BANGKOK, Jan. 31 (Xinhua) -- As the robotic gripper of a drone was loosened, a life jacket was thrown to the person who had fallen into the water for rescue.
This was the video footage shown by a contestant of the Thailand division semifinal of Lancang-Mekong Countries Science and Technology Innovation Competition, demonstrating the mechanism for life jacket deployment in water-rescue operations of the drone platform with a gripper.
The semifinal was co-hosted by the Chinese Academy of Sciences Innovation Cooperation Center (Bangkok) and Yunnan Academy of Scientific and Technical Information on Thursday.
More than 300 universities, research institutes, and enterprises from the six Lancang-Mekong countries have signed up for the competition.
Semifinals were held simultaneously in China, Thailand, and Myanmar, where 120 project teams competed for 60 spots in the finals. The participating projects cover a wide range of fields, including biomedicine, modern agriculture, information technology, and sustainable development.
Contestants in the Thailand division semifinal are generally concerned about the common technological challenges faced by the Lancang-Mekong countries. Dibesh Karmacharya, a contestant, presented a solution for antibiotic resistance in poultry together with his team.
With long-term experience in biological research, he found that the problem of excessive use of antibiotics in poultry farming is widespread in the Lancang-Mekong countries, which may exacerbate the issue of antibiotic resistance and affect the development of the poultry farming industry in these countries.
"We have developed a probiotic additive that provides a cost-effective alternative to traditional antibiotic treatments," Dibesh said.
Dibesh's team comprises members from Vietnam, Laos and Nepal. After learning the news of this competition, his team signed up immediately.
"When we saw that this competition was specifically designed for Lancang-Mekong countries, we knew it would be a great opportunity to participate. There are also many Chinese scientists working on similar issues, so we believe this will be an excellent way to strengthen our cooperation network, even if we don't win," he said.
Kiatkamjon Intani, deputy head of the Department of Farm Mechanics at Kasetsart University, said that this competition brought together scientific and technological workers from the Lancang-Mekong countries to jointly solve the problems they all face.
"The Lancang-Mekong countries form a community of shared interests, with each nation boasting its own unique strengths. This competition allows us to break down barriers and forge ahead hand in hand," added Kiatkamjon, who was also one of the judges of the semifinal.
Emerging technologies such as drones and artificial intelligence were also key focuses for participants from the Lancang-Mekong countries.
Nathapol Nithichodchaisiri, a lecturer from Siam Technology College in Thailand, brought unmanned aerial vehicles with his team, which are mainly used for rescuing victims in earthquakes and fires.
"We are very glad to showcase our latest products and innovative ideas at the competition," said Nathapol, expressing the hope to take this opportunity to promote their innovations to the international market and participate in more rescue missions.
Kiatkamjon said he was pleased to see that all the contestants' innovations are rooted in the real needs of the Lancang-Mekong countries. "Living by the same river, we should enhance cooperation through platforms like this competition," he said. ■