Status: 27.10.2022 8:15 a.m
Trolley cases or inline skates: the success story of many products began at the iENA inventors’ fair in Nuremberg. Also this year the show offers many innovations.
It doesn’t matter whether it’s a pull-out dog leash, a snowboard – or just trolley cases and inline skates. All of these products have one thing in common: they were presented to the public for the first time at the iENA inventors’ fair in Nuremberg. After a two-year Corona break, the show is now taking place again as usual for the first time. 520 inventions from 26 countries will be presented. The most promising innovations were presented in advance. Investors and company representatives are among the audience at the inventors’ fair iENA in Nuremberg.
CO2-neutral bio-plastic made from algae
The invention of the two students Roland Grimm and Nathanael Strom from Spaichingen in Baden-Württemberg kills several birds with one stone: They have developed a bio-plastic that is not only CO2-neutral, but also does not require any petroleum in its production. Instead, the bio-plastic is based on algae. They are – also because of climate change – available in large quantities and have even become a problem on beaches in many regions. The 17 and 18-year-olds explain that the alginic acid contained in the algae can be used to produce a wide variety of plastics. It is possible to produce both rubber and hard, durable plastics. The two students are supported in their invention by the University of Stuttgart. For example, research is still to be carried out into whether and how the algae-based plastic is biodegradable.
Roland Grimm (left) and Nathanael Strom invented a CO2-neutral bio-plastic made from algae.
Image: BR
Fire brigade control system to save lives
The invention of two other students from Baden-Württemberg could help save lives in the future. Pit Reichler and Milan Steinbach from Kressbonn on Lake Constance have developed a fire brigade control system. It is intended to help emergency services in the event of a fire to find missing people in the house more quickly despite the smoke. Cameras located in the rooms are activated when the fire detector sounds the alarm. These detect whether there are people in the room and forward the information to an LED guidance system installed in the hallways and walkways of the house. In the event of a fire, the emergency services are then guided directly to the rooms in which there are people with the help of the glowing lamps. According to their own statements, the students have already successfully tested their invention with the fire brigade under real conditions using a smoke machine.
Pit Reichler (left) and Milan Steinbach present their fire brigade control system project at the inventors’ fair in Nuremberg.
Image: BR
Heating pads instead of heating?
While the majority of patent applications have a technical background and the inventions offer solutions for complex solutions, many inventions relating to everyday life are also traditionally presented at the Nuremberg Inventors’ Fair. When the heating is turned down in many offices in winter due to the energy crisis, a heated seat cushion should ensure that we don’t freeze. It was developed by the company KTJ Kunststofftechnik GmbH from Obernheim in Baden-Württemberg. The heating fabric is integrated inside the upholstery in such a way that the almost 40 centimeters by 40 centimeters pad can even be put in the washing machine despite the technology, says Managing Director Jürgen Junker. That’s why it can also be used as a warm foot pad in the cold office workplace. The heating pad can not only be operated via a power pack, but also via a battery. This makes it interesting for football fans in the stadium or for anglers and hunters out in nature.
Jürgen Junker, Managing Director of KJT Kunststofftechnik GmbH, with the heated seat cushion, which could save on heating costs.
Image: BR
Times of crisis are times of inventors
In recent years, the number of patent applications in Germany has hovered around 67,000. In the two Corona years, it then decreased noticeably. In 2021, only around 58,500 patents were registered with the German Patent and Trademark Office (DPMA). However, according to DPMA press spokesman Til Huber, the decline is not an indication of dwindling inventiveness. On the contrary, many companies often did not apply for patents for smaller inventions for cost reasons. In the Corona year 2020, the number of patent applications by “free inventorship” outside of the companies even increased. Trade fair organizer Henning Könicke even sees “inventiveness stimulated” in times of crisis. After all, in economically difficult times it is also about “getting out of the crisis with ideas”.
The typical inventor is Bavarian and male
Not including companies and businesses, there were a good 2,500 patent applications for “free inventorship” last year, as they say. A look at the figures shows that Bavaria is ahead of the game when it comes to patent applications – both in terms of absolute figures and in relation to the population. In the vast majority of cases, it is men who apply for patents for their inventions. The proportion of women is only 7.3 percent. One reason is that most inventions are made in the field of mechanical engineering, according to DPMA spokesman Huber. In the corresponding engineering courses, around three quarters of the graduates are still male, and this is also noticeable in the inventions.