Incubating Young Inventors—The Compassionate Technology Innovation Competition

Xue Kai-jie (薛凱潔), a student from the National Taipei University of Education, stood before her creation, the Turtle Protection Cover, presenting her invention concept to the judges. She explained that global warming has raised sand temperatures on the beaches where sea turtles nest, and because the temperature of the sand determines the sex of the hatchlings, more female turtles are being born than male. This imbalance is so extreme that in some cases 90 percent of newborn turtles are female. “Without intervention, these creatures face the risk of extinction,” she said.

The Turtle Protection Cover, resembling an inverted wok, is made from sugarcane pulp combined with other natural materials, such as seaweed gel. It provides shade and ventilation, keeping the sand on the beach cooler. A signboard on top indicates the presence of turtle eggs underneath, while several openings at the bottom allow hatchling turtles to crawl towards the ocean.

A question and answer (Q&A) session followed Xue’s presentation. Dr. Chao You-chen (趙有誠), superintendent of Taipei Tzu Chi Hospital and one of the judges, was the first to ask a question. He said, “There are few talents like you in the world, but there are many people who care about sea turtles. My question is, how original is this project?” Following him, Mr. Cai Zhen-hui (蔡禎輝) from the Industrial Technology Research Institute and Mr. Wu Zhi-xiang (伍志翔) from the design industry also asked questions. They wanted to know about the carbon footprint of sugarcane pulp and whether using waste materials like this could increase carbon footprints elsewhere. They also asked if there were similar solutions addressing this issue and where Xue thought her creation excelled. The string of questions tested the contestant’s ability to respond spontaneously and her familiarity with relevant issues.

The next contestant was a team from the National Yunlin University of Science and Technology. Already standing ready off to one side, they presented their creation, a massage mattress for bedridden patients. They called it the Compassionate Mattress. Despite only having a conceptual model made of a human model, cardboard, and sheets on the display table, the judges took their design seriously and listened attentively.

“Some people enjoy staying in bed a little longer in the morning, but for others, being bedridden is not a choice,” explained team representative Zhang Ming-yuan (張銘元). “These patients may require specialized care and can develop pressure sores. We aim to alleviate their suffering.” He highlighted the differences between their pressure-relieving mattress and commercially available air mattresses. While the latter use parallel sections of air cushions that are alternately inflated and deflated to relieve pressure, their new version uses a motor-driven cam structure to move dozens of cylinders up and down. Their design not only avoids prolonged pressure points but also provides a massage effect.

“I would like the judges to experience how the massage feels firsthand,” Zhang said. Under his guidance, the three judges pressed their palms on the sheet covering the model, feeling the dynamic up-and-down motion. Judge Wu Zhi-xiang cautioned, “If the cylinders are too soft, the cam mechanism may not achieve the massage effect; if they are too hard, there may be discomfort.”

Another contestant, the “Water Providers” team from the Tzu Chi University of Science and Technology, spent a year and a half developing a non-electric water purification device. This device can provide clean water in areas with unreliable electricity. Team member Jiang Yi-hui (蔣怡慧), with a nursing background, explained that their motivation for the design came from media reports highlighting the lack of clean drinking water in underdeveloped regions like Africa. Although they experienced several failures during the development of their manually operated water purifier, they remained determined, considering their goal worthy of the effort.

The team used simple materials such as water pipes, plastic bottles, and old clothes to create a filter. The old clothes can be cleaned and reused after filtration, achieving a high level of recycling. The device is economical, lightweight, and environmentally friendly, with changeable and easily obtainable parts.