Anne Zhang, Henry Xiao

    zhangy49@gmail.com

    AT a corner in Hall 9 of Shenzhen Convention and Exhibition Center stand lines of small booths exhibiting more than 40 projects developed by students from the city’s universities, marking the first time the China High-Tech Fair has designated an exhibition area for local students.

    Students from six academic and research institutes in Shenzhen are demonstrating their technological achievements, hoping to draw investment.

    “It was almost impossible for college students to have these new projects shown at the high-tech fair in previous years. I was so excited when the fair committee told me about the plan to set up an area for our students,” said Zhu Jie, project manager of the Business Development Center of PKU-HKUST Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institution.

    Zhu’s institution has 14 student projects at the fair. He said the fair helps students gain more perspective about their inventions.

    “After talking with fairgoers and seeing the market’s responses, the students will have a better understanding of the merits and drawbacks of their products,” Zhu said.

    More than half of the student projects were making their debuts at the fair. Chen Huaguan’s Jungle Piggy, a smartphone plug-in kit, is one of them.

    The kit operates like a small flash drive that can be plugged into a mobile phone’s earphone socket, said Chen, a second-year graduate student from Harbin Institute of Technology Shenzhen Graduate School.

    “It helps measure the temperature, humidity, altitude and ultraviolet radiation around you and would be especially useful for people in harsh conditions, such as in jungles,” Chen said.

    He added that more than 40 people wanted to buy his product at the site and three businessmen showed interest in making an investment in it.

    “The fair has helped me gain first-hand feedback from customers,” Chen said. “I’ve seen some market potential and I feel more confident about my product.”

    Wang Weizhi with Fuliye Technology Co. said products that are closely connected to people’s daily lives are always welcomed by the market.

    A bike treadmill designed by students from the Harbin Institute of Technology Shenzhen Graduate School is one such example.

    By connecting the fitness machine to a smartphone or a tablet via Bluetooth, people can get information about their body movements, play games or watch videos while exercising.