Filipino technologies bag gold at inventors’ meet in Geneva

MANILA, Philippines — Two locally developed technologies – one a dengue fever diagnostic kit and the other an electronic sensor system that converts any surface into an interactive system – bagged gold medals at the 46th International Exhibition of Inventions held in Geneva, Switzerland.

The Smart Surface electronic sensor system developed by Nestor Michael Tiglao, director of the Computer Center of University of the Philippines-Diliman College of Engineering, bagged a gold medal as well as a jury distinction – one of only 20 awarded during the exposition held from April 11 to 15.

The Biotek-M Dengue Aqua Kit developed by Raul Destura, of UP Manila’s National Institutes of Health, on the other hand, was the country’s gold medal winner in the invention conference.

The Smart Surface provides an innovative, interactive and fun way of learning for students with a portable platform that can convert virtually any flat surface into a tap-sensitive device.The system is composed of a number of sensors and a central controller. 

Tiglao’s research and development for the Smart Surface received funding support from the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) line agencies Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development as well as the Technology Innovation for Commercialization (Technicom) program implemented by the Technology Application and Promotion Institute.

Destura’s Biotek-M Dengue Aqua Kit is an affordable rapid diagnostic kit that uses the polymerase chain reaction technology to detect the virus in less than an hour.

Destura received funding grants while conducting research and development for the diagnostic kit from the DOST Grants-in-Aid program, Philippine Council for Health Research and Development and Technicom. 

Destura and Tiglao are both members of the DOST’s National Research Council of the Philippines.

Science Secretary Fortunato dela Peña said the country’s gold medal haul showed that the inventions and innovations being developed by Filipino scientists and engineers are world-class.

Dela Peña said that the achievement also validated the DOST’s support of R&D efforts of scientists and engineers.

“We had limited our entries to three because of the cost of sending them to Geneva. But we managed to get the two gold medals,” Dela Peña told The STAR in an interview.

The IEI of Geneva is said to be the most important of its kind with 1,000 new inventions and products, 700 exhibitors from 40 countries, 57,000 visitors, 650 journalists, and benefits from the most extensive support and privileges that can be granted to an exhibitor. It is under the patronage of the Swiss Federal Government, the state, the city of Geneva and the World Intellectual Property Organization. 

There were 226 entries in three categories and only 20 gold medals with jury distinctions given out, and 95 gold medals without jury distinction.

Destura, in a phone interview, expressed his happiness over the international recognition given his Biotech-M Dengue Aqua Kit.

“I’m simply honored that our Filipino technology has been recognized by the international scientific community as relevant and important, and that it addresses a very common health need such as access to early diagnosis for dengue infection,” Destura told The STAR.