commercialising the device.
When Randall Law was issued with the challenge by his professor to 'think small,' the young inventor devised a new device to help build very small things — about 50-100 nanometers.
Initially the objective was to find a way to build better disk drives, to enable a disk to hold more than twice as much data.
Although extensively researched around the world, the area has been largely abandoned due to the many associated difficulties.
Using a laser lithography technique, Mr. Law spent months perfecting a way to build electronic components less than 100 nanometers. His work has resulted in a laser nanopatterning invention that uses an ultrafast laser with wavelengths of 400 nanometers, yet it can cut grooves of just 20 nanometers — something unachievable with conventional means.
The device could have dramatic implications for nanotechnology, by making the construction of microscopic machinery faster and cheaper. It also has potential uses in the semiconductor industry, which is constantly pushing to cram more and more circuitry into increasingly smaller chips.
It is widely known that cancer is most effectively treated with early detection.
With most cancer tests taking several days for a diagnosis, Bronze medalist trio Liang Xiaojun, Sun Yi and Zhang Xuming have come up with a faster way of testing cancer.
The team has created a chip-based diagnostic kit that could make detecting cancer virtually instant. The device combines a laser-detection method with a semiconductor and claims to detect cancerous cells by identifying their larger than normal nuclei and smaller cytoplasm in just one hour.
This affordable, user-friendly kit can detect the disease from its earliest stages, long before the body shows any signs of illness. Importantly the kit works with just a single drop of blood and can be used by a family doctor or nurse, or even by the patient.
Already the technology has been granted patents in the U.S. and Singapore and discussions are underway with companies to manufacture and market the biochip. It is anticipated that the initial product line will consist of four kits, each capable of detecting one of four common forms of cancer: breast, cervical, leukaemia and colon.
Recognizing and rewarding inventions that aim to make a difference is close to the heart of HP and according to Pang: 'Innovation has been in HP's DNA since our founding over 65 years ago.'
As testament to the company's enthusiasm for inventing, HP staff in the Asia Pacific and Japan region even ran an internal vote for their favourite finalist in this year's Award.
Over 527 of the 2544 staff voters picked Sajeesh Kumar from the University of Western Australia for his low-cost, portable, easy-to-use Internet-based screening system for conducting eye examinations in remote areas. HP will present him with an HP PhotoSmart r707 digital camera for winning the internal poll.
Interestingly, Sajeesh and his novel invention also won a poll of the audience members at the Awards presentation in Singapore, earning him an HP photo printer.
'Congratulations to the winners. You have displayed the incredible talent to see extraordinary ideas in ordinary things', said Pang.
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