TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — National Taiwan University will hold a tech exhibition starting Friday, celebrating the 80th anniversary of its College of Engineering with a focus on integrating mechanical technology into daily life.
The three-day expo, organized jointly by the university’s Mechanical Engineering Department and Museum of Engineering, aims to highlight mechanical engineering applications ranging from AI technologies to everyday life, per CNA.
On Friday, the expo will begin with a robotic dog demonstration developed by a department team, allowing the robot to interact with visitors. The event will also showcase the department’s prototype race car and industry-collaborated robotic arm technologies, including demonstrations for cake making, beverage service, and gaming. A small robot will guide visitors through the exhibition.
In December, the university converted its old Mechanical Engineering building into the museum and held an expo showcasing student-built vehicles. Highlights included race cars, solar-powered cars, and the lightweight electric vehicle iPLEV, designed for urban and suburban travel in Taiwan, with a range of 45 km and a top speed of 60 kph.
Museum Director Karen Huang (黃凱蘭) said the museum also displays teaching tools, textbooks, and handwritten theses dating back 50 years. Originally planned as a cafe, the building underwent more than 10 years of restoration at a cost of over NT$100 million (US$3.33 million), transforming it into a facility highlighting the department’s history and innovation.
The department also formed a racing team to develop prototype race cars and unveil new technologies each January. Jordan Wu (吳炳昌), CEO of Himax Technologies and an alumnus of the school, has long sponsored the team’s R&D and allows members to visit the company’s Tainan facility.
The university added the team uses computer-aided and traditional machining techniques to improve the fabrication of race car parts. In March, the team also showcased its work at the Taipei International Machine Tool Show.
