Economic crisis drives inventions

Geneva: Crisis is the mother of invention, if one believes the bright sparks behind the gizmos, contraptions, novelties and potions at the international inventions exhibition in the Swiss city of Geneva.
While others fret over the economic turmoil, many of the 710 exhibitors from 45 countries here relish it as a driver of innovation, whether they are trying peel shrimps, save coral reefs, build robots or cart skis around. “Look at World War II: when people had tough times, that’s when they found the simplest or cheapest solutions,” said the inventor of the “skikart” ski carrier on wheels.
He came up with the idea on his way back from an arduous skiing trip in Austria. “Necessity is the mother of invention,” grinned the greying South African, who was on the lookout for a business partner.
Calexium, a French internet peripherals firm, was touting an email server that does away with any size limits on attachments. “We’ve always financed ourselves, without the help of banks, so whether there’s a crisis or not. We’re more likely to take advantage of the economic climate, to judge by the strong interest of our dealers,” said company founder David Rene.
The Salon International des Inventions, the 37th of its kind, has gained a more professional aura in recent years. Of the 70,000 visitors expected through April 5, more than half are industrialists, distributors and businesspeople.
Some 48 inventions received awards. The ‘Grand Prix’ went to Romanian firm MBTechnology’s mobile scanner, which can speed up trade by helping customs officers search trucks or containers without the need to open them up. It weighs seven tonnes and can detect objects just four millimetres long through 18 centimetre thick steel. While some institutional participants stayed away this year, Vincent pointed to a flow of “inventors stimulated by the urgent need to find solutions”. AFP

An inventor shows his creation, the ‘crustacean peeler’, at an exhibition in France