A wave-powered electricity generator and a mobile application for identifying medicinal plants emerged as the top technologies in the 2025 Socially Relevant Technologies (SRT) Contest, a competition organized by the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL).
In the professional category, SALTRIC Electric Power Generation Services took first place for the Marissa Turbine, a device that converts the kinetic energy of ocean waves into electricity.
The technology is designed as a renewable energy option that could be deployed in coastal areas, where wave motion can be harnessed as a continuous power source.
In the youth category, students from the University of Makati won top honors for HerbaLens, a mobile application that identifies medicinal plants through image capture.
The app aims to support traditional and community-based health practices by making plant identification more accessible using smartphone technology.
Other high-ranking entries included GH-Gaz by LITHOS Manufacturing, which placed second in the professional category for its sorbent composition used in removing sulfides from natural gas, and an oil restoration apparatus developed by Aldepulla Industrial Oil Restoration Services & Consultancy, which placed third.
In the youth category, second place went to Batangas State University’s Project BANGKA, a bioluminescence-based lighting panel intended for night fishing, while St. Paul University Philippines placed third with ShelfGuard, a system designed to extend food shelf life.
PROFESSIONAL CATEGORY:
1st Place: A Floating Generator Device With Vertical Axis Turbine
Saltric Electric Power Generation Services / Ateneo de Manila University
2nd Place: GH-Gaz: A Method of Preparation and Composition of A Sorbent Composition For Sulfide Removal in Natural Gas
LITHOS Manufacturing
3rd Place: An Oil Restoration Apparatus
Aldepulla Industrial Oil Restoration Services & Consultancy
Finalists:
Project TANAW: 3D-Printed Urban Model with Geohazards Simulations Using Virtual Environment and AR Projection Mapping
Samar State University – Main Campus
ECO-BRICKS: From Waste to Worth for Inclusive Circularity
De La Salle University
YOUTH CATEGORY:
1st Place: Development of HerbaLens: A Medicinal Plant Image Capture Application
University of Makati
2nd Place: Project BANGKA: Bioluminiscent-based Active panel for Night-fishing light Generator and Knowledge Advancement
Batangas State University
3rd Place: ShelfGuard: An Enhanced Food Preservation System
St. Paul University Philippines
Finalists:
ORCAS: Oil Recovery Clean-up Automated System
De La Salle university – Lipa
WattWise: Pioneering Smart Power Strip System for Enhanced Energy Efficiency
St. Paul University Philippines
