Scribd
Upload
198 views2 pages

Gregorio Zara: Videophone Inventor

Gregorio Zara was a Filipino scientist and inventor born in 1902. He is best known for inventing the videophone, the first two-way electronic video communicator. Zara earned multiple advanced degrees from prestigious universities. He returned to the Philippines and became involved in both government and academia, teaching at several universities. Zara received many awards and honors for his work before passing away at age 76. The Salamander Amphibious tricycle was designed over 24 months as a solution for flood-prone areas. It can quickly convert to float on water, propelled by an industrial-grade propeller. While challenging to source proprietary parts, the Salamander's ability to serve as daily transport

Uploaded by

Nicole Santiago
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
198 views2 pages

Gregorio Zara: Videophone Inventor

Gregorio Zara was a Filipino scientist and inventor born in 1902. He is best known for inventing the videophone, the first two-way electronic video communicator. Zara earned multiple advanced degrees from prestigious universities. He returned to the Philippines and became involved in both government and academia, teaching at several universities. Zara received many awards and honors for his work before passing away at age 76. The Salamander Amphibious tricycle was designed over 24 months as a solution for flood-prone areas. It can quickly convert to float on water, propelled by an industrial-grade propeller. While challenging to source proprietary parts, the Salamander's ability to serve as daily transport

Uploaded by

Nicole Santiago
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 2

Videophone

(Atoy Llave)

Gregorio Zara, a Filipino scientist best known


as the inventor of the videophone, the first two-
way electronic video communicator, was born on
March 8, 1902, in Lipa City, Batangas,
Philippines. He earned a bachelor's degree in
mechanical engineering at the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology, a master's in aeronautical
engineering (summa cum laude) at the University
of Michigan, and a doctorate in physics at
Sorbonne University in Paris (summa cum laude
with Tres Honorable, the highest graduate student honor). He returned to
the Philippines and became involved in both the government and the
academic worlds. At the same time, he taught aeronautics at several
universities. All told, he patented 30 devices and received different
prestigious awards and recognitions in and outside the country. Zara died
of heart failure at the age of 76.

The Salamander Amphibious


tricycle, was designed over 24 months of
research and development as a solution to
flood-prone areas, particularly Navotas. They
were challenged to do so by the Asian
Development Bank (ADB) through Sohail
Hasne, its principal energy specialist. From this
form, Salamander can quickly become disaster-
ready, llave said the vehicle is also build with a
patent pending compartmentalized hull to enable the vehicle to float under
water.“Once flooding arises, with a switch of a lever, the mud type,
industrial grade propeller can travel even in flood waters,” Llave said. The
steering wheel is used for both land and water. Llave said that the built-in
rudder enables the Salamander to maneuver even in water. While these
features are impressive, the proprietary design made sourcing the parts
difficult – the biggest challenge of Salamander’s development.

That Salamander is flexible enough to serve two different purposes –


daily transport and emergency rescue – makes it cost-effective.
Barangays would not have to shell out money for rescue vehicles
potentially used only a few days out of the year. That the government is
willing to work with these tech companies now bodes well for H2O
Technologies and its Salamander. But what will it take to see the
Salamander be widely available on the commercial market? Cost, of
course, is the most important factor.

Llave said that the H2O Technologies team is trying to find the best
price possible for their market. To them, this comes down to sourcing the
most appropriate parts while still maintaining the delicate balance between
quality and cost. With all the buzz that Salamander has received, some
Filipinos will want to use it as a leisure vehicle.

For these customers, the H2O Technologies team has created a


version of Salamander for private use that would cost about P280,000
($6,196.88). The Salamander, with higher specs and added features that
can be used as a national government vehicle and rescue vehicle, would
range from P300,000 ($6,634.36) and P495,000 ($10,929.47).

Elly Boy T. Reate

Cheska Veron Toca

Maricar Juntilla Mañacap

You might also like