invention

Extra warmth for wintertime: Hungarian students invented the first heat producing paint

Forbes reports that a new, special distemper was invented by a Hungarian paint company and the student engineers of the Budapest University of Technology and Economics. What makes this kind of distemper unique in the whole world is that it can conduct electricity. Thus it can be used for heating the interior of your house.

If you were as phased as we were when we read the previous sentence, then here is a brief explanation of how the heat-conducting distemper actually works: Armand Nagy, the director of chemical development at Poli-Farbe Vegyipari Kft. compared the distemper to a toaster. In a toaster, electricity is conducted by filaments, while in this distemper it is conducted by special pigments.

photo: https://www.facebook.com/pg/polifarbe

The heat-conducting distemper is the result of joint development by Poli-Farbe Vegyipari Kft. and by the Department of Telecommunications and Media Informatics at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Informatics at the Budapest University of Technology and Economics. The first party created the perfect paint for conducting electricity, while the latter party – the students – took on the task of fine-tuning the power source- and control. There is absolutely no need to worry, as the students made sure that the distemper cannot become overheated – should a problem or malfunction arise, the self-diagnostic system built in the distemper will immediately shut it down.

This type of distemper is an innovation, so far paints able to conduct electricity were only used for insulation in car production and in the plastics industry.

It is yet to be patented and licensed before appearing on the market. This process will take approximately a year.

[button link=”https://dailynewshungary.com/hungarian-invention-concrete-made-out-of-plastic/” type=”big” color=”lightblue” newwindow=”yes”] Have you heard about the Hungarian concrete that is made out of plastic?[/button]

The next step will be to develop the mechanics of the system further so that it becomes a completely sealed, closed system. This is needed to have another layer of any Poli-farbe indoors or outdoors distemper to be painted on it, so customers will not be limited to a certain set of colours.

The heating distemper can be used as a complementary heating system in a 60-70 square metre big flat, on 6 square metre large surfaces. The paint will be applied to blocks measuring 70×120 centimetres in height and width, and 100 microns in thickness (0.1 millimetres).

featured image: https://www.facebook.com/pg/polifarbe

October 3, 2018

Italian guy makes wonders with the Rubik’s Cube! – Photos, videos

A few days ago we came across a viral video on Facebook, in which an artist uses Rubik’s Cubes to depict celebrities on special portraits. Needless to say, our jaws dropped, so we decided to contact Giovanni Contardi and find out more about his passion. 🙂

Giovanni Contardi is a 24-year-old visual artist and pioneer of the worldwide Rubik’s Cube art movement. His work is inspired and influenced by icons of pop culture, street art, and music, and is made to be shared, to spark conversation, and to encourage others to push the boundaries of personal creativity and expression.

Giovanni was first introduced to the Rubik’s Cube at the age of 14 when a friend taught him to solve the iconic 80’s puzzle.

He knows the story of the world-famous Rubik’s Cube very well, and has actually met Ernő Rubik during the European Championship in Budapest in 2010.

Rubik's Cube artist — *Photo: Giovanni Contardi*

Encouraged by his achievements in competitive speedcubing (European and World Records), Giovanni started experimenting by merging his Cube skills with his innate passion for artistic expression.

The result is something very unique, bold, and impactful.

Using at least 700 custom Cubes per piece, calibrated one pixel at a time to achieve just the right level of contrast, light, and definition, Giovanni has perfected his proprietary method of creating powerful, graphic images by hand.

He has even been called “the Chuck Close of Rubik’s Cube art.”

He shares his work on Instagram (@jvenb) and is honoured to be creating custom, commissioned pieces for iconic brands and collectors. He recently partnered with Premier League to design a Cube portrait of Liverpool’s manager, Jürgen Klopp, to be featured in a future film and pre-match television spot.

A bejegyzés megtekintése az Instagramon

Marilyn Monroe – 672 Rubik’s cubes Coffee date ☕️

Giovanni Contardi (@jvenb) által megosztott bejegyzés, Aug 9., 2018, időpont: 12:56 (PDT időzóna szerint)

Giovanni plans to have different artwork pieces hanging in different countries around the world, and collaborate with other creators of all kind during this project.

We wish the best of luck to him!

Featured image: Giovanni Contardi

September 26, 2018

Hungarian invention GlovEye wins prize for entrepreneurs founded by Prince Andrew

GlovEye, a Hungarian startup that makes a device that “translates” printed text into Braille, has won Pitch at Palace Hungary 1.0, a networking platform for entrepreneurs founded by the Duke of York.

GlovEye was one of twelve startups that pitched in Budapest on Tuesday.

