Invention Asia|Vol 2|No 2|2016|MAKE IT A REALITY by Harini Management Services Sdn Bhd

MAKE IT A REALITY

A look into funding resources in Malaysia

ALSO INSIDE:

• Self-lacing shoes • Re-engineered silk • Transparent wood • Smart sutures

Vol 2 / No.2 / Dec 2016 / RM10.60

ISSN 2289-9308

KDN No PP18559/08/2014/(033967)

UNVEILING AN ALL-NEW DESIGN

/ C O N T E N T S / NEWS 4 • New meaning to ‘eyephone’ • A cheaper bite 5 • Personal energy producer • 8 hands are better than 2 6 • Don’t sweat it • Sending the right signals 7 • Facebook founder funds

FEATURE

The man with the MaGIC touch We speak to MaGIC’s chief, Ashran Ghazi about the road to commercialisation.

Intellectual property rights: The key to beating your competition

Malaysia’s crowdfunding scenario With the entrepreneur scene booming, a new form of financing has emerged as opposed to the more traditional bank loans to finance a business venture or a project.

Is Malaysia innovation ready? With the recent TPP signing, there is a specific chapter on intellectual property, encompassing patents, trademarks, copyrights, industrial designs and more. From sci-fi dream to reality Let’s meet Nike’s latest innovation that emphasises on fit. Taking cues from nature American researchers re-engineered spider silk as it holds qualities such as strength, resilience and flexibility. Sustainable, transparent wood Swedish researcher Lars Berglund and his team has a different outlook when it comes to plastic and glass replacements.

SUPPORTED BY Asian Caucus of Invention Associations (ACIA) POWERED BY Invention, Innovation and Technology Exhibition Malaysia (ITEX) EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Academician Tan Sri Emeritus Professor Datuk Dr Omar Abdul Rahman

The future of invention all under one roof

Nurturing young minds Arts and Creativity Exhibition strives to inculcate the love of local flora and fauna among school children.

EDITORIAL COMMITTEE Dr Leo Ann Mean, Academician Datuk Hong Lee Pee, Janice Gan, Dr Stephen Poon, V. S. Ganesan, Yuhanis Latif, Chrys Tee

• Using ‘bionic’ plants to detect explosives

Dato’ Vincent Lim, President of C.I.S Network Sdn Bhd

No longer mindless threads An American researcher have developed an electronic suture that contains ultrathin silicon sensors.

human cell atlas

Wearable tech and where it is going Technology pundits have quickly dubbed this brand of smart electronics as the biggest invention this year.

PUBLISHERS Academician Tan Sri Emeritus Professor Datuk Dr Augustine Ong Soon Hock, President of Malaysian Invention & Design Society (MINDS)

Protect your ideas Patenting need not be expensive or complicated as these participants find out.

International Science, Technology and Innovation Centre A look into UNESCO’s body in those three fields for the South-South Cooperation.

Invention shows around Asia Asian cities are playing hosts to several shows next year, aiming to put forward cutting-edge designs and products on the road of commercialisation.

Design as a Catalyst for Sustainable Societies and Communities: What design innovation can do?

Book Review: No. 8 Re-wired – 202 New Zealand Inventions That Changed the World

39 Book Review: The Solar

Revolution: One World, One Solution. Providing the Energy and Food for 10 Billion People

EDITORIAL ADVISOR Academician Tan Sri Emeritus Professor, Datuk Dr Augustine Ong Soon Hock EXECUTIVE EDITOR V.S. Ganesan EDITOR Khaw Chia Hui

Invention Asia is produced by

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FROM THE

EDITORS’ BOARD Dear readers, Welcome to our Vol 2, No 2 – a newly designed Invention Asia. Invention Asia’s tag line is “Inspiring Inventions Championing Commercialisation”. These two – invention and commercialisation – are critical components in the innovation ecosystem. Invention is the beginning and innovation is the result in the marketplace. Between raw inventions and useful new products (innovations) in the marketplace, there is an intermediate stage I call “prenovation”. This is the stage where invention that has potential application and uses, after having undergone market validation, product development and product design, are ready for evaluation for commercialisation. The ability to appreciate the commercial potential of a “prenovation” is the entrepreneur. The innovation ecosystem is therefore made up of invention/”prenovation” development, entrepreneurship development and commercialisation sub-systems. Each of the sub-systems requires a number of critical enablers for the entire innovation ecosystem to be viable. These enablers include financing systems, human capital development, various institutions, laws and regulations, business and mentoring agencies. It is the policy of Invention Asia to cover the various aspects of the innovation ecosystem so that the invention community is kept abreast of current status and new development in the invention, “prenovation” and innovation landscape. It is our intention also publish articles related to our focus areas and as well as those we feel of interest to the invention community. In our last issue, for example, we featured not only new inventions and innovations, but on the Nobel prizes for 2015. In this issue we feature new innovations in wearable technologies, such as contact lens that connects to a smartphone, garment from a new fabric that can harvest energy from the wearer’s body and a long article on smart electronics; new inventions and innovative products such as beef patties grown in petrie dishes, rather than from a cow, bionic plants (spinach) that can detect explosives and new products such as spider silk from genetically modified silkworms, transparent wood, smart sutures with sensors to monitor wound healing and Nike’s self-lacing shoes. In addition there is an article of general interest – the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) and its implications on Malaysian businesses and a discussion on intellectual property rights and a report on a patent drafting workshop. In this issue we publish a story about one of the critical institutional enablers to the innovation ecosystem in Malaysia: the International Science, Technology & Innovation Centre

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(ISTIC), and about a mentoring agency – MaGIC (Malaysian Global Innovation and Creativity Centre). A major critical component of the innovation ecosystem is of course, funding. An important new development in this area is crowdfunding. In this issue, there is a full feature on the crowdfunding scenario in Malaysia. We hope readers will enjoy this new issue. Your comments are welcomed and please tell us which aspect of the innovation ecosystem you want to know more about. We would love to see you in our next issue in 2017. Have a great year ahead.

Where Invention Thrives, the Economy Flourishes

TAN SRI OMAR ABDUL RAHMAN, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF tansriomar@gmail.com

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DR STEPHEN POON

Intuition is useful and needed in situations where problems are ill defined and where there is a lot of information available. These kinds of situations are the norm especially in design. Indeed, many design practitioners attest that intuition is extremely important in their working process. However, especially the beginner level design students express uncertainty about the usage of intuition and how to enhance their intuitive skill. Further, despite the central role of intuition in design, educating intuition as part of the design process has been given very little direct attention. There are also notable examples of regressive or perverse innovation where the intuitive impulse to resist would be only appropriate. Notwithstanding, intuition remains an implicit part of who we are and an extension of what we imagine. As such it is inextricably involved with innovation and personal empowerment. Start simply following your hunches and be prepared to be amazed where it leads you.

DATO’ VINCENT LIM

Innovations and commercialisation go hand in glove. Without one another, mankind will not have many modern-day comforts that we enjoy and cannot do without. However, to market an idea successfully is the biggest challenge of all. Brilliant designs and innovations should not be left in the back burner simply because of bad marketing. There are many ways to secure funding for your ideas. This issue we explore who inventors can seek for a helping hand.

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V.S. GANESAN

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As technology and designs move forward at a rapid pace, we are proud to put together an informative issue of Invention Asia. This time the focus is on commercialising those precious ideas for the benefit of the greater good. It is our hope that our readers will be inspired to create more cutting-edge products and seek ways to bring those ideas to fruition.

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DR LEO ANN MEAN

Why are invention exhibitions so popular all over the world, including in Asia? Invention exhibitions give the inventor the opportunity to showcase his invention to the public. He needs to know whether his invention is of value to society. What better way than to participate in an invention exhibition and let the public judge the worthiness of his invention? It also gives him the opportunity to win awards when judged by the panel of judges appointed by the exhibition organisers, usually invention associations and government bodies. Showcasing his invention also attracts investors or entrepreneurs interested in commercialising his invention. If successful it becomes a winning situation for all – the inventor, the entrepreneur and society.

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It is generally accepted that science and technology is the foundation for development. Furthermore, research in science and technology will spur innovations to meet the needs in different locations. To transform this objective into reality, we need to nurture young researchers. At a workshop on “Best Practices in Research Management” held recently, it was agreed that more effort should be made to initiate and enhance networking among researchers. In this context, MINDS is planning a workshop sometime in August 2017, on the highlights of the work of Nobel laureates in Chemistry, Physics, Medicine and Economics for 2016 and their significance to the world and the region. The target audience will be young researchers in the industry and the academia.

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TAN SRI AUGUSTINE ONG

Invention Asia

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NEWS Invention Asia offers a snapshot of the latest invention news around the world. Drop us an email at minds.invent@gmail.com if you would like us to feature your invention.

NEW MEANING TO ‘EYEPHONE’ Washington University’s assistant professor Shyam Gollakota and his grad students have created a contact lens that can connect to a smartphone over Wi-Fi. The technology is said to be able to bring Internet connectivity into any object, even disposable ones. He invented a way for devices without batteries to communicate and power themselves by recycling signals from Wi-Fi devices or radio and TV stations. The researchers built their Wi-Fi contact lens to demonstrate the potential for their technology, known as backscatter, to improve medical devices, whether cheap sensors or more complex implants. They also built a flexible skin patch that can sense temperature and respiration, a design that could be used to monitor hospital patients. Another prototype takes the form of a concert poster that broadcasts a snippet of the band’s music over FM radio. Recent tests have shown that backscatter devices recycling the signals from a Wi-Fi router can make connections over a range of up to 1km. Backscatter technology makes it significantly cheaper to add connectivity to a device or object. Not only does it remove the cost of a battery, but the circuitry needed to communicate in this way is simpler and cheaper than conventional radio hardware.

A CHEAPER BITE

This image from Mark Post’s lab shows how muscle tissue is routinely grown in culture.

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The very first lab-grown beef patty was unveiled three years ago and cost a whopping US$331,400. But its creator Mark Post reported that it would just ring in at US$10 a piece. Post told Arkansas Online that the lab-grown burger would hit the market in five years. Its hefty price tag was attributed to the initial investment in lab equipment. He grew the meat in a petri dish using bovine stem cells and the animal tissue built protein and muscle fibre, similar to what it would do in a live cow. The Dutch inventor has spent 10 years in his Netherlands lab to tweak the stem cell burger and he aims to introduce fat into the burger to enhance flavour. Traditional meat industry has come under fire in recent years for its questionable practices and footprint on the environment while meat alternative companies have been trying to develop plantbased products. If Post successfully commercialises his stem cell burger, we can say goodbye to “meat is murder”.

