▲ The International Invention and Patent Exhibition BIXPO 2019 opened on November 6. <Photo = Korea Electric Power Corporation>

The International Invention and Patent Exhibition, now in its fifth year, is an event designed to promote the discovery of ideas and the development of new technologies in the energy and power sectors. This year, 160 domestic and international inventions were submitted not only in the electric power sector but also in the fields of ICT and environment.

Domestic and international entries selected through a competition were exhibited, including 60 entries from overseas invention-related organizations showcasing innovative ideas in the power sector, 67 entries from KEPCO and its group companies, and 33 entries from corporate and individual inventors and university students.

On the 8th, at the exhibition venue, the Grand Prize, Gold, and Silver awards, as well as special awards from the International Federation of Inventors Associations (IFIA) and overseas inventor associations, were presented to outstanding inventions selected through a Q&A session with experts.

In the invention theme zone, designed to stimulate interest in science, a robot barista served coffee to participants using a robotic arm and provided a service that recognized participants' faces with a camera and drew pictures on the cup holders.

In addition, to support the commercialization of patented technologies, 20 patented technologies selected through a technology demand survey, such as an IoT-based one-stop manhole detection device and an automatic fine dust measurement system, were exhibited, and booths were operated for technology transfer and invention and legal consultation.

At the technology transfer briefing for promising patents for commercialization held on the 6th, six promising patents for commercialization and the technology transfer procedures were introduced, and consultations were provided on commercialization support systems such as financing and prototype production.

On the 7th, a patent technology transfer and sharing agreement ceremony was held, and a children's invention class was conducted jointly with the Korea Invention Promotion Association (KIPA).