The runners up were CollMott Robotics, which creates drone light shows, and Cogito, which is making a social based e-learning platform for university students. Cogito also took the People’s Choice Award.

For that matter, Gloveye produces smart gloves that help the visually impaired people read.

The users scan the whole text with their phones, the application warns them if not the full page is about to be scanned, then they can go forwards and backwards with scrolling up and down with the gloves.

The phone communicates with the Braille cells in the gloves via Bluetooth. As the users touch a word on the screen, the programme formes that given word into Braille signs that the users can feel them in the gloves.

Featured image: MTI

September 12, 2018

Pál Fábry, founder of Pulitzer Memorial Award, dies aged 99

Pál Fábry, founder of the Pulitzer Memorial Award for Hungarian journalists, died in New Orleans on Wednesday, the board secretary of the Pulitzer Memorial Award Foundation, Péter Barándy, told MTI on Thursday.

Fábry was born in Budapest in 1919 and emigrated to the US in 1949, after the Communist takeover in Hungary. He was awarded the Hungarian Republic’s Medal of Honour, Officer’s Cross, in 2009.

He was a member of the Hungarian resistance in 1944 and, besides the Pulitzer Memorial Award, founded the Association of World Trade Centres in the US.

The Pulitzer Memorial Award, named after Hungarian-born journalist Joseph Pulitzer, awards the performance of Hungarian journalists and TV and radio reporters, “aiming to encourage them to take a part in renewing Hungarian news broadcasting”, the award’s site said.

It is independent from the Pulitzer Prize honouring American journalists, which is awarded annually in New York.

August 10, 2018

Hungarian invention: concrete made out of plastic

The plastic waste management is a huge problem worldwide. Most of our garbage is being buried or incinerated, only 9% of total recyclable waste will be recycled. Thanks to a Hungarian patent, non-recyclable or difficult-to-process plastic scrap can be used to make concrete in many construction sites, szeretlekmagyarorszag.hu reports.

The beauty of this technology is that you do not need much to reuse plastic or other scraps. There are only two things you will need: a grinder and an additive, kind of like glue. From worthless waste, you can make concrete. After grinding down the garbage, you can use the tiny plastic particles and mix them with cement and water, then add the additive developed by Hungarians. The Masuko Ltd. developed a special additive that glues together the cement and the grounds up plastic waste. This technology lets you replace gravel with plastic. The additive practically bonds the plastic grate with the cement.

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This plastic mixed concrete can be made and used as the traditional material. The result is more flexible than traditional concrete due to the plastic grains in it, and according to the inventor, it is best suited to make highways and sidewalks.

The invention was patented in Hungary by the Masuko Ltd. This technology could be an excellent choice for countries that are most affected by plastic pollution, such as China, India and Chile, where the floating garbage causes serious problems in the ocean. The patent is simple, and the process does not require much aside from a grinder, plastic waste and the additive.

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Almost any possible waste that can be ground to about 10 mm can be used to produce concrete. They have tried using grounded car parts, glass, any kind of plastic (without cleaning, organising, sorting any of it), ashes and many other things. This technology could finally give us a way to reuse plastic scraps. It is easy, cheap and the result can be used in construction, cutting down expenses and getting rid of garbage at the same time.

August 1, 2018

Here is the new Rubik’s Cube that anyone can complete

SZIE gödöllő Szent István University agriculture hungary picture

The new version of the Rubik’s Cube is called GoCube, and it has sensors inside, tracking every move, as reported by hvg.hu. This way, the app that comes with the game knows exactly which panels are moved and can potentially help solve the game.

The brilliant invention of Ernő Rubik from the 1970s divided the world into two groups: those who could solve it and those who could not. Well, there was that third group who solved the game by rearranging the stickers, but let us not focus on them right now…

Nowadays, the game exists in several different shapes and sizes but the basic idea, therefore the steps to learn it, remain the same.

This is what the Israeli company aims to make use of.

rubik's cube, game, invention — *GoCube with app*
*Photo: facebook.com/pg/GoCube*

The innovative project appeared on Kickstarter, and the designated goal of 25 thousand dollars was much surpassed, reaching up to 600 thousand dollars-worth of pre-orders, with one month still left until the end of the project. The new version is the same size as the original. However, the design has been through several changes. The main idea of the project is on the inside, though.

On the inside of the cube, various sensors have been placed. This allows the accommodating application to track every move, every turn made.