PERSONAL ENERGY PRODUCER A group of Chinese and American scientists recently developed a fabric that can power wearable devices by harvesting energy from both sunlight and body movements. It can also be made on a standard industrial weaving machine. The fabric is based on low-cost, lightweight polymer fibres coated with metals and semiconductors that allow the material to harvest energy. These fibres are then woven together along with wool on highthroughput commercial weaving equipment to create a textile just 0.32mm thick. In the journal Nature Energy, the researchers described how they used a layer-by-layer process similar to those employed in the semiconductor industry. Using this method, they coated polymer fibres with various materials to create cable-like solar cells that generate electricity from sunlight and also so-called triboelectric nanogenerators. The nanogenerators rely on the triboelectric effect, by which certain materials become electrically charged when rubbed against another type of material. When the materials are in contact, electrons flow from one to the other, but when the materials are separated, the one receiving electrons will hold a charge. If these two materials are then connected by a circuit, a small current will flow to equalise the charges. By continuously repeating the process, an alternating electrical current can be produced to generate power. The material could be used to create larger energy-generating structures, like curtains or tents. The fabrication process should also allow the energygenerating materials to be combined with other fibrebased functional devices, like sensors. Next, the researchers plan to focus on improving the efficiency, durability and power management of the textile while optimising the weaving and encapsulation processes to enable industrial-scale production.

8 HANDS ARE BETTER THAN 2 Harvard University researchers have invented a small and squishy “octobot”. It is the first robot made completely from soft parts and doesn’t need batteries or wires of any kind, and runs on a liquid fuel. The octopus-like robot is made of silicone rubber, and measures about 6.5cm long. The researchers say soft robots can adapt more easily to some environments than rigid machines, and this research could lead to autonomous robots that can sense their surroundings and interact with people. Conventional robots are typically made from rigid parts, which makes them vulnerable to harm from bumps, scrapes, twists and falls. These hard parts can also hinder them from being able to squirm past obstacles. The octobot has eight arms that are pneumatically driven by steady streams of oxygen gas. This gas is given off by liquid hydrogen peroxide fuel after it chemically reacts with platinum catalysts. The robot is controlled using tiny 3D-printed networks of plumbing. Whereas conventional microelectronic circuits shuffle electrons around wires, scientists in recent years have begun developing microfluidic circuitry that can shuffle fluids around pipes. These devices can theoretically perform any operation a regular electronic microchip can, previous research suggested. The octobot’s microfluidic controller is filled with the liquid hydrogen peroxide fuel. As the fuel gives off oxygen, pressure from the gas builds up in the controller and eventually causes some valves to open and others to close, inflating chambers in half the robot’s arms and forcing them to move. Pressurised gas then builds up once more, triggering valve openings and closures that make the other robot’s arms move. So far, the octobot can only wave its arms. The scientists are now working on developing completely soft machines that are more complex and can propel themselves.

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NEWS DON’T SWEAT IT A visit to the Singapore Zoo is often a humid affair. A few months ago the zoo has installed an outdoor cooling system that is capable of bringing the temperature to 24 degree Celsius. The Airbitat Smart Cooler, developed by Innosparks, is about the size of a refrigerator and can cool an area of about 55 sq m. The best part? It is eco-friendly, using 80 per cent less energy than an average air-conditioning unit and does not produce heat. During the current six-month trial, four units have been placed at the zoo’s ticketing area. An Airbitat unit costs S$2.50 a day to run. The machine is built around a “cold water core”, where water is circulated and chilled through an evaporation process. Warm air is drawn in and cooled by passing through the running water. Sensors monitor the environmental temperature and humidity, and determine the temperature output. The coolers have been in development for 18 months and are expected to go into mass production next year.

SENDING THE RIGHT SIGNALS Human emotions are often complicated and nuanced. Reading a fellow human’s emotion can be tricky but researchers say a new system can predict people’s feelings with 87% accuracy by bouncing wireless signals off them. Known as the EQ-Radio, it analyses the signal reflected off a subject’s body to monitor both breathing and heartbeat. Using a device smaller than a Wi-Fi router, researchers at MIT were able to monitor a person’s breathing and heartbeat wirelessly, then feed it into a machinelearning algorithm that classified the subject’s emotion as excited, happy, angry or sad. The inventors say potential applications include health care systems that detect your moods before you do, smart homes that can tune lighting and music and tools that allow filmmakers to get real-time audience reaction. To test EQ-Radio, 12 subjects were monitored for two minutes at a time while experiencing no emotion and also while using videos or music to recall memories that evoked each of the four emotions. A machine-learning algorithm was then trained on each subject’s heartbeat and breathing data from each monitoring period. The system intelligently combines the two and then maps the results onto a graph where one axis represents arousal and the other represents “valence” – essentially, whether an emotion is positive or negative. This is then used to classify the emotion into the four broad categories.

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If successful, 60 to 80 units of the Airbitat Smart Cooler will be placed in the zoo.

USING ‘BIONIC’ PLANTS TO DETECT EXPLOSIVES

FACEBOOK FOUNDER FUNDS HUMAN CELL ATLAS In September Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg announced BioHub, a new US$600 million centre, helping to create a vast directory of human cells, which it calls a “cell atlas”. It is part a consortium of international researchers who say this project could help drugmakers and scientists find new ways to treat diseases. Textbooks say there are about 300 types of cells in the human body, but the real number is probably far larger, perhaps 10,000, said BioHub. Drugmakers could use information from the cell atlas project to look up which cells a new drug is likely to effect. Cataloguing how the immune system changes and adapts to fight tumours could be the source of the next insights for cancer treatments. Helmed by Stephen Quake at Stanford University, the project is possible thanks to his inventions and others that allow researchers to move individual cells around channels on microfluidic chips. The technique underlies the atlas because scientists can capture cells inside bubbles of oil or water, moving them apart and readying them for one-by-one analysis by genetic sequencers, reported by Technology Review. BioHub will also hand out grants to researchers at Stanford the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of California, San Francisco, who want to further develop technologies that would let scientists analyse cells and their molecular contents directly in samples of tissue. Zuckerberg and wife Priscilla Chan have said they plan to give away US$3 billion over 10 years to fight diseases and BioHub is their charity’s first science project.

Engineers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has found new uses for the humble spinach. They have embedded its leaves with carbon nanotubes, essentially transforming spinach plants into sensors that can detect explosives and wirelessly relay that information to a handheld device. This was hailed as the first demonstrations of engineering electronic systems into plants, an approach that the researchers call “plant nanobionics”. The plants were designed to detect chemical compounds known as nitroaromatics, which are often used in explosives. When one of these chemicals is present in the groundwater sampled naturally by the plant, carbon nanotubes embedded in the plant leaves emit a fluorescent signal that can be read with an infrared camera. The camera can be attached to a small computer similar to a smartphone, which then sends an email to the user. Professor Michael Strano is the senior author of a paper describing the nanobionic plants in the October 31 issue of Nature Materials. The paper’s lead author is Min Hao Wong, an MIT graduate student who has started a company called Plantea to further develop this technology. “Plants are very good analytical chemists,” said Strano. “They have an extensive root network in the soil, are constantly sampling groundwater, and have a way to self-power the transport of that water up into the leaves.” Using a technique called vascular infusion, which involves applying a solution of nanoparticles to the underside of the leaf, they placed the sensors into a leaf layer known as the mesophyll, which is where most photosynthesis takes place. If there are any explosive molecules in the groundwater, it takes about 10 minutes for the plant to draw them up into the leaves, where they encounter the detector.

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F E A T U R E

THE MAN WITH THE MAGIC TOUCH As any researcher or inventor can tell you, the road to product realisation and commercialisation is tough. However, there is help.

he Malaysian Global Innovation and Creativity Centre (MaGIC) situated in Cyberjaya has been given a bold mandate by the Government – make Malaysia the startup capital of Asia. Similarly, its head honcho has big shoes to fill too, especially following his immensely popular predecessor. Ashran Ghazi was appointed to head MaGIC in April 2016 and we caught up with him recently for a chat on his role and the state of his agency. Can you share with us MaGIC’s standing in the startup ecosystem? In essence, we have a few roles to play. We need to catalyse the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Malaysia, collaborate with partners and communities alike, and to develop entrepreneurs that will positively impact the country and beyond. Also, we organise startup education and seed accelerator programs as well as bridge the innovators to our partners who can help bring their ideas to fruition. We’re not just about techbased startups but serve a cross sector of industries. What can an inventor or entrepreneur expect when he comes here? We always aim to make sure ideas or creations take only about six to eight months to become a reality. That is the shortest time one can expect the process to take. Some might take longer, it depends on the person and their ideas. For example, we have Startup Weekend. It is a weekend bootcamp where people come in to build, enhance or run their ideas through us. That is our lowest entry point and costs about RM50 per person. It is more of a commitment fee than a

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money-making initiative. Often this programme is funded by our partners from the private sector. The participants will form groups and try to further develop their ideas. My team will get them through an idea valuation process. This is the most important step. They will be asked, ‘what problem or issue are you solving?’ They must have an answer. To me, if your idea isn’t solving anything then what is its use. It will help them from being overly fixated on one particular idea. There are many ways to provide solutions to one problem. The process also helps them to stay grounded. They will get to know if there is already a similar existing idea. So, perhaps they can further enhance it. We can help bridge these people. How successful are these Startup Weekends? We have a varying degree of people coming in. Some are very raw, some have good ideas and some are just here to experience the programme. There have been cases where the participants joined forces after the session and cofounded a startup together. I feel that this programme allows you to meet like-minded people that you will need to drive your startup. After that we identify those who can move to the next level. Can you elaborate on the MaGIC Academy? Participants are placed here to strengthen their skillsets, for example, in crafting proposals. If their idea is related to the food business, we will help to identify the right agency or private industry leaders that can work together with them. That will set them on the road to commercialisation. The participants also go through creativity innovation labs or take online courses on the Blue Ocean Strategy, for example, and even

hone their pitching skills. We have affiliate training partners from the private sector. In this way, the Academy’s operations are more sustainable, relieving financial burden on the Government while getting the same or, in some cases, better impact. How would you measure success of those who pass through your doors? It’s pretty straightforward for me. Is it going to help create value? Like I said before, it has to solve a certain problem, a problem that affects a large number of people.

Most of the people we’ve met are enthusiastic about solving problems, so that’s one of the hallmark of a successful entrepreneur. When they come in, I think we mostly ‘break’ them. They might have presumptions of how they want to market their idea without knowing how a particular industry they want to ‘disrupt’, works. We throw a lot of challenges at them, to a point where some of them just give up. We have partners, investors and others sit in and listen to their pitches. And these ‘judges’ don’t hold back. They would tear apart the ideas and business proposals

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F E A T U R E

presented to them. This is how the real world works. Our participants will get a taste of that, definitely. Those who persevere are the ones that will really make it. We also have an accelerator programme which is four months of intensive training. At the end of the programme, they have a viable product that is fund-able. Not every fund-able project is like Grab, which we call a ‘unicorn’. It is just one of those projects that are so rare and so successful within such a short space of time. Personally, if a startup has a valuation between RM20 and RM50 million, it can already do the country a lot of good. Where do you think Malaysia stands in terms of startups, as compared to ASEAN and to a larger extent, the world? I think the scene here is vibrant. More and more entrepreneurs are coming forward with all sorts of ideas, which is great. To help nurture a better ecosystem for startups, MaGIC has been improving its network of private and government partners within ASEAN. We are roped in as part of the ASEAN Economic Community.

