Taiwanese inventor Hsieh Kuo-Cheng wins Ig Nobel Prize for Bank Security Device

In an earlier post on this site, an appeal was issued in which it was stated that the Ig Nobel Prize committee at Harvard University was trying to locate Taiwanese inventor Hsieh Kuo-cheng in order to inform him that he was named as one of the ten winners of this year's 2007 Ig Nobel Prizes for his invention of "A Net Trapping System to Catch a Bank Robber."

The Ig Nobel Prize awards combine science and humor into an entertaining mix. It's not the Nobel Prize, it's the Ig Nobel Prize. Hsieh's creative invention was cited at the awards ceremony at Harvard on Oct. 4 for its uniqueness and creativity; an explanation of how it works and what it looks like can be viewed on the Internet via a Google search. According to Hsieh's invention, a net that is suspended from a ceiling of a bank lobby can be lowered in an instant, in the event of bank robbery, with the entire system relying on an infrared camera that can detect bank robbers in action.

While many of the winners in the past have come from North America, Britain and Japan, Hsieh's win this year puts Taiwan on the international map in a novel way. Although the prize committee was not able to locate Hsieh to inform him that he had won the prize, and to invite him to Harvard for the ceremony this week, his win still deserves some ink .......... ****UPDATE: October 5: Mr Hsieh has been located and he accepted the prize in Taichung, Taiwan.

Congratulations, Mr. Hsieh!

Another absentee was Kuo Cheng Hsieh, from Taiwan, who won the economics prize for a device for catching bank robbers by dropping a net on their heads. He has been missing for several years.

UPDATE: after the APPLE DAILY in Taiwan ran a story about him today, Mr Hsieh called the newspaper and said "Here I am. I accept the prize."

A Taiwanese man invents seizes the thief net to attain does smiles
Nobel to renew the date: 2.007/10/06 billion 04:09 [ translates Luo
Yanchieh to synthesize on fifth foreign news dispatch to report ]
imitates the Nobel prize the 17th session "to do smiles the Nobel
prize" (Ig Nobel Prize), on fourth in the evening in the American hemp
state Harvard University 桑德斯 theater promulgation, personally
promulgates by six genuine Nobel prize laurel crown new owner. The
family lives Taichung Taiwan person Xie Kuochen, because invents to be
possible to drop from the clouds seizes the bank bandit's trap, takes
the economic prize great honor. This year in ten award items, some
seven people attend. Xie Kuochen applies for the patent in a two ○ ○
year "to hold the bank bandit's trap trap system", in a bank hall
ceiling suspension trap, once meets robs, the trap can drop from the
clouds. The entire wrap system is relies on the infrared camera to
detect bandit's motion. The sponsor unit at the promulgation ceremony,
mentioned Xie Kuochen the invention has the distinctive quality and
the creativity. But, Xie Kuochen attends the ceremony, the reason is
by no means Taiwan does smiles the Nobel prize to find his
whereabouts. Establishes this prize "the inconceivable research year
鑑" to edit Abraham humorously to say that, "Taiwan that side some
people indicated that, this person is stranded in own machine,
moreover continuously is stranded to the present." Other new owners
are as follows ︰ The Argentine cloth suitably promises Allis to be
wonderful your beautiful gentleman university team, discovered has
eaten the masculine aphrodisiacs prestige but the steel hamster,
compared to similar has little spend half time, overcomes for six
hours time differences, wins the aviation prize. American professor
Kang hoped studies person's appetite limit, tests the person whether
can does not see the bottom in the bowl depth in the situation to
drink surpasses the normal component the soup, therefore installs the
pipe in the bowl bottom, calmly infinitude supply tomato thick soup.
The result discovered has been equally drunk trying 73% component
soup, moreover unconsciously has quite full. Other new owners study
topic including ︰ Why can the bed sheet crepe; Swallows the sword to
the health influence; The mouse is unable to distinguish but actually
Japanese which said with but actually the dutch which said; Which
reptiles and the humanity altogether rest a bed; As well as how
English definite article does the create the edition when defers to
the alphabetical order arrangement index the headache not already. The
Ohio state air force Wright laboratory then because the proposition
research and development lets the enemy troop soldier want to make
love "comrade with the fellow officer the bomb" the chemical weapons,
lets them unintentionally prolong contact, obtains 實至名歸 peace prize.
Abraham once solicited support the retirement and the active duty air
personnels received an award on behalf of the military, but nobody
dared. The extract leaves the spice from the cow dung to win chemistry
prize Japan researcher Shan Penma by, this also improves on
perfection, a local ice cream shop invents one kind of new taste,
names is "mountain this taste" shows to congratulate. Shan Pen
expression, initially from the electricity postal knew when oneself
wins an award, but also thought was a practical joke, but afterwards
decided the attendance promulgation ceremony, because "I hoped each
people all knew my research".


台灣人發明擒賊網 獲搞笑諾貝爾
 更新日期:2007/10/06 04:09
〔編譯羅彥傑綜合五日外電報導〕仿效諾貝爾獎的第十七屆「搞笑諾貝爾獎」（Ig Nobel
Prize），四日晚間在美國麻州哈佛大學桑德斯劇院頒獎，由六名真正諾貝爾獎桂冠得主親自頒獎。家住台中的台灣人謝國楨，因為發明一件可從天而降擒住銀行搶匪的羅網，拿下經濟學獎殊榮。

今年十名獎項中，有七人出席。謝國楨在二○○一年申請到專利的「抓住銀行搶匪的羅網陷阱系統」，在銀行大廳天花板懸吊一張羅網，一旦遇到搶劫，羅網就會從天而降。整套系統是依賴紅外線攝影機偵測搶匪的行動。

主辦單位在頒獎典禮上，提到謝國楨的發明具獨特性與創造性。不過，謝國楨並未出席典禮，原因是台灣的搞笑諾貝爾獎找不到他的下落。創立此獎的「不可思議研究年鑑」編輯亞伯拉罕幽默地說：「台灣那邊有人表示，這個人受困在自己的機器裡，而且一直被困到現在。」

其他得主如下︰阿根廷布宜諾艾利斯奇爾美士大學團隊，發現吃了男性壯陽藥威而鋼的倉鼠，比同類少花了一半的時間，就克服六小時的時差，贏得航空獎。

美國康乃爾大學教授希望研究人的胃口限制，測試人是否會在碗深不見底的情況下喝超過正常份量的湯，因此在碗底裝設管子，不動聲色地無限量供應番茄濃湯。結果發現受試者平均多喝了七十三％份量的湯，而且不覺得有比較飽。

其他得主研究的題目包括︰床單為何會縐；吞劍對健康的影響；老鼠無法分辨倒著說的日語與倒著說的荷蘭語；哪些爬蟲與人類共睡一張床；以及英文定冠詞the如何造成編輯在按照字母順序排列索引時頭痛不已。

俄亥俄州空軍萊特實驗室則因為提議研發讓敵軍士兵想和同袍做愛的「同志炸彈」化武，讓他們無心戀戰，獲得實至名歸的和平獎。亞伯拉罕曾遊說退役與現役空軍人員代表軍方領獎，但沒人敢來。

從牛糞中萃取出香料而贏得化學獎的日本研究人員山本麻由，這次還錦上添花，當地一家冰淇淋店發明一種新口味，就取名為「山本口味」以示祝賀。

山本表示，當初從電郵得知自己獲獎時，還以為是惡作劇，但後來決定出席頒獎典禮，因為「我希望每一個人都知道我的研究」。