Besides this, and tracking the time it takes the player to complete the cube, this innovation also allows the app to teach everyone how to solve the game – at least according to the inventors.

rubik's cube, invention, entertainment — *The new design of the Rubik’s Cube*
*Photo: facebook.com/pg/GoCube*

Moreover, all the data is stored in the app, so you can even compete with friends to see who is faster.

Not to mention the lights that are built in, allowing you to play even at night, in the dark.

The first GoCube pieces can be expected to be available by March 2019. Its cheapest version will cost around 69 dollars, with an additional 7 dollars for delivery (a total of around 21 thousand forints).

To learn more about Rubik’s Cubes, definitely check out this article about a French pastry chef’s take on the Hungarian invention.

Featured image: facebook.com/pg/GoCube

July 17, 2018

5 things that foreigners think about Hungarians

We have already shared a few articles about how foreigners see us, Hungarians and what kind of misconceptions they might have about us. Now we bring you an oldie but a goodie – a little survey conducted by Reddit, which ended with interesting results.

What people think of themselves and how others see them are not necessarily the same. But this is not a bad thing, nor are stereotypes inevitably negative – we all need certain ideas to hold on to in order to be able to categorise and comprehend the world.

According to blikk.hu, Hungarians like to think of themselves as resourceful, having beautiful women, strong spices and good wine. However, the opinions shared on Reddit’s forum show a different picture. Let’s see five of the most popular comments.

“For some reason, their language is very similar to Finnish, but this has always confused me because the two countries are far from each other” – comment from Poland

“The Hungarian language is like listening to Klingon” – comment from Greece

These are probably our favourite opinions because they reflect the complexity of the Hungarian language that dazzles every foreigner. Based on the Finno-Ugric language theory, Hungarian belongs to the Ugric branch. However, the theory has been criticised many times.

One thing is for sure: the Hungarian language is full of miraculous curiosities.

Photo: Wiki Commons By Fobos92

“It is the home of the Rubik’s cube, they all have one, but nobody knows how to solve it” – comment from Ireland

Well, the Rubik’s cube is definitely the most well-known Hungarian invention, but we doubt that all Hungarians have one. However, many people can solve it, not to mention the many competitions, exhibitions and events that focus on the magical cube.

The world record of solving it is beaten all the time, the most recent is 4.22 seconds! Yes, seconds, not minutes 😀

“The turul bird is the symbol of the country and the nation” – comment from Great Britain

The turul is the recurring symbol of Hungarian origin myths, some people identify it with the falcon. It was even on the military badge of Hungarians from Attila until Grand Prince Géza. You can see the biggest turul statue in Tatabánya, but there are also others in the Castle District.

turul bird mitology — *Photo: www.kurultaj.hu*

“Hungarian foods are spicy. All of them” – comment from Italy

Although paprika characterises most traditional meals, it was not part of the original, ancient cuisine, because it only spread in the country around the 1500s. In fact, in the beginning, it was used as a bedding plant.

“They are always pessimistic” – comment from the United States of America

We have to be self-critical at this point because there is something to this opinion. Several surveys have shown that many people find the future to be very gloomy.

Still, we have to acknowledge that live in a beautiful country 🙂

These are just a few opinions, the list could go on longer. If you are interested in more, we recommend you to read our article about Hungarian stereotypes, which – among others – include resourcefulness, living on paprika, owning horses and arguing a lot.

Featured image: MTI

July 4, 2018

Luxury of the future: clean air sold in hollóházi porcelain

Sol-One is a Hungarian Smart Air Care device that comes in hollóházi porcelain and will be sold for EUR 1,000, Forbes.hu reports. The modern and premium quality air purifier is believed to be the luxury product of the future mostly targeting the Chinese, Indian and American markets.

What is smart air care?

According to Solsmarthome.com, Smart Air Care (SMAC) “refers to a special type of indoor air purification method used in Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) Management through air quality measuring, ionising and scenting processes. The ‘smart’ prefix means controllability by a smart device and/or sensory perception that usually decides what type of air care is needed. Air care is based on air composition examination (…) its primary goal is to create a beneficial atmosphere for easy breathing and positive physiological effects.”

[button link=”https://dailynewshungary.com/greenpeaces-statementhungary-among-the-most-polluted-states-of-the-eu/” type=”big” newwindow=”yes”] Hungary is among the most polluted EU members[/button]

Who came up with the idea?

Robert Somogyi is one of the co-founders of the company. He is a German businessman who moved to Hungary in 1993. He is an expert in brand building, and he has a ton of experience with luxury products. He was also the executive marketing vice president at Herend Porcelain Manufactory. In 2013, he was approached by two engineers Attila Prokk and László Gazsó with the idea of a modern, premium quality air purifier with a delicate porcelain design. Somogyi liked the idea, and they eventually founded the company.