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Several Asean countries are setting up similar accelerator and incubation programmes. You can say it will be their very own MaGIC. We are already having startup exchange programmes. We send our participants over so they can get a feel of how other countries are like or perhaps find themselves partners and collaborators. It normally takes about a week or two. They get to enjoy the local business environment and even network with potential investors. For now, this is a pilot programme. If this works then we will look into expanding it. After all we need to spend our budget allocation wisely.

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Most of the people we’ve met are enthusiastic about solving problems, so that’s one of the hallmark of a successful entrepreneur.

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Do you think the soft economy ahead will affect your agency? I am hopeful that we will be allocated a healthy budget because I feel that the Government sees immense value in what we are doing as well as an engine of growth. With a strong startup and entrepreneur ecosystem, we will have more employment opportunities and revenue for the country. I hope that it won’t discourage the community in any way. What do you think of the creativity of Malaysians? As a whole, I think Malaysians have a lot of ideas, inventions and creations but they are not entrepreneur-savvy. Sometimes these ideas are great conceptually but they lack depth. We need to have a balance between delivery and creation. The pure inventor might be looking at a longterm strategy where he or she spends a lot of time fine-tuning the product, maybe without commercialisation in sight. Some inventors prefer to have a short- to mid-term strategy. So they might need to have a collaboration between the corporate guys and the startup. u

THE KEY TO BEATING YOUR COMPETITION By P. Kandiah

ost SMEs are started by persons who were once employees in an organisation where they had acquired the necessary technical skills and knowledge to manufacture the product their employer was manufacturing. These same individuals had the entrepreneurial spirit burning deep inside them, and so, armed with the skill/knowledge and a little capital (usually from personal savings, a little help from family members or friends),

P. Kandiah is the Founder and Director of KASS International, an established intellectual property firm with offices in Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia. Mr. Kandiah has vast experience in obtaining patents, trademarks and industrial design rights on a global scale, and also specializes in identifying patentable inventions, designing around patented technology, and advising on the commercialization of IP Rights, franchising and licensing strategies. For more information, visit www.kass.com.my or drop an e-mail to kass@kass.com.my.

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they venture out on their own to start a business, usually in competition with their previous employer. There’s nothing wrong with that, of course, unless they are in breach of their employment contract or misuse their employer’s trade secrets or confidential information. The entrepreneur is now on his/her own to conquer the business world. Initially, the entrepreneur or company started by the employeeturned-entrepreneur will compete in the market on price and perhaps superior service to attract new clients. However, one cannot use price advantage for long if one intends to remain in business or for the business to grow bigger. The entrepreneur of the new SME has to secure other competitive advantages to remain in business and for the SME to grow and expand into new territories. This is where Government sanctioned “monopolies” come to assistance. Yes, I am referring to Trademarks, Patents, Industrial Designs and Copyright (collectively referred to as Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs). Anyone who obtains a registered trademark or a grant of patent or certificate of industrial design has a virtual monopoly over the usage of the right for a limited period of time. The proprietor of these IPRs has the exclusive right to stop others from using an identical or substantially similar trademark or from using their patent-protected technology. With this exclusive right to the IPRs, the proprietor can charge a premium price to their product or service to recover their investment – R&D costs, branding costs, etc. Many entrepreneurs and SMEs perceive the costs of obtaining IPRs as expensive and IPRs themselves as difficult to enforce. Plus there are other misconceptions about IPRs too, and it would probably take an entire article in itself to address these. The fact is, the cost of obtaining IPRs

– at least in Malaysia – is not high and is affordable by most SMEs. It is more costly to the business if IPRs are not secured. Imagine spending thousands of ringgit and years to build up a brand name and yet neglecting to spend a thousand or two more to protect the brand as a registered trademark, the registration of which enables the SME to sue any infringer. Let me cite an actual case that happened in Malaysia: A restaurant business was set up in a prominent part of Kuala Lumpur. Business boomed. The partners never bothered to register the name of the restaurant as a trademark. Unknown to them, some ex-employees registered the business name as a trademark, and it did not end there. After obtaining the registration, they sued the restaurant for infringement of “their trademark”. The restaurant had to face a long trial in the High Court. Not only did the partners suffer loss of sleep, they (along with the restaurant) were also made to look bad in the media (thus affecting their reputation) and incur thousands of ringgit in legal costs. However, they did finally manage to “get back” their trademark. Their ignorance in not recognising the market power of their trademark nearly cost them the loss of their business. So SMEs, no matter what business they are involved in, should always seek their IP consultants’ advice on obtaining IP rights for the competitive advantages they enjoy. In the current business world and rapid globalisation of trade, IPRs have come to play a crucial role in the very survival of SMEs. Unless entrepreneurs and SMEs fully appreciate the strategic role IPRs play in the existence or survival of their business, they may be wiped out from business by their competitors who have learnt to use IPRs as a business weapon to destroy or maim rival businesses. u

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MALAYSIAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S CROWDFUNDING SCENARIO

With the entrepreneur scene booming, a new form of financing has emerged as opposed to the more traditional bank loans to finance a business venture or a project.

etâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s say you have a viable product that is ready to be unleashed to the world, but getting it off the ground requires funding. The traditional route would be to go to a SME-friendly bank and convinced them to give you a loan, as well as raising some cash through family and friends. However, the Small and Medium Enterprises Association of Malaysia has urged small businesses to consider equity crowdfunding

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(ECF) platforms as a way to raise capital now that the SME bank loan approvals have shrunk in view of the damp economy. Typically, an investor will put in money to a project. If the project is a success, the investor will be able to get a share of the profits because the investor, in this case, gets equity in the company. That means if the project is a huge success, the investor will be able to get a percentage of the profits. Though ECF is not a traditional

way to raise funds, it is estimated that this segment is worth a whopping RM50 million and more in the coming years. This funding platform is rapidly gaining grounds in Asia, but the region has yet to embrace it fully. Advanced financial hubs such as Singapore and Hong Kong are taking a wait-and-see approach, with much of the promise for regulations coming from emerging markets. But in June 2015, Malaysia made a landmark move to be the first among Southeast Asian markets

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In June 2015, Malaysia made a landmark move to be the first among Southeast Asian markets to legislate ECF, which published guidelines for six licensed platforms.

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to legislate ECF, which published guidelines for six licensed platforms. So far, Malaysia has six registered ECF platforms – FundedByMe, ATA Plus, Crowdo, Eureeca, Equity. pitchIN and Crowdplus.Asia. Amongst the six, which have been licensed by the Securities Commission Malaysia, ATA PLUS and Equity.pitchIN are homegrown ECF platforms. ATA PLUS is one of Malaysia’s first online ECF platform and they believe that “matching capital with exciting businesses has a far reaching productive social and economic outcomes”. ATA PLUS provides specific crowdfunding for projects such as Skolafund, which crowdsource tertiary education scholarships for deserving candidates, PasarTap, which is an on-demand grocery delivery service that supplies its customers with farm-fresh produce in a matter of hours and Neuroware is Asia’s leading blockchain infrastructure and solutions provider. Equity.pitchIN was formed in 2012 and the Equity.pitchIN rewards venture has become one of the more successful rewards crowdfunding platform in Southeast Asia. It holds records for projects which raised the most funds and for the most number of backers for a single project. It has also successfully

executed a slew of groundbreaking crowdfunding projects such as the first ever indie festival in Penang, TAPAUfest, on-demand movies Movie GoGo project, the pitchINMaGIC Challenge, MDeC’s social project to assist the flood victims in East Malaysia, TeeSomethingNice, the tee-shirt project in celebration of Hari Malaysia and Merdeka 2014. PitchIN also helped to secure a permanent place for Wok It, a Malaysian mobile kitchen that serves quick and customised meals to raise finances to build their kitchen. Should any of the ECF platforms not interest you, as an entrepreneur, perhaps you could look at alternative not-for-profit type of organisations such as Cradle Fund Sdn Bhd. Cradle is an agency under the Malaysian Finance Ministry that managed RM100 million Cradle Investment Programme since its inception in 2003. Under the 10th Malaysia Plan for 2011-2015, an additional RM175 million was added to this allocation making Cradle’s portfolio impressive to say the least. With an impressive list of co-investors and equally impressive industry partners, surely there would be something that would fit your crowdfunding requirements. u

If ECF is not what you are looking for, there are three other crowdfunding models to check out. REWARD-BASED CROWDFUNDING Reward-based crowdfunding essentially means that when a pledge is made to a particular project, the person who makes a pledge gets a reward, in the future. Typically the reward would be the product in which the project is marketing or something else that is linked to the project. This is a great way to raise the capital so that a product can be manufactured on a grand scale, making it easier to reach retail customers. CHARITY CROWDFUNDING Donation-based crowdfunding is just as the moniker suggests, the person donates to a cause and the person donating will not receive any rewards in exchange for their donation. Typically, this type of crowdfunding would be utilised for charitable causes typically by charitable foundations. DEBT CROWDFUNDING An investor invests in the project and over time, the investor then gets the principal sum paid back which was loaned to the project plus interest. This model is a good way to not give up any equity in a project or company but it has to be said that this model is a doubleedged sword as if the project is a failure then the piper would have to be paid, regardless if the project makes a profit.

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IS MALAYSIA INNOVATION READY?

he Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is a trade agreement among 12 Pacific Rim countries, but not including China. On October 5, ministers of Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, United States and Vietnam had announced the conclusion of their long negotiations. The TPP will form the biggest trade zone in the world, spanning four continents and representing 40% of the world’s economy. Malaysia’s participation in the TPP is projected to deliver net economic gains, with gross domestic product to increase by US$107 billion to US$211 billion over 2018-2027, according to a report entitled “Study on Potential Economic Impact of TPPA on the Malaysian Economy and Selected Key Economic Sectors”, which was conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers.

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With the recent TPP signing, there is specific chapter on intellectual property, encompassing patents, trademarks, copyrights, industrial designs and more.

Despite the benefits of being a party to the TPP, there seem to be little information about the negotiations for this momentous partnership agreement. There is not much information available for the ordinary Malaysians to access in order to understand the impact and effect of the TPP. The Malaysian International Trade and Industry Ministry offered this explanation on the necessity of upholding confidentiality: “A level of confidentiality is required for two main reasons: (a) regulations and the evolving process of negotiations and rules surrounding the TPPA oblige negotiators to maintain confidentiality of the negotiating texts and (b) negotiators advancing the interests of Malaysia strategically do not want to publicly disclose their bargaining positions to ensure the best outcome during the negotiations.”

