A total of six Taiwan innovations won R&D 100 Awards Nov. 16 in Orlando, Florida, adding to the nation’s stellar record at the world’s most prestigious competition for science and technology inventions.
 
Five of the successful entries were submitted by government-supported facilities, with Industrial Technology Research Institute based in northern Taiwan’s Hsinchu County claiming three honors and Taipei City-headquartered Institute for Information Industry picking up two.
 
The award-winning ITRI technologies consist of a fully automated unmanned aerial vehicle police patrol system; single-bath supercritical fluid dyeing process for blended elastic textiles; and portable water sterilizer that kills water-borne bacteria with ultraviolet-C light-emitting diodes.
 
III won for the Hybrid MassLINK Bus Stop, a solar-powered system employing wide-area network transmission technology to provide real-time information on bus services in remote locations. It was also recognized for a monitoring and diagnosis framework for manufacturing processes that uses big data analytics to boost speed and accuracy.
 
Taiwan Main Orthopaedics Biotechnology Co. Ltd. based in the central city of Taichung earned an award for its smart glasses system designed to aid in minimally invasive surgery.
 
Established in 1973, ITRI works to enhance the country’s industrial competitiveness through conducting applied research and providing technical services. According to the institute, it has won 39 R&D 100 Awards since 2008.
 
III was launched in 1979 to foster the information technology sector by advising on public policymaking, promoting research and training talent.
 
Held annually since 1963, the annual R&D 100 Awards are organized by U.S.-based R&D Magazine and widely recognized as the Oscars of invention. Other winners at this year’s event included such prestigious U.S. institutions as Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, NASA’s Glenn Research Center and Oak Ridge National Laboratory. (KWS-E)