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The product

https://www.instagram.com/p/BUhRCxAD4b9/?taken-by=solsmarthome

The pear-shaped porcelain object is supposed to be much more than just a simple air purifier. Through ionisation, the produced electrically charged particles clear volatile chemical compounds out of the air, not completely eliminating them, but “sticking” them to surfaces like walls and furniture. It also sterilises and scents. It can be controlled with our smartphones via Bluetooth.

Why is this product needed?

The whole idea behind the marketing of this product is that while people start to pay more attention to the pollution of the outside air, fewer people realise the health risks of indoor air pollution.

The majority of air purifiers (90%) are manufactured and sold in China, where people are very much concerned about the poor air quality.

Founders of Sol Smart Home think that in the future, China will not be the only country where air purifiers will be extremely popular. In fact, they believe that while today’s luxury products are sports cars or jewellery, the luxury products of our future will be clean air and clean water.

According to the analysis conducted by TechSciResearch, the global market for air purifiers dynamically increases each year, with the highest increase expected in Asia.

The Sol-One Smart Air Care Device is not meant primarily for the Hungarian market but the Chinese, Indian and American markets.

Billionaires seem to believe in the idea since Hungarian billionaire Csaba Lantos has recently invested HUF 150,000,000 in the project.

Featured image: Instagram.com/solsmarthome/

June 29, 2018

Learn about Ignaz Semmelweis, the savior of mothers

One of the most important figures of Hungarian medical history, Ignácz Semmelweis, was born 100 years ago, on 1 July 1818. On this occasion, the government has declared 2018 to be his memorial year, as Origo.hu reports. Learn about the doctor who is commonly referred to as the “saviour of the mothers” in Hungary, as he discovered the cause behind a raging childbed fever epidemic that was taking the lives of mothers in Vienna in the 19^th century: the lack of hand disinfection. In other words, he realised the importance of washing hands before the existence of bacteria was discovered, years after his death.

At the beginning of the 19^th century, there was an alarming trend in Viennese public hospitals that cared for pregnant women. In the ward where midwives assisted at births, only 4-5% of women died in puerperal fever (also known as childbed fever) after giving birth. In the second ward, where medical student were put in charge, this rate was 9-10%. No one seemed to find any explanation to this difference in death rates, and no one really cared.

But then a young Hungarian doctor, Ignaz Semmelweis came to Vienna, who changed everything.

While completing his medical studies in Buda and Vienna, he regularly visited the anatomy department and performed several autopsies. He gained degrees in obstetrics and general medicine and later became a surgical doctor. When one of his colleagues cut his finger while doing a post-mortem, and subsequently died of blood poisoning (which was an unrecognised condition at the time), he started researching into the possible causes of his friend’s death. He soon realised that his colleague had died due to insufficient hand disinfection.

But his discovery that deathly germs are transferred from the autopsy table to the bed of pregnant women was met with incredulity and contempt within the medical community in Vienna. As president János Áder reminded at the opening event of the memorial year,

“In the wards where Semmelweis worked, post-partum death rate was reduced to below 1%.

All this thanks to a simple act of washing the hands with chlorinated lime solution. This may seem like a banal procedure today, but at Semmelweis’s time it was considered unnecessary and useless. Everything we know today about the importance of sterilization started with Semmelweis.”

A relief commemorating the “savior of mothers”. Photo: Wikimedia Commons / Pataki Márta

Semmelweis could not prove his theory with scientific evidence, all he had was his observations and experience, which were rejected by his conservative colleagues. It was ten years later that Louis Pasteur presented about bacteria at a conference, which substantiated Semmelweis’s claims.

Semmelweis had tragic final days. Unable to cope with the professional hostility, he started acting in psychotic and irrational ways. Finally, he was committed to an asylum in Döblingen (the same one where another famous Hungarian, István Széchenyi spent his last months). In response to his aggressive behavior, he was abused and beaten by guards. With no doctor to attend to his wounds, in a tragically ironic turn of events, he died of blood poisoning.

Today, his memory is honoured by the name of the major institution of medical education in Hungary, Semmelweis University.

Featured image: Wikimedia Commons / Doby Jenő

June 16, 2018

Hungarian students’ startup idea to help people with food allergies

According to Forbes.hu, yet another great startup idea has been developed, this time by Hungarian students. USchool, an educational program with a modern outlook, has launched a program to introduce students aged 16-18 to the world of business and project planning, to the basics of sales and marketing as well as to group dynamics.

