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2008 DIT Inventor’s Competition Cultivates Young Inventors

The 2008 Inventor’s Competition, held by DIT set out to inspire young inventors to pursue new realms of invention. The DIT inventor’s competition has been described as the incubation program hot house for up-and-coming inventors. The theme for this year’s competition was taken from Alan Kay, the famous computer scientist, who stated that the best way to predict the future was to invent it.

Students, as well as staff members were encouraged to submit to the panel their original inventions, but in order to be eligible they had to first answer three specific questions: ‘Who Cares?” “So What?” and “Why Would Anyone Buy It?”

It was determined that the number one entry of the competition was that of Dr. Charlie Cullen’s. Dr. Cullen had entered his software that is able to speed up the process of animation, thanks to his invented feature that translates speech patterns into gestures. This innovative software will make it much easier and faster to make animated films. Cullen is employed at the Digital Media Center at DIT as a researcher.

Dr. Miroslaw Narbutt won the top postgraduate entry. Dr. Narbutt works at the Communications Network Research Institute as a researcher. He has invented a technology that helps telecom operators improve the quality of sound on their VoIP (Voice-Over Internet Protocol), which will effectively improve the service of telecom operators.

The top undergraduate prize for an invention with technology went to Stephen Geary, who is an aircraft mechanic student, for his invention which effectively takes away a lot of turbulence on an aircraft while in flight.

Professor Brian Norton, who is the DIT president, stated that the competition, which is in its third year, has effectively become the catalyst for invention in DIT, and Norton has seen an increase in strength and range of the entries as each year progresses.

Norton said that the competition is an excellent way for people to test out their inventions, and even if they don’t win, have the opportunity to take their invention one step further.

And for the winners of the DIT competition, Tom Flanagan, who is the head of DIT’s commercialization department, will be working closely with them to assist in converting their inventions into jobs and money.

In fact last year’s DIT Inventor’s Competition winner, Dan Barry has gone on to license his audio technology to music giant Sony who uses it in their Sing Star games.