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Inventors Strut Patented Stuff in Geneva

Posted on: Wednesday, 9 April 2003, 06:00 CDT

By ERICA BULMAN

GENEVA (AP) -- From a motion-detection machine that could save millions of lives to a cheeky little device reminding men to put down the toilet seat after use, inventors from around the planet gathered Wednesday in Geneva for the world's largest inventions fair.

More than 580 creative minds set up their stands at the International Exhibition of Inventions to show off brainchilds ranging from heavy-duty engineering feats to handy items like a device that automatically tees your golf ball - no bending required!

The fair, running until Sunday, features 1,000 new inventions of all kinds by industrial and commercial companies, independent researchers and even Joe Averages simply looking for a way to end bad breath or stop toiletries from spilling onto suit jackets while traveling.

This year's most noteworthy creations include the anti-mine shoe - a French invention that uses electrical stimulation to keep users from stepping on mines and munitions - and a Russian system allowing open-heart surgery in any conditions.

A device to detect and monitor concealed objects and bodies - so sensitive it can feel an ant's heartbeat - can be used for everything from finding people trapped under rubble to monitoring the breathing of newborns. The appliance, submitted by Jordanian cousins, can detect a finger moving through a 3-foot-thick concrete wall.

"I originally invented it as a way to detect trees infested with worms," said Yosri Haj-Yousef, a medical electronic engineer. "But no one cared enough about the trees so I had to find another use for it."

A French inventor developed an ecologically friendly process to refine used oil while generating safe, useable byproducts such as bitumen, hydrocarbon fuel and liquid fertilizer.

But the "invention convention" also draws a crowd for its nutty professor contraptions.

This year, visitors will likely get a chuckle from such items as:

-- Wizard, the first robotized golf cart that follows a person around without remote control, using a computerized ultrasound system.

-- An apparatus to help people put on stockings, socks, tight-fitting garments and underwear.

Toilets seem to be a hot item this year. The extensive range of gimmicks on display include:

-- The All-Round Toilet Seat, which includes interchangeable clocks, a radio/CD player, flashing lights or lottery games set in the cover. The available colors include sequined silver.

-- The Little Toilet Genius, a talking device meant to be slipped under the seat to remind men of toilet etiquette by delivering comical warnings.

-- The Autonomous Public Toilet Seat, which - thanks to an acoustic signal - whistles and applauds. A lighter model for private use also is available.

-- The Anti-Sloshing Lid for Lavatories.

A 68-member jury will select the best invention and award prizes in 35 different categories. The "Oscar of Inventions" is also awarded based on a popular vote by visitors.

The majority of the exhibits are expected to draw serious interest from industrialists, businessmen and distributors, with 45 percent each year gaining licensing contracts.

Inventions only can be entered once and must be patented.

The war in Iraq and the SARS epidemic deprived the fair of about 60 participants, mainly from Israel, Malaysia and Hong Kong, organizers said.

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