USchool

Last year, 22 students from 12 schools participated. This year, 100 students from over 40 high schools participated in the program focusing on startup-talent management. The students had the help of experienced mentors, young entrepreneurs and mentors from big companies, who are familiar with the field of innovation.

The students could gain entrepreneurial experience while also learning how to present the projects they have been working on for months.

The best ideas were awarded in front of a crowd made up of investors, entrepreneurs and people simply interested in the projects.

Winning startup idea

uschool, startup, winner — *Photo: facebook.com/uschoolhungary*

The best idea was developed by a group of three high school girls: Veronika Végh, Rebeka Szabó and Dorina Merhala, all aged 17. Their innovative idea in the sustainability category was to develop an app that helps people choose consciously what they buy by scanning the allergens displayed on the packages.

The app allows people with food allergies to choose their ingredients safely. All they have to do is scan the allergens of the products.

2nd place

uschool, startup, idea — *Photo: facebook.com/uschoolhungary*

The group winning second prize consists of Eperke Remetei-Filep, Dalma Versánszky and Leila Tóth. Their idea was featured in the category of consumer and designer products.

They aim to revolutionise indoor climbing with the help of LED lights.

The climbing wall, as well as the routes signalled by the lights, can be adjusted to the height, weight and skill-level of the climbers, with the option of making it more or less of a challenge.

3rd place

startup, uschool — *Photo: facebook.com/uschoolhungary*

The other idea in the sustainability category that won the third prize was developed by Noémi Asztalos, Dániel Egressy and Mátyás Erdős. They aimed to

make Hungary’s first ever sustainable food truck a reality. To minimise the amount of food waste, the group’s idea is to use ingredients that are close to their expiration date.

During the program, students could learn about strategies used by leading companies and startups to develop ideas, as well as skills and experiences that are useful in the business world. They had the chance to experience what it is like in real life to get from an idea to the execution of it.

The groups winning the first three prizes get to compete in the international final held in Slovenia at the end of June.

For more news about Hungarian startups, check out this article about a Swedish-Hungarian collaboration.

Featured image: facebook.com/pg/uschoolhungary

June 11, 2018

Success of Hungarian innovator in Brussels

Forbes.hu reports of yet another Hungarian startup success, this time at the European Leadership Awards held in Brussels this year. The ‘European Innovator of the Year’ prize was awarded for the first time this year, and a Hungarian startupper won it.

Krisztián Imre, the Hungarian innovator, won the prize awarded during the Brussels European Business Summit as the innovator of the year. The new award recognises exceptional achievements in areas such as business, politics, enterprises and innovations.

Krisztián Imre was chosen as first from these categories, for his plan to improve the mobility of the visually impaired.

EVA glasses
Photo: facebook.com/visual.assistant/

The prize was won by his promising idea, EVA (Extended Visual Assistant), which is a pair of smart glasses that uses machine vision, allowing blind and visually impaired people to move around more easily, both in inner and outer locations. At present, the idea is supported by Start it @K&H, with a future promise of helping masses of those restricted by vision problems to get around more independently.

“EVA is a pair of smart glasses that connects to a cell phone. The phone analyses the information provided by the immediate surroundings, with the help of artificial intelligence, and then passes on the information for the user through direct speech.”

– explained the founder.

EBU, the European Blind Union, reports of approximately 30 million people living in Europe who are restricted by their vision. For them, daily tasks, like getting around in the city or using public transport, already require immense work and thus cause a lot of stress.

“About 30% of visually impaired people do not even leave their apartment without any help and guidance from someone. However, the number of social workers is decreasing, and, unfortunately, the number of trained guide dogs does not satisfy the demands, either.

How it works
Photo: facebook.com/visual.assistant/

That is why we wanted to find a solution that is viable for all, for better inner and outer orientation. With the help of this gadget, we wanted to make even those everyday objects and situations recognisable that cannot be perceived by touching or listening,

such as an overhanging branch on a sidewalk, a step or a practically sound-proof electric car, the number of which is rising on the roads” – added Mr Imre.

The manager of the project revealed that, as of now, the software and hardware side of the gadget is being developed simultaneously. A big part of this is the contribution by the Zoltán Bay Research Institute and their VUK project that sets a frame for helping visually impaired people.

They are working on developing the inner navigation system along with the frame for spatial information that helps with mobility, all this to work in English, German and Hungarian as well.

Opportunities such as the Brussels Business Summit help widen the social network and acquire more financing opportunities to develop further and test the invention.

For more related news, check out this article about a fascinating collaboration between Sweden and Hungary.