SO WHAT IS THE TTP? The TPP includes 30 chapters covering trade and trade-related issues but contained a specific chapter on intellectual property (IP). The TPP’s IP chapter specifically covers patents, trademarks, copyrights, industrial designs, geographical indications, confidential information, trade secrets, plant variety protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights. The IP chapter in the TPP makes it easier for businesses, in particular small businesses, to search, register, and protect IP rights in new markets. The chapter establishes minimum standards for many forms of IP regulation and international best practices as applied to nationals of other World Trade Organisation (WTO) members via the TradeRelated Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) Agreement. The TRIPS Agreement is an agreement administered by the WTO.

On the issue of trademark, the TPP provides for the protections of brand names, commonly used terms and other signs that businesses and individuals use to distinguish their products in the marketplace. Certain amount of transparency is also required and it provides for safeguards to the protection of new geographical indications. The TPP provides that any registered trademarks are protected for at least 10 years before any renewals are required. This is a welcomed move as it would reduce red tape for trademark owners. The IP chapter in the TPP also contains IP provisions which would affect the pharmaceutical industry and it facilitates both the development of innovative, life-saving medicines and the availability of generic medicines. These provisions take into account the time that various parties may need to meet these standards. The chapter further includes commitments relating to the protection of undisclosed tests and other data submitted to obtain marketing approval of a new pharmaceutical or agricultural chemicals product. It also reaffirms parties’ commitment to the WTO’s 2001 Declaration on the TRIPS Agreement and public health, and in particular confirms that parties are not prevented from taking measures to protect public health, including in the case of epidemics such as HIV/AIDS. According to current practice, registered trademarks for the pharmaceutical products in Malaysia is limited to a maximum of five years for a new drug product containing a new chemical entity, and three years for data concerning a second indication of a registered drug product. There are fears that by increasing the protection for up to a period of 10 years, there is a risk that at the end of the day, the consumers would end

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TPP parties will provide the legal means to prevent the misappropriation of trade secrets, and establish criminal procedures and penalties for trade secret theft.

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up with the short end of the stick as generic medicine manufacturers can be kept out of the market and drug prices can remain high for longer periods of time. On the issue of copyright, the IP chapter establishes commitments requiring protection for works, performances, and phonograms such as songs, movies, books, and software. Copyright and related rights are protected for a term of the author’s life plus 70 years and, on a basis other than the life of a natural person, 70 years from the first authorised publication, or 70 years from creation, where such publication has not occurred within 50 years. The chapter also includes effective and balanced provisions on technological protection measures and rights management information. The IP chapter further includes an obligation for parties to continuously seek to achieve balance in copyright systems through amongst others, exceptions and limitations for legitimate purposes, including in the digital environment. In providing for exceptions and limitations, TPP parties will have regard to legitimate purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, research, and access to works for the blind, visually impaired, or otherwise print disabled and other beneficiaries. The IP chapter requires parties to

establish or maintain a framework of copyright safe harbours for Internet Service Providers (ISPs). These obligations do not permit parties to make such safe harbours contingent on ISPs monitoring their systems for infringing activity. This means that ISP could be made liable for copyright infringements committed by users but the TPP accords the ISPs powers and liability exemptions for removing or disabling allegedly infringing materials from their platform. Finally, TPP parties agree to provide strong enforcement systems, including, for example, civil procedures, provisional measures, border measures, and criminal procedures and penalties for commercial-scale trademark counterfeiting and copyright or related rights piracy. In particular, TPP parties will provide the legal means to prevent the misappropriation of trade secrets, and establish criminal procedures and penalties for trade secret theft, including by means of cyber-theft, and for cam-cording. For Malaysia to be ready for the enforcement of TPP, Malaysia will require nine amendments to be made to various laws involving the field of patent, copyright, trademark, geographical indications and enforcement provisions (solely based on the IP chapters in the TPP). The biggest impact of the TPP is foreseen in the industries or sectors such as small medium enterprises, pharmaceutical, e-commerce, communications and automotive but that does not mean that the TPP does not impact other industries or sectors. However, seeing that the legislation related to these industries have yet to be addressed, Malaysian businesses and individuals would need to bring it up to their respective policymakers to witness any significant changes. u

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FROM SCI-FI DREAM TO REALITY For many decades, science fiction films have often shown what they think the future could look like – some were ludicrous, some were realised. However, self-lacing shoes was a pipe dream for many futurists.

elcome the Nike HyperAdapt 1.0, the first performance vehicle for the company’s latest platform breakthrough, adaptive lacing. The shoe translates deep research in digital, electrical and mechanical engineering into a product designed for movement. It challenges traditional understanding of fit, proposing an ultimate solution to individual idiosyncrasies in lacing and tension preference. Functional simplicity reduces a typical athlete concern, distraction.

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“When you step in, your heel will hit a sensor and the system will automatically tighten,” said Tiffany Beers, Nike’s senior innovator and the project’s technical lead. “Then there are two buttons on the side to tighten and loosen. You can adjust it until it’s perfect.” For Nike, the innovation solves another enduring athlete-equipment quandary: the ability to make swift micro-adjustments. Undue pressure caused by tight tying and slippage resulting from loose laces are now relics of the past. Precise, consistent, personalised lockdown can now be manually adjusted on the fly.

“That’s an important step, because feet undergo an incredible amount of stress during competition,” said Tinker Hatfield, Vice President for Design and Special Projects of Nike. Beers began pondering the mechanics shortly after meeting Hatfield, who dreamed of making adaptive lacing a reality. He asked if she wanted to figure it out – not a replication of a pre-existing idea but as “the first baby step to get to a more sophisticated place”. The project caught the attention of a third collaborator Nike president and CEO Mark Parker, who helped

guide the design. The process saw Beers brainstorming with a group of engineers intent on testing her theories. They first came up with a snowboard boot featuring an external generator. While far from the ideal, it was the first of a series of strides toward Beers and Hatfield’s original goal: to embed the technical components into such a small space that the design moves with the body and absorbs the same force the athlete is facing. Through 2013, Hatfield and Beers spearheaded a number of new systems, a pool of prototypes and

several trials, arriving at an underfootlacing mechanism. In April 2015, Beers was tasked with making a self-lacing Nike Mag to celebrate the icon’s true fictional release date of October 21. The final product quietly debuted Nike’s new adaptive technology. Shortly after, the completion of the more technical, sport version they’d originally conceived, the Nike HyperAdapt 1.0, confirmed the strength of the apparatus. The potential of adaptive lacing for the athlete is huge, Hatfield said, as it would provide tailored-to-themoment custom fit. “It is amazing to consider a shoe that senses what the body needs in real-time. That eliminates a multitude of distractions, including mental attrition, and thus truly benefits performance.

“Wouldn’t it be great if a shoe, in the future, could sense when you needed to have it tighter or looser? Could it take you even tighter than you’d normally go if it senses you really need extra snugness in a quick manoeuvre? That’s where we’re headed. In the future, product will come alive.” In short, the Nike HyperAdapt 1.0 is the first step into the future of adaptive performance. It’s currently manual (i.e., athlete controlled) but it makes feasible the once-fantastic concept of an automated, nearly symbiotic relationship between the foot and shoe. The first generation of the HyperAdapt 1.0 will be available in the US at select Nike retail locations. Appointments to experience and purchase the product begin November 28. u

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TAKING CUES FROM NATURE

American researchers re-engineered spider silk as it holds qualities such as strength, resilience and flexibility. It hold great promise for commercial and consumer applications.

he superior properties of natural spider silks are well known, and now efforts to use them to produce body armour are underway. The production of spider silk in commercial quantities holds the potential of a life-saving ballistic resistant material, which is lighter, thinner, more flexible, and tougher than steel. So much so the US Armyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Soldier Protection and Individual Equipment Office has been funding research into the application of spider silk. The basic challenge lies in that spider are cannibalistic in nature and cannot be raised in concentrated colonies to produce silk in commercial quantities. The global market demand for technical fibres is growing rapidly and these materials have become essential products for both industrial and consumer applications. By 2012, the annual global market for technical fibres had already reached approximately US$133 billion. While scientists have been able to replicate the proteins that are the

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building blocks of spider silk, two technological barriers have stymied production. These barriers are the inability to form these proteins into a spider silk fibre with the desired mechanical characteristics, and to do this cost effectively. To solve these problems, Kraig Biocraft Laboratories invented a new technology and acquired the exclusive right to use the patented genetic sequences for numerous fundamental spider silk proteins. Kraig considers itself a world leader in genetically engineered spider silk technologies by applying proprietary genetic engineering spider silk technology to an organism which is already one of the most efficient commercial producers of silk: the domesticated silkworm. Its spider silk technology builds upon the unique advantages of the domesticated silkworm for this application. The silkworm is ideally suited to produce genetically engineered spider silk because it is already an efficient commercial and industrial producer of silk.

Some 40% of the caterpillarsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; weight is devoted to the silk glands. The silk glands produce large volumes of protein, called fibroin, which are then spun into a composite protein thread or silk. Kraig is focused on the creation, production and marketing of high performance and technical fibres such as spider silk. Because spider silks are stronger and tougher than steel, they could be used in a wide variety of military, industrial, and consumer applications ranging from ballistic protection to superior strength and toughness. Kraig has created approximately 20 different genetically engineered spider silk fibres. Its lead product is a genetically engineered spider silk known as Dragon Silk. Its closely related sister product Monster Silk. Both Dragon Silk and Monster Silk are spun by lines of its transgenic silkworms. They are composed of a unique combination of spider silk protein and silkworm silk protein. These genetically engineered spider silks are

significantly stronger and more flexible than commercial grade silk. Kraig is in the process of ramping up commercial production of its genetically engineered spider silks, including Monster Silk and Dragon Silk. It is also in the advanced development stage for its next-generation spider silk product, tentatively known as SpiderPillar, essentially pure spider silk. Meanwhile its third line of products, which is referred to as “Gen 3 technical and medical fibre,” is designed to move beyond the physical, mechanical and chemical properties of natural spider silk. Gen 3 fibres are in a relatively early stage of development and will incorporate such elements as antibacterial agents for medical use, and metallic ions for use in industrial processes. However, there is another player offering sustainable and high performance fabrics. Bolt Threads, an American-based biotechnology company, recently raised US$50 million in Series C financing. Since launching out of stealth in 2015, Bolt Threads has attracted the interest of both new investors and partners. The company is now producing its Engineered Silk protein at large scale, and is moving into yarn manufacturing this summer. Bolt Threads was co-founded in 2009 by CEO Dan Widmaier, chief scientific officer David Breslauer, and vice-president of operations Ethan Mirsky. The three were fascinated with natural silk, its properties and the process of its production in nature. This curiosity led them to develop technology to produce Engineered Silk made wholly of natural proteins, creating a sustainable and durable new material. Together with partners like Patagonia, Bolt Threads is pioneering more sustainable and non-toxic processes for textile manufacturing. “Man-made fabrics like nylon and polyester have transformed the fashion

industry, for better and for worse,” said Widmaier. “The use of hydrocarbon polymers in these textiles has created a lingering toxic problem for the environment. At Bolt Threads, we’re re-thinking textile manufacturing, producing high performance materials that are also not nearly as harmful to the environment as existing options.” Bolt Threads researchers originally studied real spiders’ silk, to understand the relationship between the spiders’ DNA and the characteristics of the fibres they make. Today’s technology allows them to make those proteins without using spiders. After the studying of spider DNA, researchers then create sequences engineered for commercial production while keeping costs down. Primarily the fabric fibres are made of sugar, water, salts and yeast. The yeast produces silk protein in a liquid form during fermentation – very much like the beer-making process. After some processing, the liquid silk protein can be turned into fibre through wetspinning, which is the same way fibres like acrylic and rayon are made. The company envisions to produce iPad covers, car seats and even namebrand clothing starting 2017. Lastly, meet transgenic goats. The goats have a bit of spider DNA squirrelled away in their genetic make-up. The only outward difference between these transgenic goats and your grass chomping variety is in their milk. It contains elements of spider silk. The milk is meant to be refined, so silk can be extracted and made into body armour, parachutes, fishing line and surgical sutures. Nexia Technologies began researching spider goats over a decade ago, dubbing their product BioSteel. However, Nexia went bankrupt in 2009. But one researcher at Utah State University picked up where Nexia left off. Dr Randy Lewis now has about 30 spider goats at the university-run farm.

