A portable ventilator specifically for treating breathing problems caused by novel coronavirus has been developed in Hungary. It is in the process of being registered for a patent by its lead developer Femtonics Kft.
The device is simple to operate and also filters outgoing air in order to protect health workers, Balázs Rózsa, a physicist and doctor, told public broadcaster M1 on Wednesday.
After observing the situation in Italy, the developers set out to make a device that can be used in emergency situations and in locations where coventional ventilators are not available in sufficient numbers, he added.
Imre Székely, an engineer who conceived the project, said that planning was carried out with the involvement of the ICU specialists of Semmelweis University medical school in Budapest, which helped speed up its development. The University of Sciences in Pécs also aided the project in addition to a team of engineers.
Businesspeople are in the process of organising its manufacture.
Special attention was paid to ensure that doctors less experienced in ventilation should also be able to operate it safely and easily, Rózsa said, adding that
the price of the ventilator will be much lower than most similar devices currently available in Hungary.
Handwashing has been a significant and evident part of personal hygiene; however, it only became part of our daily routine 150 years ago, thanks to the ground-breaking discovery of the Hungarian physician, Ignác Semmelweis. Since then, numerous posters and signs have been created to raise public awareness of the importance of handwashing, says 24.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons by Jenő Doby
During the current pandemic, regular and careful handwashing is considered to be the most effective way to protect ourselves. Today, this practice appears to be rather self-evident, but considering human history, it has only recently become an important part of our everyday life. Two of the most notable figures of microscopy, microbiology and disease prevention were the Dutch scientist, Anton van Leeuwenhoek and the French biologist and chemist, Louis Pasteur.
The world-famous Hungarian physician, Ignác Semmelweis, known as the “saviour of the mothers” also had a crucial role in the improvement of hygiene in healthcare.
According to the physician’s biography, he obtained his doctorate degree in 1844 in Vienna and applied for the position of assistant to the professor of the maternity clinic at Vienna General Hospital. Semmelweis observed maternal mortality rates and noticed that the rate of puerperal fever was higher in the cases when doctors and medical students examined patients in the maternity ward directly after performing an autopsy. In 1847, to prevent further cases of infection, Semmelweis tested several chemicals and finally decided to use a disinfectant solution with chlorinated lime.
By obligating doctors, nurses and medical students to wash their hands with a chlorinated lime solution, he managed to reduce the rate of fatal puerperal fever from approximately 10% to 0.85%.
After returning to Pest, Semmelweis also introduced this practice to the obstetrics department of Szent Rókus Hospital, but his discovery was not well-received by his contemporary peers. It was only later that he received the recognition he deserved, and since then, medicine has always seized the opportunity to remind people of the importance of handwashing. As the following images illustrate, posters, signs and leaflets can be considered excellent tools for this purpose.
This sign from the 1930s was part of a campaign aiming to reduce illnesses caused by contaminated food, targeting food service workers.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
The following poster was created by Seymour Nydorf between 1941 and 1945.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons by Seymour Nydorf
Photo: Wikimedia Commons by the District of Columbia Society for the Prevention of Blindness
“Paper is good but hand washing is better,” claims this Dutch poster.
Photo: geheugen.delpher.nl, Internationaal Instituut voor Sociale Geschiedenis
It is possible that Hungarian university students managed to save healthcare workers. Their newest invention could reportedly provide them with more safety and protection once the production of the product starts.
HVG reported that students created special glasses with 3D printing, which is not only practical but its production price is also cheap. Healthcare workers, as well as computer experts, are working hard to stop the coronavirus epidemic in the world.
Six Hungarian university students came up with a magnificent idea which could help the work of doctors and nurses at hospitals.
The team called Team Discover includes students from different fields of engineering, who made their invention in less than 24 hours. The special glasses which have built-in sensors would allow doctors to examine patients from a further distance and would not require standing right next to them.
The glasses are made for the patients. The sensors would send data for doctors who could sit in another room monitoring them. The system would provide them with all the necessary information including temperature, breathing, and heart rate.
Another benefit of the invention is that all the data it measures would be uploaded into an online system preventing doctors from long and tiring paperwork and administrations.
Hungarian scientists design a ventilator able to help up to 50 patients to breathe
The scientists of the Óbuda University design the machine and, of course, it would be used to help coronavirus patients to breathe. Such constructions are not only needed to pump air into the lungs of the patients but also have to clean the virus-rich air coming out of their body. Therefore, it can help doctors and nurses to avoid catching any diseases while walking among patients. Furthermore, another advantage of the new machine will be that it can be used even outside of hospitals.
Bosch has developed one of the “world’s first fully automated” rapid test to combat the coronavirus pandemic, the German engineering and technology company announced on Thursday.
“Bosch’s rapid COVID-19 test will help contain the spread of the pandemic and break the chain of transmission more quickly,” Bosch CEO Volkmar Denner said.
