The Philippines has produced its share of groundbreaking inventions.
Filipinos are people from the country known as the Philippines, an archipelago consisting of more than 1,000 islands in the Pacific Ocean. Over the years, many Filipino inventors have created groundbreaking inventions for a wide variety of functions and uses. Past inventions in which Filipinos have had a hand are karaoke machines, the moon buggy and the fluorescent lamp. Filipinos continue to be responsible for major breakthrough products.
Anti-Cancer Skin Cream
In 2005, Filipino inventor Rolando de la Cruz claimed to have invented a skin cream that combats skin cancer. At the International Inventors' Forum in Nuremberg, Germany, that year, his skin cream was judged the most significant invention of that year. The cream contains cashew nuts and other simple herbs and is intended to treat basal cell carcinoma (BCC). The skin cream has proven to be successful in 16 out of 39 documented cases, with more tests currently underway. The skin cream was also recognized at the 93rd Annual Clinical Congress of the American College of Surgeons in New Orleans.
Solar-Powered Incubator
Members of the College of Engineering and Agro-Industrial Technology at the University of the Philippines Los Baños developed an incubator that can help duck eggs to develop into balut --- that is, a fertilized egg --- while being fueled by solar power. The machine covers an area of about 5 square meters. Heat emanates primarily from a solar-powered water heater, with photovoltaic cells to regulate the heat inside the incubator. The machine could double the income of Filipino farmers.
Superkalan
The Superkalan is a stove that can be powered by any substance that burns. Narciso Mosuela of the Filipino province of La Union invented it and received the Best Design award from the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) in 1987. Among the substances that can power the Superkalan are wood, paper, dried dung and leaves, corncobs and coco shells. Mosuela has also invented a functional rice thresher.
Mole Remover
Rolando de la Cruz also developed a mole remover made from cashew nuts. The remover can be used without surgery. In September 2000, de la Cruz won a gold medal at ITEX, an international invention, innovation, industrial design and technology exhibition in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, run by the Malaysian Invention & Design Society.
Vaznbuilt
Filipino inventor Edgardo Vazquez created a modular housing system known as Vazbuilt. A Vazbuilt house can be created within weeks and possesses a design that's resistant to typhoons and earthquakes. In 1995, Vazquez was awarded a gold medal by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) for his invention.
Tags: skin cream, cashew nuts, Filipino inventor, gold medal, groundbreaking inventions, Rolando Cruz