Feature image: facebook.com/krisztian.imre

June 3, 2018

Great Hungarian Discoveries: The Soda Water

We have already reported about great Hungarian inventions and discoveries such as Vitamin C, the ballpoint pen, and the Ford Model T. Now, we introduce the exciting story of the soda water and its master, Ányos Jedlik.

The discovery of soda water

Soda water is not the same as mineral water because it is simple water that contains carbon dioxide mostly without any minerals, vitamins, or other ingredients. The soda water was discovered accidentally by Joseph Priestley, a British pastor, in 1767. He was told to be an adventurous man, who liked doing experiments. As he did not possess any qualifications in science, he often came up with wrong conclusions. When he saw gas compounds sinking to the bottom of the room in a brewery, he came up with the idea that it was ‘heavy’ air. After he had managed to create it at home, he discovered that it gives a lovely twist when adding it to water.

A breakthrough in soda’s history

Even though soda water has already existed, it could not have been produced in bigger amounts due to the lack of production technology. Then, Ányos Jedlik invented the machine called the ‘apparatus acidularis’ (sour water device) making bulk manufacturing possible.

Ányos Jedlik

This great Hungarian inventor was born on the 11th of January 1800 as István (Stephan) Jedlik. At the age of 17, he joined the Benedict Order and got the name Anianus (Ányos in Hungarian). From then on he only lived for religion and science. Furthermore, he was the member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and also the father of the dynamo and the electric motor. He considered himself mainly a teacher and thought about inventing as a hobby. He retired at the age of 78 and passed away 17 years later, at the age of 95.

Jedlik Ányos soda water — Photo: Wiki Commons by Hello world

Further inventions

Hungarians have never stopped inventing ever since. We recommend you some of our previous articles on this topic:

Gloveye, that gives back the joy of reading to the blind
A brain defibrillator, that can stop epileptic attacks
The soft contact lenses invented by Hungarian eye doctors
A device that immediately alerts authorities in case of an accident
Inventions that may revolutionise healthcare
A diabetes tattoo to keep you safe
And a quiz to test your knowledge on the Hungarian inventions and discoveries

June 1, 2018

Great Hungarian Inventions – The Soft Contact Lens

Hungary may seem like a small country, but it has a lot to offer. Some would never imagine how beautiful national parks, mountains, and lakes there are in this fantastic country, without seeing them with their own eyes. Some would never believe how rich the Hungarian cultural traditions are without experiencing it personally. Notably, countless wonderful people are either Hungarians or have Hungarian origins. In this article, we report on a today ordinary object that is unbelievably necessary for some people’s everyday life. Read along to explore the exciting story of the great Hungarian invention: the soft contact lens.

contact lens kontakt lencse — Photo: Wiki Commons by Bryan Tong Minh

The need for improving sight

Cicero was told to complain about how embarrassing it was for him not to be able to read. He had to make his servants read the texts out loud for him. Nero, the last Roman emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, had to watch the gladiator games through a smaragdine. It has always been an important aspect of the human race to improve its living conditions. Because seeing is one of our most important senses, it has always been essential to take not only good care of it but also to advance it. This is from where our saying “to guard it like one’s eyesight” originated.

eye structure parts szem — Photo: Wiki Commons by OpenStax College

The evolution of glasses

Archaeologists found one of the first magnifying devices in the long-ago Arab Empire around 1000 B.C. However, after there instruments, it had been a long time to create the first pair of glasses, not to mention the much more sophisticated contact lens.

First, Italian monks created a device that contained two half-moon-shaped, polished pieces of glass in the 13th century. Then, glasses, as we know them today, were born in the even today world-famous Murano Glass Factory. However, those first glasses that looked like the pairs nowadays were born around the 15th century and had to take a long journey.

Historical background of the contact lens

Leonardo da Vinci is said to be the first who came up with the brilliant idea in 1508 to create a lens that can be placed directly onto the eyes to improve sight. Then, others came up with concepts such as Descartes. Thomas Young was the very first person who created a device to improve his eyesight in 1801. It was a five-millimetres-wide metal tube filled with water. Sir John Frederick William Herschel developed Young’s idea and called it already ‘contact lens’. The first successful contact lens was made according to Adolf Fick’s plans. It corrected the sigh of August Miller, who had a minus 14 dioptres. Despite the scientists’ success, complications arose in connection with the glass contact lenses. It was easy to break them; they blocked the oxygen from the cornea causing infection for instance. Therefore, a much bigger breakthrough was needed.