The new rapid test would provide reliable test results in no more than 2.5 hours and could diagnose 10 respiratory pathogens simultaneously for differential diagnosis, according to Bosch. The test would be available in Germany starting in April, “with other markets in Europe and elsewhere to follow.”
A further advantage of the rapid test would be that it could be carried out directly at the site of clinical treatment, eliminating time-consuming transport routes, Bosch explained. Patients would “quickly gain certainty” about their state of health.
“We want the Bosch rapid COVID-19 test to play a part in containing the coronavirus pandemic as quickly as possible. It will speed up the identification and isolation of infected patients,” said Bosch CEO Denner.
The new Bosch rapid test was intending to help medical facilities such as doctors’ offices, hospitals, laboratories and healthcare centers make a rapid diagnosis and would be used on the Vivalytic platform by Bosch Healthcare Solutions.
According to Bosch, the universal platform for molecular laboratory diagnostics could test various samples and use fully-automated analytical methods in a very short time.
“We are currently investigating how to additionally ramp up the production for the Vivalytics platform,” a Bosch spokesperson told Xinhua on Thursday.
In laboratory tests with the coronavirus, the new rapid test would have provided results with an accuracy of over 95 percent, according to Bosch. Tests would meet the quality standards of the World Health Organization (WHO).
Hungary can be proud of several Hungarian Nobel Prize winners whose outstanding achievement and life-work have been acknowledged with the most prestigious international scientific award. Let us see which Hungarian geniuses left their trademark in the world of sciences 😉
The Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prize was founded by the Swedish physicist and chemist, Alfred Nobel. In 1895, Nobel set in his will that his fortune will provide financial support to those scientists who realise outstanding achievements in their profession.
Every year since then, scientists have been awarded in the field of physics, chemistry, physiology and medicine, along with the most talented authors in the field of literature.
The only field of science which is missing from the list is mathematics. Supposedly, this area was hated by the Swedish scientist since his wife cheated on him with a mathematician. Accordingly, Nobel was not a lover of mathematics…
The Nobel Peace Prize is given to those people who work actively and have an outstanding role in the development of human rights and world peace. The Nobel Prize is given to natural persons for a specific achievement or oeuvre, while the Nobel Peace Prize is given to unions as well, awarded by the Swedish Academy of Sciences.
Hungarian Nobel Laureates
1. Fülöp Lénárd physicist (1905) – Cathode ray, phosphorescence, X-ray
The first Hungarian-born Nobel Laureate, Fülöp Lénárd, was one of the most celebrated experimental physicists of his age. He was born in Bratislava, and even though his family spoke German, Lénárd attended Hungarian school and received Hungarian education. His research focused on the features of cathode and phosphorescence, by which he proved that certain substances emit visible light.
His handmade pipes were bought by Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen, which led to the debate regarding the invention of X-rays, for which finally Röntgen was awarded Nobel Prize. In 1905, Lénárd also received the award for his cathode-ray research.
2. Róbert Bárány (1914) & 3. György Békésy (1961) Doctors – Secrets of the ear
The Austrian doctor, Róbert Bárány also strengthens the list of Hungarian-born Nobel Prize winners.He was awarded in 1914; his research focused on the physiology and pathology of the vestibular apparatus (balance organ) hidden in the inner ear. He discovered that ear irrigation should not be realised with hot or cold water, as it causes dizziness which is in connection with the flushing fluid and its temperature. Patients experienced dizziness when cold or hot water was used, while in the case of warm water, there was no complaint. The phenomenon can be explained by in the inner ear lymph whose temperature is 37°C and starts to flow by the effect of hot or cold water. This circulation causes dizziness, which is similar to the symptoms of seasickness.
We cannot miss the Hungarian biophysicist, György Békésy either, who received Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1961 for his discovery in the physical mechanism of the inner ear.
4. Albert Szent-Györgyi, medical biochemist (1937) – Vitamin C and paprika
As fmc.hu reports, scientific experiments to find Vitamin C started in 1930. At the beginning of the century, they realised that the consumption of citrus fruits prevents scurvy; in 1910, vitamins were also discovered; only the chemical composition of vitamin C remained an unresolved issue.
Its discovery is connected to the Hungarian biochemist, Albert Szent-Györgyi and the so-called hexuronic acid. Szent-Györgyi also discovered that paprika – that he used for experiments instead of eating – contains a much higher amount of vitamin C than citrus fruits; therefore, after realising its chemical composition, he discovered its preparation method as well.
The compound was called ascorbic acid, which was proved to be suitable for the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases. In 1937, he was awarded by Nobel Prize in Medicine and Physiology.
5. György Hevesy, chemist (1943) – Traces of living organisms
The Hungarian-born György Hevesy dealt with radioactivity; for which, he was awarded in 1943. Thanks to his work, chemical processes in a living organism could be observed. Radioactive isotopes helped him to study metabolic processes in the case of plants or animals as well.
Holography is an image recording method, which is based on the wave nature of light, and by which perfect, three-dimensional image can be created. This phenomenon was invented by Dénes Gábor in 1947 and became world-famous by the spread of laser in 1960-70.
