The HCAS Invention Lab team holding the school flag at the 2024 Kaohsiung International Invention and Design Expo
Hsinchu County American School

International Technology Invention Competition Lab

We invent, patent, and pitch. Students design original products, file for intellectual property, and present them to judges at invention expos across the world.

See Our Inventions Join the Lab
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6Awards Won
4Inventions
10Expos Entered
5Countries
Our Inventions

Built by students.
Judged by the world.

Every project starts as a problem someone on the team actually ran into — then becomes a working prototype, a patent filing, and a booth on an international expo floor.

The full Automatic Multi-Toiletries Dispenser Machine competition poster: overview, labelled internal diagram, solution, benefits, options and future developments
Most Awarded Project

Automatic Multi-Toiletries Dispenser Machine

Dispenses up to three toiletries you load yourself — press a button and an ultrasonic sensor releases it into your hand. Mounts on a wall or sits on a countertop. It has been judged at three expos on three continents.

Gold20th Int'l Salon of Inventions & New Technologies, 2024
Bronze12th Kaohsiung Int'l Invention & Design Expo, 2025
Silver25th Malaysia Technology Expo, 2026 — with INNOPA Special Award
Concept illustration of the AI Clothing Checkout Mirror: a shopper holding a garment up to a screen that displays its details and a checkout action

AI Clothing Checkout Mirror

11th Kaohsiung Int'l Invention & Design Expo, 2024

Bronze Award
Concept illustration of the Multi-Move Umbrella Holder: an adjustable arm mounted to a backpack strap holding an umbrella overhead in the rain

Multi-Move Umbrella Holder

12th Kaohsiung Int'l Invention & Design Expo, 2025

Certificate of Participation
Concept illustration of the Smart Rainwater Control Roof: sloped roof panels channelling rainwater into a collection tank

Smart Rainwater Control Roof

British International Education Association (BIEA) STEM Competition, 2025

Rising Star Award
YearProjectCompetitionResult
2026 Automatic Multi-Toiletries Dispenser Machine 25th Malaysia Technology Expo Silver + INNOPA
2025 Automatic Multi-Toiletries Dispenser Machine 12th Kaohsiung Int'l Invention & Design Expo Bronze
2025 Smart Rainwater Control Roof BIEA STEM Competition Rising Star
2025 Multi-Move Umbrella Holder 12th Kaohsiung Int'l Invention & Design Expo Participation
2024 Automatic Multi-Toiletries Dispenser Machine 20th Int'l Salon of Inventions & New Technologies Gold
2024 AI Clothing Checkout Mirror 11th Kaohsiung Int'l Invention & Design Expo Bronze
What We Do

From a rough idea
to a patent and a booth.

The lab runs the whole cycle. Members take an idea from sketch to working prototype, protect it, then stand behind a table and defend it in front of international judges.

01

Invent & Patent

We come up with ideas, build and test them, then file for the rights that keep the work ours.

02

Compete Internationally

We enter major invention expos worldwide — meeting inventors and judges, learning fast, and sometimes bringing home a medal.

03

Market the Product

We make the ads, run the social media, and work the expo floor to find customers and partners.

HCAS students demonstrating a prototype and laptop to a visitor at the 2024 expo
Skills You'll Build

Six ways to contribute.

You don't have to be an engineer. A lab that ships needs builders, storytellers, and closers.

A lightbulb glowing above an open notebook of invention sketches

Creativity & Critical Thinking

Come up with ideas nobody else has, and solve problems by thinking differently.

A rising bar chart with an upward arrow beside a price tag and storefront

Marketing & Business

Find the people who need what we built, and make them want it.

A podium and microphone facing a seated audience

Public Speaking

Stand in front of judges and a crowd, explain the idea, and get them excited.

A laptop beside a microcontroller board with sensors and wiring

Technology & Computer

Use code, sensors, and CAD to build the thing and then make it better.

An artist palette with brushes and a fan of colour swatches

Art, Design & Decoration

Make the product and the booth look like something worth stopping for.

A cinema camera on a tripod beside a clapperboard and film strip

Video Making & Editing

Shoot and cut the videos that show off the inventions and tell our story.

Yearly Competitions

Where we compete.

The expos the lab works toward each year. Entries are chosen based on which projects are ready.

FebruaryBangkok Int'l IP, Invention, Innovation & Technology ExpoThailand
MayInt'l Invention, Innovation & Technology Exhibition (ITEX)Malaysia
JulyJapan Design, Idea and Invention Expo (JDIE)Japan
JulyWorld Invention Creativity Olympics (WICO)Korea
SeptemberInternational Invention & Trade Expo (ITE)London
SeptemberDaVinci Int'l Innovation & Invention ExpoEurope
SeptemberInternational Salon of Inventions & New TechnologiesNew Time
OctoberMacao International Innovation and Invention ExpoMacao
DecemberKaohsiung Int'l Invention & Design Expo (KIDE)Taiwan
DecemberInternational Warsaw Invention Show (IWIS)Poland
Join Us

Bring an idea. Leave with a patent.

The lab is open to HCAS students who want to build something real and defend it in front of an international panel. No experience required — just an idea and the willingness to keep rebuilding it.

Join the Lab