The soft contact lenses

Hungarian eye specialist Dr József Dallos introduced a unique method: he used eye prints to personalise contact lenses. Moreover, Dr István Győrffy created a contact lens in 1939 out of plastic (polymethyl methacrylate, also called PMMA, to be exact). This type of contact lens was softer, easier to get used to, and was a more hygienic solution. Sadly, the news of this invention did not spread fast enough due to the second World War. Furthermore, Olbring invented a similar lens in America, and most of the people connect the method only with his name, unfortunately. However, the Hungarians doctors played a crucial role in the contact lenses’ development, and Hungary can be proud of them.

Photo: www.facebook.com/clcoptika/

Further inventions and accomplishments

Are you also interested in other inventions and accomplishments? We have good news for you because Daily News Hungary has already reported about such topics. This article shows those Hungarian inventions that can revolutionise healthcare. Additionally, the new Hungarian Healthwatch can save one’s life. Here, you can read about the success of the Hungarian University of Szeged, where a professor developed a brain defibrillator that can stop epileptic attacks. Finally, this article reports about how healthy the Hungarians feel.

View contact lenses uk if you are looking for a new pair of contact lens.

Featured image: www.facebook.com/clcoptika

May 28, 2018

Hungarian student teams to compete in London energy efficiency marathon

Four Hungarian student groups are taking part in the Shell Eco-marathon Europe 2018 race, a contest to set up a new record in energy efficiency at the Make the Future Live festival in London between July 5 and 8.

This year 175 teams from 24 European countries are competing at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in the contest, which was first held in 1985.

The idea is to cover the greatest distance with the least amount of fuel.

Last year’s winner made one litre fuel last for 2,503.9km, the festival’s website said.

The Hungarian teams are from St István University, Győr, in western Hungary, Budapest’s Óbuda University, Debrecen University, in eastern Hungary, and the Kandó vocational school in Kecskemét, central Hungary.

The teams are taking different, and in some cases, novel approaches to improving a vehicle’s efficiency,

such as engineering steering mechanisms to be more energy-saving and developing new chassis and drive-train technologies.

Featured image: www.shell.com

May 22, 2018

Rubik’s Cube around the world – a great Hungarian invention – VIDEO

Rubik’s Cube is a worldwide known Hungarian logical toy that is popular across the globe. It is beloved so much that many events have paid tribute to this amazing invention. An excellent example of that is the exhibition in Syracuse, New York state, as magyarorszagom.hu reports.

Who would not know the amazing Rubik’s Cube? Most of the children play with it, there are competitions where people try to solve it during the shortest time. Also, some try to solve it even blindfolded. It is not an exaggeration to say that Rubik’s Cube conquered the world.

The exhibition

There have already been some fascinating exhibitions featuring the invention. The latest one took place in Syracuse, New York State between the 17th of February and 29th of April. Besides the regular elements of the exhibition, like the introducing of Ernő Rubik’s life, work, and original pieces of his collection, there were some modern spectacles at the event as well. Visitors had the chance to build a giant mosaic wall together from Rubik’s Cubes. Furthermore, one could programme robots to find their way out of a maze or admire how fast they can solve the Rubik’s Cube. One of the biggest attractions was a car-sized Rubik’s Cube that showed how this invention works from the inside. Additionally, there was even a spectacular golden cube made of 18 karat gold that is worth 670 million forints (about 2 million euros).

Events and more

In July 2014, there was a giant inflatable Rubik’s Cube floating down the Hudson River to celebrate the 70th birthday of Ernő Rubik, inventor of the toy. Finally, there was an exhibition in New York City featuring this genius invention in April 2014. Additionally, there are some cool alternative ways to show one’s passion for this toy. We have already reported about the Hungarian university student, who built a picture wall of Rubik’s Cubes. Furthermore, you can also read an article about a French pastry chef creating masterpieces formed as Rubik’s Cubes.

Featured image: www.facebook.com/Római-parti “Kőkert” Land Art in Hungary

May 7, 2018

A creative Hungarian diabetes tattoo revolutionising global healthcare

A universal tattoo designed by a Hungarian man and his colleague living in Germany has conquered the world by know, and can help millions of people having diabetes, reports Nlcafe.hu.

If we meet an unconscious or confused person in the street who is unable to communicate, it is hardly possible to determine the cause of the disturbed state of mind in case we are no medics of any kind. However, it is of utmost importance to take action as soon as possible since every minute matters when one’s life is in danger.

