The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (Poly U) and Hong Kong Inventor Association showed their winning inventions at a press briefing Monday, which would help enhance productivity.

Hong Kong Polytechnic University and Hong Kong Inventor Association recently won prizes at the 32nd International Exhibition of Inventions, New Techniques and Products, which was held earlier this month in Geneva.

Rapid Net-shooter, which was designed to be used for security and poultry management, won the gold medal.

Vice chairman of the Hong Kong Inventor Association Louis Lui said that shooter was the newest and was a very useful defensive tool to subdue potential outbreak of violence. It is powered by compressed gas with high shooting speed to the target over 20 meters in a few seconds. It is made of high strength nylon fiber to prevent forced breakage.

Lui said the shooter was the first invention that the association worked together with inventors from Chinese mainland.

"I believe that inventors with different backgrounds gather together can stimulate each other's mind and come up with fresh ideas. Therefore, we will be active in seizing chances to interact with people outside Hong Kong," said Lui.

Advanced Fiber Bragg Grating Railway Monitoring System and Walter, the sweating manikin invented by teaching staff of Poly U also won the gold medals at the same exhibition.

The railway monitoring system is making use of high-sensitive, light-weight and small immune optical sensors to help create a multi-point railway monitoring and measurement systems. The systems can help maintain the health of infrastructures such as bridges and railways.

For the sweating manikin, it can stimulate human perspiration and thus be used to test the thermal insulation and moisture vapor resistance of functional clothing.

Vice-President of Poly U Lui Sun-wing expressed his hope that the inventions could be promoted to the business circles and help enhance productivity as well as the economy of Hong Kong.

(Xinhua News Agency April 27, 2004)