It received its name based on the fact that it seemed all the information can be stored by this method, so the meaning of its Greek name is “full document”. In 1971, the Hungarian inventor received Nobel Prize in Physics.
7. János Harsányi economist (1994) – The Hungarian Beautiful Mind
Image: Pixabay
In 1994, the Hungarian-born US economist received the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics for his pioneer work “in the theory of non-cooperative games within the field of balance analysis”.
Game theory is applied in several disciplines including mathematics, economics, biology, sociology, psychology and computer science; in the latter field, it is also used in the research of artificial intelligence. Game theory is actually looking for answers to such strategic questions as what is reasonable behaviour when the decision of a participant is affected by the others. Harsányi distinguished “cooperative” and “non-cooperative” games which were in the focus of his research – he studied those games where there was no cooperation among the participants.
Supposedly, Harsányi became more emerged in the game theory after hearing about John Nash played by Russell Crowe in the Academy Award-winning film A Beautiful Mind.
The Hungarian researcher, György Oláh who studied the problem of global warming, was awarded Nobel Prize in 1994. Thanks to his outstanding work, new fuels, gasoline grades were produced.
His current research has been directed to a more economical, environment-friendly solution – the methanol (methyl alcohol) as fuel. In 1971, he got American citizenship, he lives in California State and works as the director of the local Hydrocarbon Research Institute.
9. Imre Kertész, author (2002) – The author of Fateless
The Hungarian author of the masterpiece “Fateless” was born in 1929. Imre Kertész managed to survive Auschwitz at the age of 14, after the liberation he returned home in 1945. His autobiographical novel Fateless was written between 1960 and 1973.
In 2002, he received The Nobel Prize in Literature; his writings have been translated into many languages, published by German, English and French publishers.
In 2005, Lajos Koltai’s film was presented, bearing the same title; Imre Kertész wrote the movie’s screenplay.
Press release – On February 22, students from five Budapest universities presented their digital prototypes at Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design (MOME University) at the final pitch presentations of SHack Budapest – the social hackathon. After only forty-eight hours of intense brainstorming and programming the student teams had to come up with results.
In his opening remarks Rector Professor József Fülöp of MOME University elaborated on why this social hackathon was conducted: “This University has always had the purpose to design products that help people. The challenges have changed, but we still serve the same purpose to design products that impact the lives of the users!” The event was organized by EYA – the European community for digital social impact – in the framework of a yearlong programme of events and contests.
During the forty-eight hours marathon event, twenty-five renowned international experts supported six multi-disciplinary teams to tackle challenges in the field of health with digital technology.
An international jury of experts voted on the project “Sunner” to be the Social Hackathons winning project. “Sunner” replaces single-use UV-measuring bracelets with a connected sensor children can wear all day of the summer and by the time UV radiation reaches critical limits, the parents get notified on their smartphone app.
“The one thing that decided this competition is simplicity, and feasibility. They use technology that is already out there, recombine it and with a look at the market realized that this product is missing”,
Tamas Fogarasy, Interaction Design Lab Leader at MOME University, explained the jury decision and added “this product will be out there in six months or one year latest, right now it is clearly missing on the market and you have to act now!”
Tamás Békási, RIS Business Creation Project Manager at EIT Health, explains is participation as Speaker and Jury Member:
„Programs like SHack Budapest, organized by EYA, give a life alternative for young people, by helping them to discover their inner innovator, connecting to other enthusiasts with similar mindset – but different skills and background – boosting their knowledge with professional mentors, and at the end of the day, launching some new teams in the European startup scene.”
SHack Budapest was organized by EYA in cooperation with MOME, Budapest University of Technology, Semmelweis University, Corvinus University and the Faculty of Social Sciences at ELTE.
The social hackathon is kindly supported by EIT Health, GE Healthcare and INPUT program.
Ronaldinho and Puyol, the two football legends hyped the new, mobile Teq LITE table on the streets of the Hungarian capital.
The legendary ex-footballer of the Catalan club revealed the new Teq LITE table at the Teqball World Championship in Budapest. Technical demonstrations continued on the streets of the capital city. Ronaldinho and his star mates, Carles Puyol, Nuno Gomez, Simeo Sabrosa and William Gallas presented a Teqball showcase at Heroes’ Square and the Buda Castle district. The new sports equipment could bring a real breakthrough in promoting all Teq-sports, like Teqball, Teqis, Teqpong, Qatch and Teqvoly.
Wherever the cheerful stars appeared, a crowd gathered around them in no time.
The audience was equally dazzled by the amazing passes and the stars themselves, as well as the speedy set-up of the Teqball tables. The third member of the innovative Teq tables passed the test with flying colors. Its secret lies in its mobile, but massive structure, the stabilizing safety lock and the four large (diameter: 250mm) wheels.
The new Teq Lite table is designed not just for indoor, but also outdoor use as its fiberglass reinforced polyester tabletop is waterproof and moreover withstands UV rays. Its multifunctionality is supported by foldability providing easier storage as it requires less space when stored if both sides are folded-up.