Lewis has worked on other potential hosts for the golden orb silk gene, including transgenic alfalfa, silkworms and even e.coli bacteria. But goats are his trophy silk producers; the others are experimental backups. One other creature recently emerged as a serious competitor to the spider goat – the lowly, ugly hagfish. Scientific American reports that Canadian researchers have had good results extracting BioSteel-like fibres from hagfish slime. No transgenics are necessary; it’s naturally produced. The hagfish secretes the slime at a prodigious rate, making it a strong contender as the next BioSteel producer. u

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SUSTAINABLE, TRANSPARENT WOOD Swedish researcher Lars Berglund and his team have a different outlook when it comes to plastic and glass replacements.

he nation of IKEA furniture is obsessed with wood. Almost 60% of the country is covered in upwards of 51 billion trees, and lumber and paper products are one of the country’s biggest exports. So of course Swedish researchers would be the ones to figure out a whole new use for all that wood by making it transparent. One can expect this material to be a stronger, more environmentally sustainable replacement for plastic or glass, possibly changing the face of modern architecture. Windows and solar panels in the future could be made from this material too, lighter on the wallet too.

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Lars Berglund, a professor at Wallenberg Wood Science Center at KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden, said while optically transparent wood has been developed for microscopic samples in the study of wood anatomy, the KTH project introduces a way to use the material on a large scale. The finding was published in the American Chemical Society journal, Biomacromolecules. With a background in creating strong, light-weight carbon fibre composites for the aerospace industry, Berglund is known to tweak materials to exhibit new properties. A few years ago, he set his mind to the task of trying to do the same thing for Swedish lumber

as he had for the aerospace industry, by figuring out how to give wood totally new properties. Ultimately, he created what he calls a transparent wood composite. “Transparent wood is a good material for solar cells, since it’s a low-cost, readily available and renewable resource. This becomes particularly important in covering large surfaces with solar cells.” Berglund said transparent wood panels can also be used for windows, and semi-transparent facades, when the idea is to let light in but maintain privacy. The optically transparent wood is a type of wood veneer in which the lignin, a component of the cell walls, is removed chemically. “When the lignin is removed, the wood becomes beautifully white. But because wood isn’t naturally transparent, we achieve that effect with some nanoscale tailoring.” The white porous veneer substrate is impregnated with a transparent polymer and the optical properties of the two are then matched. A one-millimeter strip of Berglund’s composite is 85% transparent – a number he thinks will increase over time. “No one has previously considered the possibility of creating larger transparent structures for use as solar cells and in buildings. “Among the work to be done next is enhancing the transparency of the material and scaling up the manufacturing process.

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When the lignin is removed, the wood becomes beautifully white. But because wood isn’t naturally transparent, we achieve that effect with some nanoscale tailoring.

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“We also intend to work further with different types of wood. “Wood is by far the most used bio-based material in buildings. It’s attractive that the material comes from renewable sources. It also offers excellent mechanical properties, including strength, toughness, low density and low thermal conductivity.” However, Berglund has said a lot of work needs to be done before his composite shows up in stores. Although suitable for mass-production, he’s unsure how affordable it will be to scale his technique. Still, wood is one of the strongest, toughest, hardest materials there is, and Berglund just figured out how to make it practically invisible. The project is financed by the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation. u

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WEARABLE TECH AND WHERE IT IS GOING Technology pundits have quickly dubbed this brand of smart electronics as the biggest invention this year, expected to surpass US$72 billion by 2021.

earable technology has been around for a long time, even though it may not have been in the form that we are accustomed to. A prime example would be calculator watches which were hugely popular in the early ‘80s. Though the idea of combining two or more functions into one gadget did not catch on until much later, at the turn of the century to be precise, wearable technology has progressed a lot since the humble calculator watch. Wearable technology is not necessarily confined to fitness trackers or smartwatches, it is more than that, given the technological advances with accelerometers, gyroscopes, altimeters, optical heart rate monitors, solar panels, superior batteries and the list goes on and on, you get the picture. Wearable technology is advancing at such a rate that one would be able to monitor not only one’s physiological condition such as heart rates, movements, sleep patterns, thereby tapping into various biometrics enabling us to take a deeper look into our body’s physiological state but the future promises that we would also be able to monitor our body’s psychological condition. In 2015, the French football team FC Nantes and French riders in the 2015 Road World Championship

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had tested an ingestible device, which was jam-packed with sensors that enabled the user to monitor changes in core body temperature from a computer, in real time. This technology could potentially assist athletes to work out the ideal recovery time before another intensive session and base their training plans around that data. It is especially useful to athletes as it does away with the need to wear anything whilst training intensively, thus enabling the athletes to focus on what matters the most, training. There is another type of device that measures emotions through multiple sensors including a Galvanic Skin Response to detect something called Electrodermal Response, which is deemed to be a great indicator of emotional state. Again, this technology

syncs up with your phone and you can monitor your psychological condition, in real time. Further, with the device syncing up with mobile phones, the device can then provide recommendations and advise on how to reduce stress and keep your emotions in check. Wearable technology is not only a means for the modern man to consume large amounts of data regarding one’s body or habits, it also provides real life application in the realm of medicine. Currently, the technology is out there with regard to microsensors embedded into the single use silicone contact lens. The purpose for the contact lens is to be able to detect subtle pressure changes in the eye, specifically intraocular pressure changes. This enables a doctor to identify the best time to take those measurements and the correct time to take those measurements are of paramount importance as elevated pressure changes in the eye is linked to optic nerve damage and can cause blindness. With this technology,

ailments afflicting the eyes may be a thing of the past. Wearable technology does not stop at merely monitoring how the human body behaves but its applications are limitless. Wearables could be passive devices which are embedded into either clothing or accessories and such passive devices enables the user to interact with other items around them. For example, a user could have a passive device embedded in an accessory and that passive device interacts with the security system of the userâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s home or vehicle. Think about it, you will never ever be locked out of your own home or worry about losing your keys, ever again. CHALLENGES FACED BY WEARABLE TECHNOLOGY Whilst it is premature to predict specific features or form factors that will prevail in the future, wearable tech presents an interesting case study. Never before has computing been small enough to be worn relatively comfortably around the clock on the body, presenting opportunities for breakthrough medical advancements and unfortunately, marketing nuisances.

Battery life of any smart devices is by far the biggest obstacle that prevents broad market adoption and retention. Power consumption of key components like processors, radios, memories, and sensors are the primary culprit in draining our devices. More research would need to be put in in order for battery life to be extended to such an extent that we will only need to charge those devices once a month. The problem faced by wearable technology is that many still use mobile phone parts to make their product. Whilst those parts work wonderfully well for the mobile phones, those parts limit the full potential of wearable technology. Another big area to watch out for is what happens to your information which have been collated by the various devices around you. You may think that the collation

of data may not affect you but what could potentially happen is that the information collated could be used to target marketing campaigns towards you. Though the evolution of hardware for wearable technology is far from perfect, the market is developing software for wearable technology in a frenzy and in the hopes of keeping up with the appetite of the users. Therefore, developing permission based software would be of paramount importance to ensure that the data collated are either disposed of ethically and safely or handled with the utmost integrity. The future of wearable technology can be viewed as scary as it continues to challenge the traditional way we interact with devices around us but there would be no progress if we do not take that chance. u

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NO LONGER MINDLESS THREADS Conventional sutures are probably the most low-tech equipment medical professionals use on a daily basis however American researcher have developed an electronic suture that contains ultrathin silicon sensors.

asic sutures hold wounds together to keep out infection but as they sit under a layer of bandages, they cannot do much else. Despite the fact that they are situated on the very point at which infection can occur, they cannot tell anyone if it sets in. In many cases, they are made of natural materials such as cotton or silk, and sometimes they are made from a form of plastic. Some are even

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made of materials that dissolve in the body over time. However, some wounds may not heal properly. Tissues can swell and bulge, causing the sutures to tighten. That can create an ugly scar. However, all that could change. Dubbed smart sutures, John Rogers, a professor of materials science and engineering at the University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign, and his team have found a way to coat them with sensors that

could monitor wounds and speed up healing. The smart sutures, which contain ultrathin silicon sensors integrated on polymer or silk strips, can be threaded through needles, and in animal tests researchers were able to lace them through skin, pull them tight, and knot them without degrading the devices. This essentially allows medical professionals to perform their work without interruption.

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The sutures can precisely measure temperature and deliver heat to a wound site, which is known to aid healing.

