Taipei: Taiwanese inventors achieved significant success at the Silicon Valley International Inventions Festival (SVIIF) in California, securing the event's top prize, 24 gold medals, and additional special awards. The festival, held in the Santa Clara Convention Center, featured entries from over 30 countries in two categories: general inventors and youths aged 7-18. Awards included SVIIF's first and second prizes, along with special awards from partner organizations.
According to Focus Taiwan, Taiwanese students who collaboratively designed "AllerDetect GO" won the top prize in the Youth Talent Competition category. The team received enthusiastic applause from the audience as they accepted the honor on the festival's last day. "AllerDetect GO" is an app designed as an active health protection system for children, older adults, and individuals prone to allergies. The app integrates detection, alert, record-keeping, and smart home response functions, assisting users in identifying potential allergen risks, reducing accidental exposure, and establishing a safer daily health protection system.
The second prize in the Youth Talent Competition was awarded to a team from the Affiliated Senior High School of National Taiwan Normal University. In the general inventors category, Baichao Greenergy Tech Co. received a special award from the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).
Additionally, Kang Chiao International School's 10-year-old Hsu Ting-wei won a gold medal for his "Novel Artificial Electronic Nose" on Saturday. He also received the International Federation of Inventors' Associations (IFIA) best invention award. This invention is an intelligent, non-contact security screening platform that employs a real-time air sampling system, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, and AI-based odor recognition technology. It is designed for installation behind X-ray baggage screening equipment at locations such as airports.
Jury chairman Amin Ghafooripour told CNA that Hsu's award was not merely an encouragement due to his age but a genuine recognition of his efforts and the practical value of his invention. Hsu expressed hope that his invention could help prevent the entry of pork products that may carry African swine fever into countries and assist the United States in stopping drugs like fentanyl at its borders.
SVIIF also distributed medals and certificates to participating inventors on Saturday, with entries receiving gold, silver, or bronze medals. Taiwanese inventors achieved a record haul of 24 gold medals, eight silver, and one bronze from 35 entries in both the general inventors and youth categories.
Matt Nuccio, a SVIIF board committee member, commended the young Taiwanese participants for their remarkable innovations, highlighting the impressive quality of their inventions given their age. Ghafooripour noted that Taiwanese inventors often focus on utilizing new technologies to develop practical solutions that ease everyday life. Nearly every Taiwanese team won an award, with this year's gold medal count marking the highest for Taiwan since its initial participation in the festival in 2018.