According to the manufacturers, the Teq LITE table further accelerates the spread of rapidly growing Teq sports.
It will attract more and more people around the world to try their Teq-skills as it is more affordable for conventional users, while it remains devoted to the heritage of Teq ONE, retaining the excitement and great diversity of the game.
A clean home is a happy home – as the saying goes. But what does ‘clean’ mean for the environment? Chemicals? Do you really need all of those? A new invention might solve these questions as a television programme shows a new Hungarian idea – origo.hu reported.
“Cleaning requires two types of detergents, one acidic and one alkaline, or something that has a similar effect” – says Zoltán Vass, Business Development Manager at Renew Technologies. “You need something alkaline to clean grease and something acidic to be able to remove limescale.”
In an average household, you do not need to use strong detergents. Nature provides the solution for almost every cleaning that we need to do in our homes – says the Development Manager.
Vinegar, for example, is a well-known descaler. The Hungarian company Renew Technologies has developed a new acetic acid-based cleaning product. Many could say that this already exists, but this detergent is unique because it is made from recycled, natural materials, with zero water footprint. The company treats the details of their unique recipe as their own business secret. Furthermore, the product is offered in environmentally friendly packaging.
The primary ingredient of the detergent is made from biomass. “To the ordinary eye biomass looks like a waste, but when we look at it, we see it as a source of organic matter and as the source of micro and macro feedstock” – says Beatrix Ari, a lab technician at Renew Technologies. All organic matter like this is called biomass, which contains valuable mineral compounds. Its origin can be industrial, agricultural or even residential.
Image: MTVA Kék bolygó video / “The world’s first recycled detergent”
“We wanted to increase biogas production, – says Zoltán Vass – in other words, to adjust the intensity and efficiency of digestion so that we can get more biogas from a unit of organic waste. Bacteria eat waste, and one bacterial strain produces volatile fatty acids. Another strain then eats these fatty acids and produces methane. We realised that if we could control methalogens so that they would not eat these volatile fatty acids, we could then recover those acids, such as acetic acid, and make a useful product from them.”
About 40 per cent of the biomass can be used to produce acetic acid. The remainder is passed on to their partners for biogas production, so the process is waste-free as well.
It is expected from the finished product only to contain natural ingredients, so they do not colour the liquid, and only organic fragrances are used. The detergent is bottled in a nearby facility, and the selection of the bottle’s composition was also preceded by careful consideration.
“We decided to use 100% recycled plastic. That’s because we use raw materials that are already in the ‘system’” – says Tönki Albert Szabó one of the coworkers of the company.
Even the label of the bottles are made from vegetable fibre. All of these aspects are of paramount importance to developers, who consider the circular economic model to be the guiding principle of the production.
Being Hungarian gives you a sense of pride, the country is very beautiful and, across history, it has had its place among the most powerful empires in the world. Just think about the fact that there are 13 Nobel laureates that have brought a Nobel prize in every category except peace.
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The matter of fact is that Hungary has had its share of inventors all throughout history and we can be proud of every one of them because they revolutionized their fields one way or another. And we are not talking about inventing the Hoyer lift, although if we make a comparison between Hoyer lifts and the ballpoint pen, they both made a difference for a lot of people.
We’ve gathered 6 inventions of Hungarian people which you probably didn’t know come from Hungary.
Rubik’s cube
Erno Rubik was an architecture professor and also a sculptor who invented one of the most favorite puzzles around the world, a puzzle that still engages the minds of people everywhere. Rubik’s cube is the best-sold toy around the world, a 3D puzzle combination that can be used by children and adults at the same time.
It was invented in 1974 and it’s been making people use their minds for more than 4 decades.
In the 19th century, people were still writing with pens. For László Bíró this was a burden. He was a journalist and it took him a lot of time to fill the fountain pen and his paper was always soaked in ink. That is why he came up with the idea of using ink similar to newspaper ink so that it could dry faster.
Together with his brother György, who was a chemist, they came up with a solution that involved a ball-socket mechanism that made it all possible. So in 1938, they patented it and their invention is now used by millions of people all over the world. From China to the UK, everybody has heard of the ballpoint pen, but few people know that is was a Hungarian who invented it.
Holography
We can say that holography is one of the most revolutionary inventions of all time. Some scientists studying the mind and quantum physics have developed a theory saying that the whole world is just a holographic image produced by the brain. Fascinating, right?
Holography is the field that studies holograms, structures that use light diffraction to produce 3D images.
The Hungarian responsible for discovering this new field was Dennis Gabor, who won a Nobel prize for his invention in 1971.
The functional helicopter
Asbóth Oszkár was an aviation engineer who began studying flight possibilities since he was very young, growing up in Arad, a city currently situated in Romania. Some of his inventions were used during World War I and he is often credited with being one of the pioneers who played with the idea of helicopters.
The electric motor
Believe it or not, the man who made the first electric motor was Hungarian.
