The Late King Bhumibol Adulyadej was so much more than a monarch, he was the man who shaped modern Thailand, a man of many roles; a leader, engineer, and inventor. Regarded as The Father of Technology in Thailand, a day was made in his honor “Thai Technology Day”, held every year on October 19th due to his thought leadership and remarkable achievements in the field.
Some estimate that his highness is the owner of over 20 patents and 19 trademarks, mostly tools, and techniques for rural developments for which he took a significant interest in. For people on the outside looking in, the King was, aside from his political responsibilities, a genuine thinker and active leader who helped to advance Thailand into modernity.
His Majesty was famed for applying modern Technology to existing resources, utilizing them to increase efficiency and better serve his people. Among his most highly regarded and significant contributions is the “Artifical Rainmaking Process”, which was demonstrated by His Majesty himself for an impressed Singaporean delegation at Kaeng Krachan Dam, Phetchaburi, October 19th, 1972.
His rainmaking technique was the cause of much excitement among the on looking delegation, as within 5 hours of the demonstration heavy rain fell upon the area. The success of the experiment received much local and international recognition.
Like many of his developments, His Majesty’s focus was upon assisting farmers and rural Thai workers. He found that drought was severe in many parts of the country, becoming deeply problematic for those relying on rainwater and causing hardships for farmers. A frequent visitor to the rural regions, he was inspired to create a method to ease drought – bringing down more rain and assisting those most in need.
His Majesty used non-toxic, environmentally-friendly chemicals to stimulate wind flow around clouds, making them dense and enabling them to contain, and drop more water. This strategy has greatly assisted rural workers, as it both eases water shortage and increases agricultural output. The procedure was implemented by the Thailand Royal Rainmaking Project, initiated in 1955 by His Majesty, using a method termed “cloud seeding”.
His Highness was always a keen scientist, at one point majoring in Science at the University of Lausanne, the rainmaking technology was established using his own private funds. By 1999, the King’s research and development had discovered its own patented method of rainmaking named “The Super Sandwich Technique”. He even wrote his own award-winning textbook on rainmaking titled “The Royal Rainmaking Textbook”.
The pioneering strategy has been implemented in many countries, including Australia. Now the wider world can reap the benefits of seeds that The Father of Technology has sowed.
References:
http://thailand.prd.go.th/ewt_news.php?nid=4036&filename=index
Digital Marketing Manager at Aware Group: Working his way through the world of technology and Thailand as best as he can. Happy to contribute to other tech publications.