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The sutures can precisely measure temperature, elevated temperatures indicate infection, and deliver heat to a wound site, which is known to aid healing. Rogers said they could also be laden with devices that provide electrical stimulation to heal wounds. “Ultimately, the most value would be when you can release drugs from them in a programmed way.” The researchers could do that by coating the electronic threads with drug-infused polymers, which would

release the chemicals when triggered by heat or an electrical pulse. Any changes in resistance can be monitored by a watch-like device. The device sends a tiny electrical current into the suture. It might be worn on the arm or attached to the patient’s clothes. The device can then send data on what it learns from the wound wirelessly to a nearby smartphone or computer for recording and analysis. The smart sutures, reported online in the journal rely on silicon-based devices that flex and stretch. The team “make the devices with silicon membranes and gold electrodes and wires that are just a few hundred nanometres thick and patterned in a serpentine shape”. The technology, which they have also used in inflatable catheters and medical tattoos, is being commercialised by MC10, a Cambridge, Massachusetts–based startup Rogers co-founded. The researchers first use chemicals to slice off an ultrathin film of silicon from a silicon wafer. With a rubber stamp, they lift off and transfer the nanomembranes to polymer or silk strips. Then they deposit metal electrodes and wires on top and encapsulate the entire device in an epoxy coating. So far, two types of sensors have been developed, both temperature

sensors – one based on a silicon diode that shifts its current output with temperature, and the other a platinum nanomembrane resistor that changes its resistance with temperature. All the materials used in the devices are safe for use in the body, and the biggest challenge was to make the sutures flexible, Rogers said. Silicon is brittle, so making the nanomembranes as thin as possible and laying them out in a winding pattern was key for elasticity. “When you bend the entire construct, the top surface is in tension and the bottom is in compression, but at midpoint the strains are very small.” u

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ITEX 2017: THE FUTURE OF INVENTION UNDER ONE ROOF

Creating a buzz at ITEX 2017 Startups Showcase!

sia’s largest invention platform, the International Invention, Innovation and Technology Exhibition (ITEX) will return in 2017 from 11-13 May at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre. This flagship event is set to showcase the best creations from more than 20 countries in Asia and Europe. As a flagship annual event by the Malaysian Invention & Design Society (MINDS), a stellar line-up of 1,000 products by local and international inventors will be presented and will vie for visitors’ attention. ITEX 2017 is expected to be the best version of the yearly affair thus far.

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The ability to effectively build a strong brand presence is the hallmark of a successful Startup. Newly established companies will now be able to provide their brand with the exposure it deserves at ITEX’s 2017 Startups Showcase. According to the event manager, C.I.S Network, the Startups Showcase is ITEX’s latest section catering to companies wanting to make its break in the highly saturated Startup market. Failures to raise awareness and increase exposure have been identified as one of the top reasons why even the best ideas fail. Acting as an accelerator, the Startups Showcase will provide an enabling environment for stimulating engagements to flourish. ITEX’s Startups Showcase will provide multiple opportunities for businesses to rub shoulders with the right crowd.

Get investor’s stamp of approval Almost all businesses spend many painstaking months grooming lucrative ideas into viable business opportunities. The Startups Showcase will help facilitate business needs and move them in the right direction. Gaining initial recognition from investors followed by market validation are what Startups need to really take off. Hence, activities such as the pitching session are designed to give Startups valuable face time with the right investors that are equally as keen to place their bet on the next big thing. It’s guaranteed to give these Startups the chance to prove that their business is the cream of the crop!

REASONS WHY STARTUP SHOWCASE IS THE PLACE TO BE

WYIE: The place where young innovative leaders of tomorrow come out to play today! ITEX 2017 will showcase hundreds of ingenious creations by young minds through the staging of the World Young Inventors Exhibition (WYIE) in 2017. WYIE will be a co-located exhibition at ITEX 2017 which will be an overarching event for ITEX’s two annual flagship shows for budding inventors: the Asian Young Inventors Exhibition (AYIE) and the Malaysian Young Inventors Exhibition (MYIE). These exhibitions will take on a new look fuelled by better and bigger awe-inspiring ideas. The setting for WYIE will be meticulously planned to stimulate conduciveness in areas of thought flow, ideas exchange and to challenge the creativity and innovativeness among young minds. u

ITEX 2017 FACTSHEET Date: 11-13 May 2017 Venue: Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre Concurrent Exhibition: World Young Inventors Exhibition (WYIE)

• Better value proposition ITEX is able to draw a highlydiversified group of inventors, innovators and entrepreneurs from all over the world, many of whom have successfully commercialised and grown their businesses. The ability to stimulate ideas exchange and the transfer of best-practices effectively between established and budding entrepreneurs is what ITEX is set out to do. As Startups, there’s definitely a thing or two that these businesses can take away from such engagements. • Express market access An exhibition such as ITEX leaves the business with plenty of business leads. The encounter with different personalities from potential customers to investors also offers valuable referral moments. Who knows what opportunities these businesses will come across when all stakeholders start connecting the dots! • Change the game, build your name! ITEX 2017 will be an amazing surveillance ground for businesses to sniff out the next big thing and to find out what their competitors have up their sleeves. The ability to anticipate trends will give Startups an extra edge in the game, providing them with vital insights to stay relevant in the ever-evolving Startup scene. To be a game changer, businesses simply need to be in the know!

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NURTURING YOUNG MINDS Arts and Creativity Exhibition strives to inculcate the love of local flora and fauna among school children.

n its second edition, the Arts and Creativity Exhibition was held on September 10 at Sunway University. The exhibition’s objectives were twopronged: to improve English proficiency and to further develop creativity among schoolchildren. The theme for this year’s competition was “A Thing of Beauty is a Joy Forever – Showcasing Malaysian Flora and Fauna”. Malaysia has many unique plants and animals, and it is hoped that through the theme, there will be greater public awareness and inculcation of love for these living treasures. Organisers received a total of 95 entries, out of which 50 were shortlisted for the exhibition. In April, the Malaysian Invention and Design Society (MINDS) held workshops for school teachers to encourage them and their students

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to explore creative possibilities in various ways. These workshops were run successfully hence, there was greater participation and improved quality of stories and illustrations from primary, secondary as well as tertiary levels. There was excitement in the air as teachers, parents and students milled around the exhibition hall wondering who was awarded first place for the competition. The event started with a welcome speech by MINDS President Tan Sri Dr Augustine Ong, followed by Prof Harold Thwaites, Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Sunway University. Prof Thwaites spoke on the importance of creativity. Soon after, winners for the primary, secondary and tertiary levels were announced. Primary level first prize winner Tham Yuan Yi enthralled the judges with her essay “Bravery” that was accompanied

by an illustration by Yvette YE Lim. Special awards for writing and illustration were also given out. Meanwhile, two eminent academicians were invited to speak on butterflies and the Rafflesia. Prof Emeritus Dr Yong Hoi Sen, a geneticist, zoologist and lepidopterist spoke about “Beauty and the Beast” referring to the butterflies and the moth. It was an interesting and colourful session aided by slides of various species of butterflies as well as moths whereby Prof Yong talked about the difference between the butterfly and the moth. According to Prof Yong, butterflies are day fliers and generally rest with their wings closed in an upright position above the body. Their antennae are threadlike with tips distinctly or gradually thickened to form a club.

On the other hand, moths are generally nocturnal and rest with their wings held in a horizontal or roof-like position. Their feelers are feathery or threadlike without a club. Next up was Professor Emeritus Dato’ Dr Abdul Latiff Mohamad, from the Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. Prof Latiff talked about little known facts of Rafflesia, whose flowers are the world’s largest in the plant kingdom and an iconic genus for conservation programmes in

Prof Harold Thwaites, Dean of the Arts Faculty, Sunway University.

Southeast Asia because of its rare distribution and complex biology. It was hoped that the participants and attendees went away with a feeling of wonder and awe, not only for the beauty and distinctiveness of local flora and fauna, but the remarkable creativity of young Malaysian students. u

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F E A T U R E

NT PATE

PROTECT YOUR IDEAS Patenting need not be expensive or complicated as these participants find out.

ou have got a good idea, a really good idea. It might not be as great as the light bulb, or the microchip, but you have a good feeling that it could be the next big thing. In a world full of copycats, you are determined to ensure that your idea is protected. So the best next thing you can do is to have it patented. You can save thousands of ringgit in patent lawyer fees, if you prepare and file the patent application without having to rely on lawyers or paying exorbitant rush fees.

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PlaTCOM Ventures Sdn Bhd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Agensi Inovasi Malaysia, recently organised a patent drafting workshop in collaboration with the Malaysian Invention and Design Society. It was held at Thotbox Training Centre, Damansara Intan Business Park on July 27. A total of 25 participants from both private and academic sectors were in attendance. The patent drafting workshop was designed to provide participants with fundamental skills in drafting a patent application and understanding

patenting requirements and procedures. The workshop was delivered by Intellectual Property experts Biruntha Mooruthi and Elina Isa. Participants were given hands-on experience in drafting patent claims. The one-day workshop was informative and interactive. Participants were awarded certificates of completion, thus helping them to draft their own patent specifications and claims. u

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F E A T U R E

INTERNATIONAL SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION CENTRE -- ISTIC By Sharmila Vella

ISTIC Director, Datuk Dr Samsudin Tugiman.

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cience, technology and innovation are becoming more vital in today’s fastchanging world. Changes imply that those fields are now key in improving economic performance and social well-being in any country. So it’s no surprise that UNESCO has come up with the International Science, Technology and Innovation Centre (ISTIC) for South-South Cooperation to share its experiences in promoting technical cooperation, strengthening and developing national and regional capacity, as well as nurturing collective self-reliance in science technology and innovation. The creation of ISTIC is a follow up of the Doha Plan of Action in 2005. As reflected by its name, the centre acts as an international platform for South-South cooperation in those three fields and makes use of the network of the G77 plus China and the Organisation of the Islamic Conference. “ISTIC was established on January 21, 2008 and is based here in Kuala Lumpur,” says ISTIC Director, Datuk Dr Samsudin Tugiman. “ISTIC was formed for several reasons. One of it was the obvious fact that the countries in the south region needed a platform to showcase their ideas and invention and secondly, to help other countries that fall in the south to benefit from the talent pool of ideas.

“Developing countries have been encouraged to exchange resources, technology and knowledge with each other to strengthen and improve economic interest and development under the South-South cooperation. “The other reasons are to develop and implement a programme for South-South cooperation with the objective of facilitating the integration of a developmental approach into national science and technology and innovation policies. “ISTIC also focuses on capacity building in science and technology by providing policy advice and exchange of experience and best practices to all the countries under the South-South cooperation. “The centre supports the exchange of students, researchers, scientists and technologists among developing countries. It acts as a talent pool of ideas to be shared among other countries. The overall goal of the centre is to increase the capacity for management of science, technology and innovation throughout developing countries by first providing scientists, managers of research centres and institutions and policymakers with short and mediumterm training in specified areas. Besides that, the goal is to foster cooperation among governments, academia and industry in order to facilitate transfer of knowledge between the public and private

sectors, and the development of wellplanned and relevant knowledgebased programmes and institutions in participating countries. The Centre also scans and make available the knowledge about the potential of new technologies to address specific problems faced by developing countries.  ISTIC is also responsible for developing networks and collaborative research and development and training programmes at regional and international levels, including linking of designated nodal centres in participating countries.  The aim is to create a problemsolving network of centres of excellence in developing countries and supporting the exchange of researchers, scientists and technologists among developing countries. Lastly, the centre facilitates the exchange and dissemination of information. “Science and technology is without doubt a strategic driver

that contributes toward the shift from relatively lower end economic activities into high value added activities. “As such, professionals who understand the dynamics of science and technology within the context of economic and market development, are important to help in designing blueprints and strategic implementation frameworks to lead strategic transformation within countries and organizations,” said Dr Samsudin. One of ISTIC’s priority agenda is the enhancement of science education. In undertaking this responsibility, ISTIC looks for best practices and has established strategic partnership with La main a la pate Foundation, a research and development organisation in science education, based in France. The foundation has evolved innovative practices in the teaching of science, capitalising on children’s natural instincts in arousing their curiosity, creativity and reasoning

through questioning, hypothesising, investigating and emphasising the development of language through writing and effective use of the science notebook. An interesting component is the inter-disciplinary aspect of science teaching, including linking history to science and use of the internet as a tool in disseminating good practice. u

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F E A T U R E

INVENTION SHOWS AROUND ASIA

Asian cities are playing host to several shows next year, aiming to put forward cutting-edge designs and products on the road of commercialisation.