His name was Ányos Jedlik and he used to study the continuous rotation process that he later on included in an invention that he called the electromagnetic self-rotors.
Unfortunately, his invention was only used for teaching, but he managed to revolutionize the way scientists thought of practical motors. He was a pioneer in DC motors, but his engine didn’t use permanent magnets. In 1828 Jedlik managed to get ideas that made the world what it is now and he was considered a great inventor of those times.
Matches
Matches are known to historians since the early years of the Chinese Empire, but the first noiseless matches were invented in 1836 by János Irinyi, who at that time was a chemistry student. He had the idea to use lead dioxide instead of potassium chlorate to ignite the match.
The rights for selling these matches came to a Hungarian pharmacist who was living in Vienna at the time, István Rómer, who became rich using this invention.
There are a lot of reasons why Hungary is a great country and a lot of inventors come from here not by chance. Hungarian people have always put a great price on education. It’s no wonder the literacy of the population in Hungary is up to 99%.
PUMA x RUBIK’S Brand Ltd. have joined forces to create a collection inspired by the iconic Rubik’s Cube, a toy that has challenged millions and kept minds active for over 40 years. The collaboration, which will add color to any outfit, includes vibrant footwear and clothing with graphic prints and fresh design elements.
The game, invented in 1974 by Hungarian sculptor and professor of architecture Ernő Rubik, has become one of the best-selling toys of all time. The PUMA x RUBIK’S collection blends the 3D puzzle’s playfulness and PUMA’s expertise in fashion design, which is always grounded in sports.
Unlike the Rubik’s Cube, there is no single correct solution to the outfit. The RS-X³ RUBIK’S sneaker is the center piece of the collection and comes in the many colors that appear on the toy.
The PUMA x RUBIK’S Hoody has been designed in the color scheme known by Rubik’s Cube fans all over the world, while the PUMA x RUBIK’S Tee and the PUMA x RUBIK’S AOP Tee take cues from the shape and mechanics of the cube with playful graphic prints.
PUMA x RUBIK’S collection consists of sneakers and apparel for children as well as adults is available on PUMA.com, at PUMA stores and selected retailers from November 21.
Telephone pioneer Tivadar Puskás was born on 12th September 1844. After Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone, Puskás came up with the idea of the telephone exchange to make numerous telephone calls possible at the same time. Based on Thomas Alva Edison’s telegraph exchange, he imagined the same thing for the telephone.
Tivadar Puskás was born in Pest, and he was of Transylvanian origin (Ditró). His family was once wealthy, but by the time he was born, they fell into poverty. He received strict education at home and then started to study law at Theresianum (Vienna). He could not tolerate the constraints in his studies, so after his father died, he moved to England from his small financial heritage after him. He continued his studies in engineering sciences there and learnt the English language in a relatively short time. Apart from this, he also worked as an educator in an English lord’s family and managed to provide enough for himself.
He graduated as a mechanical engineer, and after gathering work experience at a railway construction company, he moved to Transylvania where he was employed as an official of a local railway company, and later, he was promoted to be a chief engineer there.
In 1873, at the World Exhibition of Vienna, he founded the Puskás Travel Agency (the first one in Central Europe) and managed to make a significant profit.
In 1875, he moved to the USA thanks to his adventurous nature and bought land in Colorado. He worked as a gold miner for a short while, and in the meantime, he started to work on his own telegraph exchange scheme. Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone in 1876, and the new invention triggered an even more daring idea from Puskás. He made contact with Thomas Edison and convinced him to create a telephone exchange based on the scheme of the telegraph exchange.
“Tivadar Puskás was the first person to suggest the idea of a telephone exchange,”
Edison stated later in 1911 (Budapest).
Thomas Edison Photo: wikipedia.org/Louis Bachrach, Bachrach Studios, restored by Michel Vuijlsteke
In 1877, the Bell Telephone Company created the first experimental telephone exchange in Boston, based on the plans of Tivadar Puskás. Two years later, Puskás set up the first telephone exchange of Europe in Paris. His younger brother, Ferenc Puskás (not the famous football player), helped him as best as he could in Paris, and later, he established the first telephone exchange of Budapest. In 1887, Tivadar Puskás introduced his new invention, the multiplex switchboard, which provided great help for the further development of the telephone exchange.
The telephone exchange is his most famous invention, and it made him well-known in the whole world, but he had another significant achievement that we tend to forget. In Pest,
he introduced the “Telephone News Service” in 1893 – it announced news and broadcast programmes, so it can be considered to be the forerunner of the radio and the internet.
Experimental room of the Telefon Hírmondó Photo: wikipedia.org/http://www.postamuzeum.hu/hu/targyak/2388/a-telefonhirmondo-kiserleti-terme
Thanks to the exchange, more than half a million people could listen to the programme of “Telefon Hírmondó” (the first “telephone newspaper” that Puskás started in the same year – it had 60 subscribers), and compared to Edison’s original maximum of fifty, this is a huge number.
Unfortunately, Tivadar Puskás died in the same year without gaining public recognition during his lifetime. After his death (16th March 1893), his other younger brother, Albert Puskás, sold the Telefon Hírmondó.
