Making a difference

Feasibility matters

Song Weizu, a judge in the competition, says only a quarter of those projects that stood out in the previous finals have been turned into viable products in the market.

The industrial design graduate from Tsinghua University points out the gap between the work of students from China and the US.

"Most of Chinese projects were creative, but lacked completeness, so they usually ended up as concept demos," Song says. "However, the design of American participants' works seemed to be more feasible."

The Clear Water AI, produced by Chinese-American Peter Ma to detect harmful particles and bacteria in water resources, more or less confirms Song's words.

"I got funding for the project before I entered the finals," says the 34-year-old who runs five startups in the US.

Ma knows how the market works and keenly attends activities like Maker Faire and World Virtual GovHack to share ideas. The team has already planned out its next steps after the finals.

"We will travel to the United Arab Emirates for three months after the competition," he says. "The final iteration of the prototype will make its debut this year and then will be first applied in Dubai."

Jiang Zuocheng, a student from Wenzhou Technician Institute, though failing to place his project in the top 10 of the finals, says he has noticed the shortcomings of his work.

"We should cut down the cost of our prototype to make sure it is affordable for consumers in the future," Jiang says. "All in all, I need to observe the world before I create something and learn from outside of the classroom."

"Universities should get the students closer to enterprises and help them understand how to manufacture a product," Song Weizu says. "A wide range of knowledge, both theoretical and practical, is crucial for young makers."