For quite a long time, it was a widespread practice among those having diabetes to wear a special bracelet into which vital information is engraved about the type of diabetes the person has. However, for several reasons, it did not prove to be the perfect solution to the problem, and this is what gave rise to the initiative of Péter Zsoldos who designed a free, and by now, universal life-saving tattoo pattern which has started to conquer the world.

tattoo diabetes — /facebook/Rocker Tattoo/

The whole idea was born when his colleague, István Márton, who lives in Germany, was asked by a lady to design a diabetes tattoo for his son. That was the point when they realised that this invention could save the life of thousands of people. He eventually made the tattoo for the man, but the great project stopped at this point until last year, when Péter consulted a diabetologist and a paramedic. With their help, he designed a universal tattoo pattern for those who have diabetes, which is now made in many salons, free of charge.

As Péter Zsoldos revealed:

“This is a universal pattern which is recognisable all around the world.”

It is mainly meant for passers-by and not necessarily for doctors arriving on the spot, but it is an undoubtedly great assistance to them, too. As the designer and inventor pointed out, the problem with the widely used bracelets was that they got easily lost, or the patients frequently forgot to put them on. When encountering this problem on an online diabetes forum, Péter shared his creative idea on the site offering free tattoos with the designed universal pattern.

“Since so many people wanted to have our tattoo, I proposed to coordinate the initiative together with István, and thus we started to search for tattoo artists and salons. In the first round, people from Debrecen, Nyíregyháza and Kaposvár joined our initiative.”

This is how it started to conquer the world. By now, more than 250 tattoo artists have joined the initiative, and in Hungary, the number of people having this tattoo is over 500 already. Salons from Texas, New York, and Europe are also part of this project, so the global expansion of the pattern has already started.

Of course, this is a serious project meaning that no tattoo is done just for fun. Tattoo salons demand some official documents setting up the diagnosis of diabetes to make sure that no one will be mistreated due to this universal pattern made for fun. In the middle of the blue circle, the abbreviation of the diabetes type can be indicated, but as the designer highlighted, patients are more reluctant to tattoo the T2 type into the circle.

During the design, they paid careful attention to choosing the ideal body part for the tattoo. The blood flow to the arms is usually good, and since at first, paramedics always check the pulse of the unconscious patient, the tattoo is usually placed onto the left wrist of the patient.

In several previous cases, the tattoo saved the life of patients who were unable to speak, but were able to point at the tattoo on their wrists.

In the near future, the team plans to design further life-saving tattoos, among others, for those intolerant of aspirin or lidocaine. If you are interested in getting to know more about this great Hungarian initiative and check the closest salon to your domicile, click on the website of lifeguardtattoo.com.

Featured image: facebook/Rocker Tattoo

May 3, 2018

Hungarian inventor wins award in China for fluorescent plants

Hungarian inventor, Richárd Kun has won the category award in plant innovation at the 6th International Technology Fair in Shanghai – reported the Valor Hungariae Kft.

According to the company, the invention named flAVATAR is a 100% plant-based material which, applied externally to cut flowers and pot plants, makes them glow in the dark.

Origo.hu writes that a post shared on the company’s Facebook page revealed that not only was the innovation ranked among the top 10 high-tech technologies in the world, but it has also received a special award for the greenest technological production.

The plants treated with the trademark invention produced by Floreande Kft, Kun’s invention company, can glow in the dark up to 30 minutes right after being charged (depending on the level of charging) fluorescing with green, two shades of blue, red and white lights.

If the light of the plants starts to fade, it can be recharged by sunlight, a lamp or mobile phone so that they will glow again.

Without charging, the light will dim into a faint white glow that remains visible for as long as 4-5 hours.

The flAVATARs bear the characteristics of regular flowers therefore all cut flowers and pot plants should be treated accordingly – the company informs us.

Translated by Mariann Lengyel

Featured image: www.facebook.com/flAVATAR

May 2, 2018

Great news! Hungarian team develops method helping malaria drug production

A team of ethnic Hungarian researchers from two universities in Romania’s Transylvania region have developed a method for advancing the production of a malaria drug, the Sapientia University of Cluj (Kolozsvár) said on Monday.

The seven-member team has managed to increase the amount of artemisinin, a substance used in producing the drug, by 17 percent through a special biological treatment of the Artemisia annua plant’s roots.

They have also found that their method has helped the plant better adapt to draught which is important from the point of view that the Artemisia annua is cultivated mostly in tropical or subtropical environment with scarce water supplies.

The team from Sapientia and the MOGYE university of Targu Mures (Marosvásárhely) has published their study in the Frontiers in Plant Science journal.

Their finding can greatly contribute to producing artemisinin in larger quantities in a more cost-effective way today when there are one million people dying annually of the around 550 million people infected with malaria.

April 16, 2018