You can read about Hungarian inventors who are not that known publicly here.
Researchers at the University of California, Irvine have created an artificial intelligence system that can solve a Rubik’s Cube in an average of 1.2 seconds, in about 20 moves. That is two seconds faster than the current human world record of 3.47 seconds, while people who can finish the puzzle quickly usually do so in about 50.
Engadged reported that this artificial intelligence – DeepCubeA – does not hold the record for automated Rubik’s Cube solving because last year, scientists built another machine which is capable of solving the famous Hungarian invention in 0.38 second. Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s min2phase algorithm, which is not an AI system, solved it three times faster than DeepCubeA. While other methods were specifically designed to solve the cube, DeepCubeA had to forge its own path.
However, creators of DeepCubeA still have not figured out how the AI was able to recognise that the cube has six blocks of colours on each side of it and billions of combinations to solve the cube. After the researchers showed the AI what the result would look like when the cube is completed, the system was able to figure out on its own how to get there, which is still a big mystery for scientists.
The researchers started with a simulated version of a completed Rubik’s Cube, then mixed it. DeepCubeA then trained itself to solve the puzzle over two days, improving its skill as it attempted increasingly difficult combinations.
Researchers gave DeepCubeA 10 billion combinations and urged it to solve the puzzles in 30 or fewer moves. The AI was then put to the test on a thousand combinations. It cracked the puzzle every time and did so in the minimum number of moves in around 60 per cent of attempts.
This brilliant AI system uses a neural network – similar to how humans process information – with machine learning techniques in which an AI system learns by detecting patterns and theorising with little human input. It adopts a reinforcement learning approach, by which it learned “how to solve increasingly difficult states in reverse from the goal state without any specific domain knowledge.”
The Hungarian drones will assist in identifying cocaine plantations and determining their exact location.
The Colombian army would take up the fight against drug barons by applying the Hungarian solution. As borsonline.hu describes, the Hungarian team – including IT specialists, engineers and artificial intelligence experts – develops drones that can help in identifying drug plantations and their exact location.
The Hungarian company “OTT-ONE” raised the attention of the Colombian army one year ago. First, they ordered a unique tool developed for special identification what Bálint Májer, Managing Director; and Gábor Kósa, Project Development Manager completed within one month. The Colombian army was impressed by the speed and innovative thinking of the Hungarian team.
As the Hungarian news portal szeretlekmagyarorszag.hu describes, representatives of the Ministry of Defense assigned the team to find an automatic air detection method for the identification of cocaine plantations in the jungle areas which are inaccessible by foot, and more than five times greater than Hungary, surrounded by mountains.
With this purpose end in view, we have been working on the development of a special software- and camera system, by which drones and aircrafts can be equipped; fixed by a unique encryption that – if the plane is shot – its data cannot be falsified or deciphered by unauthorised persons. I have to admit that we spend a huge amount of money for the improvements, but the potential benefit is also expected to be huge – reported to borsonline.hu.
Image: www.facebook.com/OTT1Plc/
The Colombian test period is expected to start in January, but the Hungarian company raised the attention of other countries as well.The system is also suitable for detecting other kinds of plants, such as poppy plantations in Afganistan, serving as the raw material of opium.
The company is already known on the domestic market. Recently, they announced that from autumn, they are planning to sell 3 million shares on the public stock exchange. Later on, they would like to move beyond their current standard category and get into the premium category of Budapest Stock Exchange.
Last year, the company reached its best result – sales revenue increased by HUF 1.7 billion after previous years’ growth, which was HUF 1.15 billion.
Besides the project mentioned previously, the company develops and operates video streaming services with Telenor, the subsidiary company of Sony, Columbia Pictures and TV2. Accordingly, it has accumulated significant knowledge in the field of live video streaming services. Gábor Kósa – the owner of iSRV Plc., and principal holder of OTT-ONE Plc. – emphasised that companies can get into the international market by cooperation. Currently, their project applications are realised in 7 different countries.
The Hungarian inventor gained international success with his brilliant brainchild, the world-famous Rubik’s Cube. Besides several acknowledgements, in 2014 he was awarded by honorary citizenship of Budapest.
The engineer-inventor was born on July 13, 1944, in Budapest. His father was an aircraft designer, thanks to whom Ernő Rubik inherited an inventive spirit that could be improved during his studies. In 1967, he graduated as an architect at Budapest University of Technology, that was followed by studying interior design at the Academy of Applied Arts from 1971. Then, he worked as an architect-designer and taught at the College of Applied Arts (recently called Moholy-Nagy University of Art) between 1970 and 1988.
In 1974, he designed his invention for teaching purposes – illustrating spatial movements and engineering modelling.
According to legends, Rubik’s Cube prototype was assembled by the Hungarian inventor after experimenting with wood, rubber and paper clips at his mother’s apartment. After some further developments, it reached its final version.