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e have all watched Back to The Future and were mesmerised by the technological possibilities the future holds. From hover boards to self-lacing shoes, we have always been fascinated by technology and have strived to push the boundaries of what is technologically possible, and what a long way we have come. Smartphones today are at least a million times more powerful and capable when compared to the entire computational power NASA had at its disposal in 1969, the year man first set foot on the moon. It’s hard to fathom that we were able to successfully land a human being on the moon and bring the Apollo mission crew back to safety with less computational power than a modernday calculator. Can you imagine what technological wonders we would have 20 years down the road? This is where invention exhibitions come in, the best known “first world expo” was at the Crystal Palace in Hyde Park, London, in 1851 and is usually considered to be the first international exhibition of manufactured products. This expo was the most obvious precedent for the many international exhibitions, later called world’s fairs. Following this, many countries around the world have taken in its footsteps realising the many influences a fair like this had on society, namely the art-and-design education, international trade and relations, and tourism. Asia is no exception to this, many touted the Expo ‘70 (Nihon Bankoku Hakurankai) which was held in Osaka, japan to be the first invention exhibition to be held in Asia. This exhibition saw the firstever premier of an IMAX film, the Canadian produced Tiger Child. The Expo also demonstrated Maglev train capabilities, to date only five

countries in the world have Maglev capabilities, with China being the newest member of this ultra-exclusive club with the Shanghai Maglev Train, better known as Transrapid. Fast forward to today, there is a slew of invention exhibitions around the world, there also seems to be an increase in invention exhibitions in Asia. In fact, there is a string of invention exhibitions already planned well into 2020. Hong Kong will be having an exhibition called InnoDesignTech, for inventions that supports business operations namely, 3D Printing Solutions, Applied Business Technology, Digital & Interactive Marketing Solutions, Environment Technology, IP Trading and R&D. This will be held in Dec 1-3, 2016 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. Japan will be having a nanotechnology exhibition and conference (Nanotech2017) where participation is expected from 600 companies with 800 booths set up. The exhibition will be divided into three categories where innovations from nano materials will be showcased, most notably, the carbon nanotube, nano evaluation and measurement, as well as nano fabrication technology. One can also catch Taipei International Invention Show & Technomart, from September 28 to 30 at the TWTC Exhibition Hall 1. This event showcases products related to agriculture, chemicals materials/products, textiles, machinery, hand tools, consumer electronics, computer hardware, software and peripherals, optical and optoelectronic, telecommunications, metals, homeware, building materials and sanitary equipment, sporting and leisure goods, and stationery and office equipment as well as transportation. u

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DESIGN AS A CATALYST FOR SUSTAINABLE SOCIETIES AND COMMUNITIES: WHAT DESIGN INNOVATION CAN DO? by Dr. Stephen Poon

esign had traditionally been utilised to project the values of brands and corporate businesses and thus validate the image of modernity in society. Global socioeconomic development has been impacted directly by corporatisation, and the need to develop markets and measure attitudes and awareness towards commercial goods makes design a functional aspect of business. But is that all design does, to speak to targeted consumers and audiences? Design’s role in sustaining brands is part of the perpetual excitement of the designer’s aspirations, to share experiences that improve day-today living, by characterising various aspects of consumption, consumers and cultures. However, the role of designers in shaping culture positively is a less obvious matter, a taint bluntly described in Ken Garland’s First Things First Manifesto 2000, where designers are seen as largely a group of retrogrades who ply tools and skills primarily to help businesses sell, through production, advertising, marketing, brand promotion, etc. The range of activities which form and endorse a mental

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environment already oversaturated with commercial messages intended to manipulate feelings, responses and interaction, have succeeded in producing ambivalence towards consumption in postmodern times. Design is thus an attribution of the characteristic endeavours perceived as thoroughly configured by human effort. While the net result of choices is economic gain, job creation and improved standards of living, consumers may also veer towards over-consumption, contributing towards the destruction of precious resources. It won’t be over-stretched to believe that designers are a key faction in this desolation. Inevitably, designers are perceived as contributors of immeasurable harm in many ways. We ask, in spite of their usefulness to corporations and enterprise, can design make a difference to society’s attitudes? Controvert to the stated harm, this article argues for design as a key method that promotes change and a more sustainable society. Manifestos may excoriate design for promoting pointless consumerism, contributing zilch to social growth, but the focus of design is not always aesthetic outcomes. Sustainable design

challenges the present quantum of achievement and recommends fruitful strategies for nascent needs. Solving problems have basis in cross-societal observations, assessment of long-range socio-environmental changes and analysis of the narratives that intersect culture, art and technology. But to argue that design has strategic social roles implies that design practice must be anchored in the reality of social consequences.

THE ROLE OF DESIGN In discussing design’s 21st-century role, Ezio Manzini, Italy’s leading sustainability advocate and founder of social innovation network DESIS, viewed the designers’ role as one that improves production and consumption practices, through visualising scenarios to stimulate discussion and innovation, and reorientate unsustainable trends that former designing functions entailed. Design thinking is a necessary ally in quality of life strategies, leading to meaningful social changes. The power of design is distinguished via certain mental processes and methods. When designers create, they supply information, enlighten and show possibilities, boosting collaborative

opportunities. Since design is a means of persuasion and implanting desire, it should be used to increase public awareness of community and social issues, adding value and enriching lives. While talents and skills mark design’s value, messages that make a powerful social impact are, ultimately, designers’ unique legacy.

DESIGN ETHICS IN A COMMERCIAL WORLD Design innovators need to understand the behaviours and values of people as critical to understanding cultures, not merely view society as consumers whose disposable income is the end goal of marketing. Purposeful design imbues brands with meaning; outstanding innovations have great cache to influence and inspire. In this era, brands are effectively adopted as tools of social and cultural change, thus validating the ethos; creativity has the power to transform human behaviour.

DESIGN AS A CATALYST FOR CHANGE: TACKLING SUSTAINABILITY ISSUES What else can designers do beyond the commercial world? Problem solving skills and talents are called into question time and again, urging them to look at the cultures and communities for inspiration to change through creative thinking methods that “weave a stronger thread into the fabric of the society”. An instance of this movement’s potential is the revolutionary Riverside School conceptualised by Kiran Bir Sethi, a design thinking graduate from the National Institute of Design, Gujarat. In 2014, her teaching methods enabled seventh-grade children to work with the Ahmedabad Municipal to be “change makers’”by designing trash bins for city parks, by observing

Figure 1: Design Global Change: Water for India proposal by Natacha Poggio.

“how people deposit garbage, [their] standards of cleanliness, the image it presented of their city, and understanding proper shapes that encouraged disposal of trash, involving mathematical calculations”. Another example is the Water for India sanitation campaign implemented in 2009 by Prof Natacha Poggio and her design students from Hartford Art School, who found ways to educate villagers while conveying the message of cleanliness, sharing, and respect for water resources among the children in rural areas. (Figure 1) Through observations, village children noticed that water was not being harvested during rainy seasons. The process of seeking solutions initially frustrated them, but design thinking helped the children step forward as citizen contributors, inspired by the slogan, Jal Hai Kal Hai – “there is tomorrow, only if there is water”. Social innovation mapping led the school to approach village leaders with solutions. The result, building water pits that stored rain water sufficient for community use during droughts. Other aspects of the Design Global Change project

in 2009 included a primary school mural painting, colouring books with sanitation tips, campaign T-shirts, and positive community engagement. These actions have spiralled into recent national advertising campaigns in 2016 bringing similar messages to other parts of rural India. Design is gradually being recognised beyond deliberation of aesthetics; it is also deliberately responsible action. When design communities engage in ethical and socially responsible practices, the endeavours represent the same actions that change humankind attitudes and actions, even if only a little, for the better. Imbued with characteristic skills and thought methodology, designers’ unique perspectives are the insights that shape culture through social engagement, in ways that can offer more than striking posters for consumption. u

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B O O K

R E V I E W

hy is No. 8 Wire in the title of this book? It is the icon for invention for New Zealanders. No. 8 Wire refers to the legendary old steel wire that was most popular for fencing and became ubiquitous in New Zealand. The wire is also put to millions of other uses – to tie, bind, modify and fashion things. The initial prototypes of many New Zealand inventions had used this wire. This book is a compendium of absorbing stories of 202 home-grown inventions and the inventors who crafted them. It is a celebration of the No. 8 Wire on which New Zealand is built, say the authors. Jon Bridges and David Downs proudly point out that if necessity is the mother of invention, then Kiwi ingenuity is its father. Published in 2014, the book presents the stories behind New Zealand inventions that impacted the world. Stories include the well-known discovery of DNA and human flight to lesser known inventions such as tranquilliser gun, seismic isolators and needleless injections. Also included in this book are accounts of well-known personalities such as Lord Rutherford, who split the atom, to lesser-known individuals such as Alfred William Gallagher, who invented electric fencing, and Alan John Hackett, who invented bungee jumping. Hackett started the world’s first commercial bungee jumping operation from the Kawarau River near Queenstown in 1988. New Zealanders also pioneered the amphibious car, live 3D sports animations and daylight saving time. Alan Gibbs’ Quadski is the world’s first commercialised amphibious vehicle that can be driven at speed on land or sea. Ian Taylor’s graphics as used in The America’s Cup are still leading the world in real-time sports animation today. George V. Hudson had the gall to suggest moving the time around twice a year to accommodate the longer hours of summer so that he had more time to collect butterflies after work. Today around 78 countries use daylight saving time. The pavlova is of course Kiwi in origin. The authors pay tribute to their fellow Kiwis whose inventions have changed our lives. New Zealanders have made an impressive contribution to the world of invention. The No. 8 Re-wired – 202 Bridges is a writer, television New Zealand Inventions presenter and producer, and That Changed the World a public speaker while David authored by Jon Bridges and Downs had worked as an actor, David Downs, and published in the IT industry and in a by Penguin Books, is available in all leading government agency.

NO. 8 RE-WIRED –

202 NEW ZEALAND INVENTIONS THAT CHANGED THE WORLD Delve into the stories behind the ingenuity of Kiwis over the years. by Dr Leo Ann Mean

online bookstores.

