Innovation beyond our borders
Discussion | Environment & Nature, Health & Medicine, Technology
Augmented reality for engineers in Peru, to environmentally friendly leather production in Kenya, through to faster, earlier detection of kidney disease in Thailand, innovators across the world are helping to solve some of our greatest global challenges. Meet the people behind these world-changing projects and understand how Oxford and the UK are helping global innovators to transform the health and wealth of people and our planet.
View the recoding of this live public event
held on 17 October 2021 at IF Oxford
Meet the innovators:
Takao Shimabukuro is using augmented reality to train the next generation of engineers across Latin America. He lives in Lima, Peru and is the Lead Product Manager in a company called Daedalus. This company has developed an online software platform to enable students to gain the practical skills in engineering and construction they are unable to obtain from less well-resourced colleges and universities in many developing countries. Takao can enable literally thousands of young people across Latin America to develop the practical skills of aerospace engineers from their own homes!
Renata Bombaldi lives in Sao Paulo, Brazil. She is a biological engineer and part of the founding team at TissueLabs. This company has developed a 3D printing device that enables living tissues to be constructed in a laboratory. The idea is to use these manufactured tissues to build artificial organs and ultimately to enable better supply for organ transplantation across the world.
Deanpen Japrung is a molecular biologist at the National Nanotechnology Center in Pathum Thani, just outside Bangkok, Thailand. She has invented a rapid, low-cost test for chronic kidney disease. This technology enables earlier detection of problems compared to conventional tests. Deanpen’s technology has the potential to improve the lives of millions of diabetes patients and those suffering from high blood pressure across the world.
Joseph Ondari lives in Nairobi, Kenya and has developed a technology to improve the environmental sustainability of chemical industries. He has discovered an enzyme from bacteria that can replace the use of sodium sulfide within the processing of leather. Joseph is not only an inventor, but also the entrepreneur taking this solution to the tanneries in Kenya and beyond to reduce damage to the environment from their conventional industrial processes.
Lei Yang lives in Suzhou, just outside Shanghai in China. He founded a company called Nakai Biomedical Technology which is developing a revolutionary biomaterial to replace the use of bone cement for osteoporosis patients. This solution enables less invasive treatment and a long-lasting solution for osteoporosis patients undergoing spine surgery. Lei obtained his PhD from Brown University, USA and his undergraduate degree in Engineering from Tsinghua University, China.
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