Shanghai inventors shine at BRICS makers competition

A team of young inventors from Shanghai Jiao Tong University stood out at the first BRICS Makers Competition held in Kunming, Yunnan province on Aug 19-20.

The youngsters were awarded a first prize at the competition for their invention, an audio headset that creates a virtual sound environment that, no matter what direction the user is facing, provides an immersive audio feeling.

According to Lu Jialiang, the team's instructor, the invention could be applied in the media, entertainment and medical rehabilitation fields in the future.

The invention won recognition from 32 judges, who took account of various aspects, such as the inventions' social value, creativity, function, and industrial design when making their decision.

Three other teams, from Tsinghua University, Guangdong University of Technology, and Kunming University of Science and Technology, were also awarded first prizes for their innovative electric-driven mechanical transmission project, facial recognition-based smart mirror, and intelligent family medical kit.

The competition was inspired by the 2017 BRICS Summit, which will bring together the leaders of the BRICS nations—Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa—in the eastern Chinese port city of Xiamen on Sept 3-5.

More than 300 young inventors from 75 teams from China and Russia took part in the competition. Spectators from South Africa also had the chance to have exchanges with and learn from the participants.