Erfan Nouraee said he was inspired to create an advanced optical fiber communication sensor after seeing how the lack of internet access in rural and remote areas in his home country has prevented their community to access education and health services.
As the annual international invention and innovation competition by the Geneva-based International Federation of Inventors’ Associations (IFIA) returns, Erfan Nouraee, a 19-year-old York University electrical engineering student from Toronto, Ont., has won a bronze medal for his “eco-friendly and low-cost” fiber optic internet sensor.
Nouraee said he hoped his “Photon Detector System” creation would “reduce the impact” fiber optic cables have on the environment.
“What inspired me mainly was to make something to help people in our rural and remote communities to have access to reliable, high-speed Internet,” Nouraee said.
Erfan Nouraee said this sensor can increase optical signals’ quality, prolong the life of the fiber optic cables and reduce their damaging byproducts, and he hopes that the results of his experiment will help connect rural and remote communities to high-quality Internet.
“Photon Detector System is ideally suited for areas where connectivity has been unreliable or completely unavailable,” Nouraee added.
IFIA’s International Invention and Innovation Competition aims to recognize and reward inventions in all areas of science, technology and engineering.
Premier Doug Ford, Richmond Hill MP Majid Jowhari and Aurora—Oak Ridges—Richmond Hill MPP Michael Parsa, among many others, have extended their congratulations to Nouraee on social media.
Nouraee said young people are at the frontlines of innovation and technology to build more resilient and inclusive industries and to create solutions for problems facing the environment.
“The future of Canada’s entrepreneurial ecosystem is in the hands of our youth, and it’s looking bright,” Startup Canada tweeted.