At the exhibition “Beyond Rubik’s Cube” in Liberty Science Center– near to New York Statue of Liberty– various scientific fields are interactively presented to the audience. The exhibition – that was constructed from five million dollars shows how the cube affected arts and engineering sciences.
In 2014, a gigantic magic cube was floated down on the Hudson River, saluting the brilliant invention of Ernő Rubik.
Since 1987, Ernő Rubik is an Honorary Professor; 1990-1996 President of the Hungarian Academy of Engineering; 1996 – Honorary Chairman.
The following prizes have awarded his work:
1983 –Hungarian State Prize for demonstrating and teaching 3D structures and for the various solutions that inspired scientific researches in several ways;
1995 –Dénes Gabor Prize from the Novofer Foundation as an acknowledgement of achievements in the field of innovation;
2007 –Kossuth Prize the most prestigious cultural award in Hungary;
2009 –EU Ambassador of the Year of Creativity and Innovation;
2010 –Prima Primissima Prize;
2012 –My Country Awards;
2014 –Grand Cross of the Order of Saint Stephen (The highest medal awarded by Hungary);
New cybersecurity hardware Trident HSM, developed by Hungarian cyber technology firm i4p has been given the “Common Criteria EAL 4+” certification. This endorsement is reserved for cybersecurity systems of outstanding quality, making the Hungarian invention one of the world’s elite.
As napi.hu reported, i4p has tapped into a booming industry with their security hardware. Cybersecurity has been increasingly important in the life of most companies, not just IT ones. Since the introduction of GDPR within the borders of the European Union, pressure has been put on companies to protect the data of their customers which, in turn, has increased the demand for new hardware protection: and i4p does just that.
Hardware security is vital for the protection of digital keys and encryption. It provides another, more robust layer to cyber security than virus-scanning softwares and is currently on the verge of becoming a booming industry worth of 1.1 billion dollars.
The novelty in the Hungarian invention is the introduction of “multi-party cryptography”. Essentially, it allows for the distribution to and deletion of digital keys in more than one system.
This means that encrypted keys cannot be identified on a single device: any attacker would need to take control of multiple systems instead.
The theory of distributing digital keys to multiple systems has existed for years now in the realm of mathematics, but until the Hungarian patent, it has not been done in practice. The company releasing the patent, i4p, was founded in 2014 in Hungary and considers cryptographic security its primary focus. By working on both hardware and software solutions, the firm’s experts are passionate about finding new ways to protect data of any kind.
InterContinental Budapest’s Live on the Terrace event series is back again this year. Visitors can enjoy live music, DJs and culinary treats while sipping cocktails inspired by Hungarian inventions created by the Corso team. All this with the backdrop of one of the most beautiful sunset views Budapest can offer.
Thursday is all about Latin rhythms, this is when the Mai Rumba band takes the stage in the bar, on Friday at Corso Restaurant you can enjoy acoustic music. Besides the music a complete culinary experience awaits you: with the highly fashionable Green Egg ceramic grill, you can actively participate in the preparation of your own dinner.
Live on the Terrace
On Saturday a DJ and a singer are responsible for jazzing up guests so that after a light meal and some cocktails they are ready to explore the night life.
Having returned home after years of gaining experience abroad Gergő Gullner chef is in charge of the restaurant’s kitchen and his goal is to reinvent Hungarian traditions in the light of the international influences he was exposed to. By transforming traditional dishes he explores regional gastronomy spanning across borders from the Dalmatian seaside to the mountains of Tatra in Slovakia. The emphasis is on using locally available ingredients and using them in season. Sustainability is also a key aspect; Gergő Gullner is an avid proponent of the globally popular „zero waste” trend which aims to make use of every bit of the ingredients.
Live on the Terrace
On the rooftop of the hotel there is a bio garden where herbs, paprika, tomatoes, zucchini, eggplant and strawberries are grown which are then used at the restaurant and the bar.
We’d like to introduce high-quality Hungarian ingredients to the guests of the bar of InterContinental Budapest as well, so we are offering Hungarian pálinka and gin. The cocktails inspired by world-famous Hungarian inventions reframe in special drinks the exciting and innovative stories which are hopefully familiar to foreign guests too – like Rubik’s cube,vitamin C or the Biro’s pen –, and now they can also taste them in an unexpected form.
Live on the Terrace
The iconic Vitamin C cocktail is an hommage to Albert Szent-Györgyi. The spectacular vodka-based cocktail includes sour tasting vitamin C pills finely pulverized in a mortar and the fresh flavours are highlighted by the addition of tonic water. The citrus sorbet and Corso Elixír are also freshly prepared and the roasted cocktail tomatoes and the fresh herbs come from the rooftop bio garden.
Live on the Terrace
The guests of the Live on the Terrace can enjoy the complex culinary and musical experience until September.
The team of Pirategames behind the Pixxl cube worked on their invention only in their free time but they were able to amuse the whole world with it as Ernő Rubik did with his world-famous Rubik’s cube in the 80s.
