Revosplint developed by TMU student team wins the gold medal in the Taiwanese qualification round of gSIC-REAT

Source: College of Biomedical Engineering

Published on 2020-03-06

Taipei Medical University’s Research Center of Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology, in collaboration with Taiwan Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society(TREATS), held the annual Taiwan Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society conference as well as the qualification round for the Taiwan region for the Global Student Innovation Challenge – Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology (gSIC-REAT) on May 18, 2019.


Students from the College of Biomedical Engineering, led by TMU Prof. Chih-Wei Peng(彭志維), entered the competition and were awarded the gold medal in the design category.  

The Global Student Innovation Challenge (gSIC) encourages student from around the world to develop creative and innovative devices that can be used to raise the quality of life for the elderly and the disabled. It also allows the participating students to show their skills and abilities, and give them an opportunity to work with experts and potential target clients to use their creativity, to commercialize their innovative products and introduce them into the market. This annual competition is held every year in collaboration with International Convention on Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology (i-CREATe), in order to promote collaboration and exchange with international students, and give students a chance to shine in the field of assistive technology. 

TMU Prof. Chih-Wei Peng(彭志維)(left) and the members of team

Students from the College of Biomedical Engineering named their team “the Indomitable BLESS(百折不撓BLESS)”, and their theme was the revosplint (smart splint). The design for this assistive tool was aimed at patients with bone fractures, and hopes to use the innovative tool to reduce the number of hospital visits made by patients, and raise the overall comfort for the whole treatment process. The students hoped to use 3D printing technology to be able to customize the assistive technology product and improve on the efficiency of the treatment. In terms of design, the assistive tool itself has an electrothermal therapy set up, which can be used to alleviate pain and improve muscle recovery. Under expert supervision, and through their excellent presentation and assistive tool model, the Indomitable BLESS team was awarded the gold medal in the design category. Prof. Chih-Wei Peng shall lead the same group of students to Australia at the end of August to participate in the international competition. 

Members of team said they spent a lot of time and effort in preparing the assistive tool for the competition. On the day of the competition, the procedures were in line with the official competition rules, and was all carried out in English, including the product introduction and the Q&A on stage, as well as introducing their product to judges at their exhibit stall. Experts from various fields attending the conference also provided the entrants with different suggestions, so that they can improve on their products, as well as practice their English presentation skills. 

Group photo of all participants in the Global Student Innovation Challenge – Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology, gSIC-REAT qualification in Taiwan