The awards ceremony for the 125th Lépine Competition took place on Sunday, May 10th, during which the INPI prize was awarded. 250 inventions were in competition and were scrutinized by a jury of about fifty people.

A long-standing partner of the competition, the INPI (French National Institute of Industrial Property) was once again honored to participate and award the "INPI Prize." This prize is awarded based on the following criteria: the technical nature of the invention, its scope, and the status of the related patent application(s). Filing an industrial property (IP) title and creating a prototype of the invention are prerequisites for participation in the competition.

The Industrial Property and International Department represented the Institute and was responsible for selecting the inventors who best utilize IP tools in their projects. The INPI prize was awarded at the official ceremony on May 10th at the Paris Fair.

A "green" technology awarded by the INPI

The INPI prize was therefore awarded to Alan Mario d'Alfonso Peral for his technology. "Mr. Turbino", an intelligent autonomous underwater device for ecological multi-channel air pollution control, which would compete in the "Daily life and lifestyle" selection.

"It's a patented underwater collection technology based on a low-pressure vortex, without continuous suction, respecting ecosystems," the inventor explained at the award ceremony. "This motorless operation allows it to be used near sensitive areas such as seagrass beds or rocks," he continued.

An associated mobile application allows tracking of collected waste, recording its quantity and location, in order to document cleanup actions.

“Mr. Turbino” is a small, handheld underwater vacuum cleaner. “The device operates at low pressure; air is injected at very low pressure to create an upward flow. The microbubbles gently lift the waste present on the seabed, which then rises naturally without destroying the ecosystems,” explains Elodie Astier, a patent engineer at the INPI (French National Institute of Industrial Property) in charge of selecting the winner, who was able to see the innovation firsthand during her visit to the Paris Fair.

"The inventor has demonstrated a good grasp of industrial property by filing two patents for the suction and filtration system of the Geneseas pollution-cleaning robot and one patent for the device's low-pressure pneumatic technology." Mr. Turbino » Elodie Astier tells us. 

This invention also received the Grand Prix - President of the Republic Prize at the Lépine Competition.

The inventor of this system is a former professional rugby player from Argentina. Alan d'Alfonso Peral is passionate about sailing and diving. In 2016, he founded the Recyclamer association to clean up the seabed and protect aquatic environments. He first created Geneseas, a solar-powered, connected robot capable of cleaning up ports and marinas, which won the Vivatech Innovation Award in 2022. After Geneseas, which was designed to collect surface waste, "Mr. Turbino" is now looking to collect waste from the depths of the seabed.

All the best to Alan d'Alfonso Peral, a passionate visionary, who is deploying patented eco-technological solutions to clean, monitor and protect aquatic ecosystems!

Source: https://www.inpi.fr/en/in-one/Lepine-competition-2026