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B O O K

R E V I E W

THE SOLAR REVOLUTION:

ONE WORLD. ONE SOLUTION. PROVIDING THE ENERGY AND FOOD FOR 10 BILLION PEOPLEGet acquainted with the power of sunlight, which is able to provide sustainable food and energy.

ack in 2012 computational scientist and head of Computational Science at Microsoft Research Stephen Emmott gave a series of talks to riveted crowds in petite London theatres. It was a move to pull together into one grand and devastating portrait the many ways we are impacting the planet. According to him, the human population will soon hit the big 10 billion, and life doesn’t look good then. In this book, The Solar Revolution: One World. One Solution. Providing the Energy and Food for 10 Billion People, authors Steve McKevitt and Tony Ryan revealed how to sustain a 10 billion population. It is by capturing all the energy in just one hour’s worth of sunlight which would enable us to meet the planet’s food and energy needs for an entire year. It further examines the story of how scientists are working to reconnect us to the “solar economy”, harnessing the power of the sun to provide sustainable food and energy for a global population, an achievement that would end our dependence on “fossilised sunshine” in the form of coal, oil and gas and remake the connection with the soil that grows our food.

The Solar Revolution: One World. One Solution. Providing the Energy and Food for 10 Billion People authored by Steve McKevitt and Tony Ryan, and published by Icon Books Ltd, is available in all leading online bookstores.

The duo describe the human race’s complex relationship with the sun and take us back through history to see how our world became the place it is today – chemically, geologically, ecologically, climatically and economically – before moving on to the cutting-edge science and technology that will help us live happily in a sustainable future. It is astonishing how wasteful the human race is. As for the authors, McKevitt is an expert in communications and consumerism, with a 25-year career that included clients such as Nike, Coca-Cola, Deutsche Bank, Sony PlayStation, Harvey Nichols, Motorola, Universal, Virgin, BT and Atari. He is also a chairman of Golden, an ideas agency with clients in the UK, Europe and the USA, and also works as an advisor to national and regional UK government on employment, skills, business innovation and international trade. Professor Ryan OBE is a polymer chemist at the University of Sheffield. He delivered the 2002 Royal Institution Christmas Lectures and regularly appears on Radio 4’s Infinite Monkey Cage with Brian Cox and Robin Ince, and has been on In Our Time with Melvyn Bragg.

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BRINGING YOUNG INVENTORS TO THE FORE Young inventors share their ideas & thought process BRINGING YOUNG INVENTORS TO THE FORE

Young inventors share their ideas & thought process

Celebration Celebration

INVENTIONS THAT CONTINUE TO CHANGE OUR WORLD

BRINGING MALAYSIAN BRINGING YOUNG INVENTIONS THAT HAVE IMPACTED YOUNG INVENTORS SOCIETY INVENTORS TO THE FORE INTELLECTUAL Young inventors TO THE FORE PROPERTY share their ideas & MyIPO Director General Young inventors Shamsiah Kamaruddin thought process share ideas & talkstheir about the importance of thought process IP protection

RM10 ISBN 978-967-12619-0-3

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ITEX’S SILVER JUBILEE ITEX’S SILVER JUBILEE

Design process in the invention of Embrace Infant Warmer

MALAYSIAN WOMEN INVENTORS IMPRESS Spotlight on 5 award-winning women inventors

INVENTIONS THAT CONTINUE TO CHANGE OUR WORLD

ITEX MALAYSIA 2014

The year that was

look at some ITEX’S SILVERAinventions JUBILEE that shape our daily life

ITEX’S SILVER JUBILEE

EMBRACING DESIGN THINKING

A look at some inventions that shape our daily life

Vol 1 No. 2 / 2015 / RM10.60 ISSN 2289-9308

INTELLECTUAL ITEX 2015 CONNECTING PROPERTY INVENTIVE MyIPO Director General MINDS Shamsiah Kamaruddin

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talks about the

importance of MALAYSIAN IP protection MALAYSIAN INVENTIONS THAT INVENTIONS THAT HAVE IMPACTED HAVE IMPACTED SOCIETYITEX MALAYSIA SOCIETY INTELLECTUAL2014 The year that was INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MyIPOPROPERTY Director General

INVENTIONS INVENTIONS THAT CONTINUE THAT CONTINUE TO CHANGE TO CHANGE OUR WORLD OUR WORLD A look at some Vol 1 No.1 / 2015 / RM10.60 ISSN 2289-9308

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3D PRINTED FOOD

Newest kitchen appliance prints healthy meals using fresh ingredients

MAKE IT A REALITY

CONNECTING INVENTIVE INVENTIVE MINDS MINDS

BENDABLE BATTERY

New aluminiumion battery may replace lithiumion & alkaline batteries in the near future

ITEX 2016

‘MAGIC’ WATER

about the Where seatalks andKamaruddin 5 award-winning Shamsiah Spotlight on freshwater fish A importance ofFRESH APPEAL women inventors talks about the 5 award-winning swim together IP protection in the same tank importance of women inventors IP protection Vol 2 / No.1 / 2016 / RM10.60 ISSN 2289-9308

ITEX MALAYSIA P O ITEX WERED MALAYSIA 2014 The year that was 2014

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The year that was

ALSO INSIDE:

• Self-lacing shoes • Re-engineered silk • Transparent wood • Smart sutures

ITEX 2015 ITEX 2015 CONNECTING

A look into funding resources in Malaysia

Vol 2 / No.2 / Dec 2016 / RM10.60

ISSN 2289-9308

Vol 1 No. 2 / 2015 / RM10.60 ISSN 2289-9308

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Where sea and freshwater fish swim together POWERED UNVEILING in ANthe same tank

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PUBLICATION‘MAGIC’ WATER ‘MAGIC’ WATER DATE PUBLICATION

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Innovation in Malaysia. • Publication of CIS Network Sdn Bhd and Malaysian Invention & Design Society (MINDS) •• This is the only magazine wholly devoted to Invention and This is the only magazine wholly devoted to Invention and INVENTION ASIA is the official publication of the International Innovation in Malaysia. Innovation in Malaysia. Invention & Innovation Exhibition (ITEX), organised by MINDS and •• Publication of CIS Network Sdn Bhd and Malaysian Invention & Publication of CIS Network Sdn Bhd and Malaysian Invention & managed by CIS Network. ITEX is currently 15 years old in Malaysia. Design Society (MINDS) Design Society (MINDS) • ITEX is the official event of Asia Caucus of Invention Association •• INVENTION ASIA is the official publication of the International INVENTION ASIA is the official publication of the International (ACIA) and is recognised by the International Federation of Inventors Invention & Innovation Exhibition (ITEX), organised by MINDS and Invention & Innovation Exhibition (ITEX), organised by MINDS and Association (IFIA). Supported by MOSTI, Ministry of Education managed by CIS Network. ITEX is currently 15 years old in Malaysia. managed by CIS Network. ITEX is currently 15 years old in Malaysia. Malaysia and Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia and MyIPO. • ITEX is the official event of Asia Caucus of Invention Association • • ITEX is the official event of Asia Caucus of Invention Association The Patron is the Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation. (ACIA) and is recognised by the International Federation of Inventors • (ACIA) and is recognised by the International Federation of Inventors The inaugural issue was launched in May 2014 by the Association (IFIA). Supported by MOSTI, Ministry of Education Association (IFIA). Supported by MOSTI, Ministry of Education Deputy Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation. Malaysia and Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia and MyIPO. Malaysia and Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia and MyIPO. •• The Patron is the Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation. The Patron is the Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation. ••DISTRIBUTION The inaugural issue was launched in May 2014 by the The inaugural issue was launched in May 2014 by the • Deputy Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation. Distributed during the ITEX exhibition. • Deputy Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation. Copies distributed to all Ministries in Malaysia & relevant agencies/ departments in the country. DISTRIBUTION DISTRIBUTION Embassies & Consulate Offices in Malaysia. ••• Distributed during the ITEX exhibition. Distributed during the ITEX exhibition. National and International Business Councils/Chambers. •• Copies distributed to all Ministries in Malaysia & relevant agencies/ Copies distributed to all Ministries in Malaysia & relevant agencies/ • departments in the country. Business Organisation Networks. departments in the country. • Embassies & Consulate Offices in Malaysia. Sold in all major bookshops nationwide. • • Embassies & Consulate Offices in Malaysia. •• National and International Business Councils/Chambers. National and International Business Councils/Chambers. •• Business Organisation Networks. Business Organisation Networks. •• Sold in all major bookshops nationwide. For Advertising Enquiries Sold in all major bookshops nationwide. ISbN 978-967-12619-0-3

9 789671 261903

CONNECTING INVENTIVE MINDS

Design process in the invention of Embrace Infant Warmer

• This is the only magazine wholly devoted to Invention and PowereD by

MALAYSIAN INVENTIONS THAT HAVE IMPACTED SOCIETY

ITEX 2015

EMBRACING DESIGN THINKING

May & Nov, since 2014 PUBLICATION PUBLICATION CIRCULATION DATE DATE CIRCULATION

15,000 copies Twice a year – Twice a year – 15,000 copies May & Nov, since 2014 May & Nov, since 2014 ADAD BOOKING BOOKINGDEADLINE DEADLINE CIRCULATION CIRCULATION 1st April & 1st Oct 1st April & 1st Oct 15,000 copies 15,000 copies AD BOOKING DEADLINE AD BOOKING DEADLINE

1st April & 1st Oct 1st April & 1st Oct

Publishers:

Publishers: Publishers:

HARINI MANAGEMENT SERVICES SDN BHD (609031-W) W-9-12, Menara Melawangi, Amcorp Trade Centre, 18,Advertising Jalan Persiaran Barat, 46050 Petaling Jaya, Selangor. For Enquiries For Advertising Enquiries Tel: 603-7932 3259 SERVICES SDN BHD (609031-W) HARINI MANAGEMENT HARINI MANAGEMENT SERVICES SDN BHD (609031-W) Email: harini.mservices@gmail.com / ganesanvs.03@gmail.com W-9-12, Menara Melawangi, Amcorp Trade Centre, W-9-12, Menara Melawangi, Amcorp Trade Centre, Mobile: Ganesan: Barat, 012-373 9422 / Faridah: 5107 18, Jalan Persiaran 46050 Petaling Jaya,013-345 Selangor. 18, Jalan Persiaran Barat, 46050 Petaling Jaya, Selangor. Tel: 603-7932 3259 Tel: 603-7932 3259 Email: harini.mservices@gmail.com / ganesanvs.03@gmail.com Email: harini.mservices@gmail.com / ganesanvs.03@gmail.com Mobile: Ganesan: 012-373 9422 / Faridah: 013-345 5107 Mobile: Ganesan: 012-373 9422 / Faridah: 013-345 5107

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