USB port under the control of AGH student

"Double-sided A-type USB port" has already received a gold medal with distinction at the international exhibition of inventions in Geneva.

"Most flash drive users find plugging them into USB ports very inconvenient, as they often put it in wrong side up" - explained Jędrzej Blaut, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Robotics, AGH University of Science and Technology. Modifying the computer USB port should eliminate this problem.

The researcher explained in an interview with PAP that the information from USB flash drive is transferred to a computer via 4 pins. "When we look at USB, we can see a plastic strip, and four metal elements, pins" - he explained. In both USB connector and standard USB port, the pins are located only on one side, and users often find it hard to see at first glance, on which. Therefore, by trial and error they check which side up the flash drive should be inserted into the port.

Jędrzej Blaut decided to duplicate the strip with pins, placing it also on the opposite side of the port. Thanks to its flexible design, the port strip with pins adapts to the position of USB plug of the connected device. This way, a standard USB plug will fit into the port, regardless of which side up is put plugged in.

The student’s modification allows the to keep the standard dimensions of the port. It is also compatible with all generations of USB. The innovator believes that a change in port construction could take place together with the introduction of new USB standard, for example, 4.0.

Inventors have already tried to solve the problem with flash drives. There are flash drives on the market with a plug that can be inserted into a standard port either side up. The AGH student came up with a different idea: instead of modifying the USB plug, he modified the port. This would allow to use today’s flash drive with new generation of computers without problems.

"I have made a 3D print, confirming that the device will work, and I have performed basic utility research for this device" - told PAP the inventor from AGH. He noted that he had applied for patent protection. "I am currently looking for investors" - he revealed.

The AGH student received one of several gold medals with distinction awarded at Geneva Inventions 2013. His solution was reviewed by an international jury, which awarded him the highest score.

Blaut is also the winner of the student "Competition for an Idea" and this year\'s "Student-Inventor" competition organized by Kielce University of Technology. With the victory in the "Competition for an Idea", his already as a guaranteed patent protection.

Read more about the successes of Polish inventors in Geneva here.

PAP - Science and Scholarship in Poland

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