It has already been awarded
In fact, Pirategames presented their cube in the IndieCade, a video games exhibition designed for independent developers – index.hu reported. The cube has a real chance to become as successful as its non-electronic counterpart, the Rubik’s cube was in the 1980s. Its prototype was presented last year on the Arcadia exhibition and below you can watch a video on how it works exactly:
The cube has been already awarded, for example, in the Function demo competition last September in Budapest they won the wild category which is the section of those demos that do not fit in any of the original categories. This is how the Pirategames team introduced their invention on the competition then:
In fact, Pixxl Cube is covered with LEDs which actually function as screens while inside there is an energy source enough for 10 hours and a tiny computer on which the software of the cube run. It has a built-in acceleration measurer and a gyroscope so games based on the spatial movement of the cube are a perfect choice to be designed for it. For example,
there is already a maze game
we can play on the cube in which we can control coloured dots like it is showed in the above video. However, the cube can have other functions, as well.
A free time activity
It can be a decoration, it can display advertisements but it can function as a party prop, as well, producing pulsing effects – Zoltán Leel-Őssy, leader of the Pirategames, the mastermind behind the Pixxl cube and the project’s manager and financer said. “We are currently working to build a microphone and speakers in it” – he added. The hardware was designed by Simon Varró while the programs were written by András Kaptás. In fact, Varró designs drones and automated systems even for the army while Kaptás is a programmer. Interestingly, the main profile of the Pirategames is designing virtual pinball machines. Therefore,
they created the Pixxl Cube in their free time
so it is probably not surprising that it lasted for more than 6 months to build their prototype. After that, they started to improve it.
The prototype has 32×32 LEDs in each side but they already created a smaller cube with 64×64×6 LEDs. “In the prototype, there is a Raspberry Pi computer but we would like to replace it with hardware designed by us. We would like to solve the communication between two cubes and we would like to enable our users to download games and programs on the cube with the help of a mobile app. After that, it depends only on individual creativity how people would like to use it” – Leel-Őssy said. “We would like Pixxl Cube to become not only a game
but a multifunctional device.”
– he added.
Looking for an investor
In fact, they won the pre-selection phase before they were invited to the E3 exhibition which is already a huge success since there are only around 20 independent developers on the gamer expo. “The organizers said that they never saw such high activity on their Twitter-page like when they post something about the cube.” – László Pere, the team’s PR-manager said. There are long queues in front of their booth even after the expo is closed and they already have a lot of interview requests from well-known YouTubers and gamer portals to the BBC and the French public television.
Their final aim is to find an investor and make a product from the cube. Though they did not tell anything specific about the ongoing negotiations they said that
even Deutsche Telekom has shown interest in their invention.
You can check Pixxl Cube next time on June 22 on the Retro E-Sport Competition in the Vault 51 – Gamer Bar in Budapest. HERE you can find the Facebook event.
We have already reported about many brilliant Hungarian inventions HERE. If you want to read about Teqball and how football superstars love it, click HERE. If you want to know how to cool down your drink in just 5 seconds with the help of another witty Hungarian invention, click HERE. And if you want to know how the Hungarian GlovEye won the prize for entrepreneurs founded by Prince Andrew, click HERE.
Despite its small population, Hungary has several ‘beautiful minds’ whose brilliant inventions conquered the whole world. Let’s see which are the TOP 10 world-changing brainchildren that were created by Hungarian inventors.
Vitamin C
Illustration: Pixabay
As far as our health is concerned, we can be extremely grateful to the Hungarian biochemist Albert Szent-Györgyi who discovered vitamin C in the 1930s. The key dietary supplement was extracted from paprika which – according to some legends – was not among the favourite vegetables of its inventor. However, worldwide reputation and medical Nobel Prize served as great compensations, that is for sure.
Ballpoint pen
Illustration: Pixabay
The ballpoint pen is among the most important Hungarian inventions thanks to a journalist, László Bíró who wanted to create a pen that was easier to use than fountain pens, so he created the first ballpoint pen in 1930. His invention was revealed in Hungary in 1938; however, due to the persecution of Jews during the Second World War, he emigrated to Australia where his innovation was successfully patented in 1943.
Did you know that one of the most important public transport vehicles is connected to a Hungarian inventor?! Kálmán Kandó – also known as ’the father of the electric train’ – was a pioneer in the development of electric railway traction. Thanks to his invention – the three-phase motor and generator of electric railways – air pollution is decreased significantly.
The word ’coach’
Illustration: Pixabay
Besides ’szia’, ’köszönöm’ and ’Puskás’, here is one more word you will easily remember as a foreigner. As eurama.hu describes, the word ‘coach’ comes from the name of a Hungarian town ‘Kocs’ where fast light four-wheeled carriage was invented that soon spread across Europe. From the linguistic aspect, it left its mark on the Spanish and Portuguese word ‘coche’, the German word ‘Kutsche’ and the Czech word ‘koč’ which all derive from the word ‘Kocs’. The Hungarian word ‘kocsi’ literally ‘of Kocs’ means ‘car’ in Hungarian.
