Cocobot among tops picks at fablab ideas inventions

TAGBILARAN CITY, January 9, (PIA)—Techie judges including an entrepreneur, an information communication technocrat, a software developer and a science and technology officer picks a coco-bot and two more potential inventions as top products in the recently capped Bohol Ideas to Innovations (I2I) held at the Belian Hotel, January 8. 

Other than the coconut shell robot designed as an electronic tourist souvenir, judges including Bohol Information Communication Technology Council Chair Delilah Biliran, entrepreneur Roy Bayonas, Bohol DOST head Engr. Marcial and Tanggaan and software developer Thomas Ridenour also picked Arduino equipped contraptions to drive away mayas from palay fields and a coral growth enhancer in the recently capped Final products pitching. 

At the Final Pitching and Presentation of the Bohol Ideas to Innovation, from over 200 initial teamed participants crafting technology-based solutions to local problems, the seven trimmed inventions and their inventors each had 10 minutes of glory presenting their products for judging. 

An initial boot camp at the local fablab allowed these inventors craft technology and digital fabricated solutions to local problems like enhancing local tourism novelty souvenirs, ridding farms of pesky mayas and enhancing the growth of corals which, on their natural environment takes hundreds of years to grow. 

After the opening of the Bohol i2i in July, succeeding bootcamps, prototyping, co-creation and the eventual exhibition leading to the final products pitching happened, sources at the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) revealed. 

The first of its kind in Bohol, Bohol i2i is a program that promotes innovation and start-ups through digital fabrication in support of developing technology-based solutions to local problems, explained event master of ceremonies and Department of Trade and Industry’s Blair Panong. 

All trained at the only one fablab in the country today, the innovators attempted to approach development of ideas into viable products using the hatchery of innovation laboratory here. 

Since July, from over 200 boot camp participants who underwent the competitions stages, seven teams made it to the final products pitching. 

Shortlisted among the seven finalists are top winners Bantay Palay, an arduino-powered motion sensor that produces shrieking sounds to drive away the pesky mayas from ricefields; a coconut shell toy robot designed as tourism novelty product souvenir, and ACCRE coral growth booster which uses electricity to hasten coral growth in damaged reef areas.

Also making it to the finals are ePlete; GPS based automatic fares collection system for buses and tricycles, i5 eGo, an a tag-along solar power bank, eGen Light; an automatic sensor regulating light by adjusting brightness according to its need and Heat Laptop Charger; a system that attempts to use the laptop’s heat into energy to repower the laptop and other electronic gadgets. 

All finalists had 2D and 3D printing as well as Basic Arduino workshops at the fablab, DTI said. (rac/PIA-7/Bohol)