Geneva Salon 2016
The International Exhibition of Inventions, the world’s largest event of its type, took place from the 13th to the 17th April. It was held under the patronage of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), of the Swiss government and the State and City of Geneva and hosted to 695 exhibitors from 40 countries.
Absolutely new inventions were presented for the first time by inventors, companies, universities and State organizations. They represented all areas of human activity, whether it be a practical every day object or a very high tech product.
They delighted the public because of their originality and will also interest industrialists, investors, distributors and financiers because of their ingenuity.
International Jury of 85 experts awarded many highly regarded prizes to the best inventions. The Grand Prix guarantee instant recognition to its winner.
The Grand Prix of the 44th International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva was awarded to an exhibitor from The Hong Kong Baptist University, Professor Kok-Wai Cheah, from the company Cathay Photonics, for his process to reinforce glass surfaces by applying a thin layer of sapphire to the screen which needs to be protected.
This method can be used in many different areas, but especially for smartphone screens which are vulnerable and are often scratched or broken. But all kinds of glass surfaces can be treated even rounded ones as in watches or TVs. The method consists in applying a thin layer of sapphire – one of the hardest materials in existence – onto the glass or quartz surface at a high temperature. 8.5 microns are enough to guarantee excellent protection comparable to that of a block of sapphire. Applying it does not diminish transparency, since optical transmission of the film is very near to that of glass, between 89% and 92%.
The International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva also rewarded 45 other especially deserving inventions among the 1’000 presented.