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KIMIA wins the James Dyson Award 2020 in Singapore

Young inventors engineer high-tech wearable to boost rehabilitation for total knee replacement patients.

The Problem

Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is a common disease and is one of the five leading causes of disability in Singapore. It is caused by wear and tear to cartilage, which eventually leads to bone damage and deformity. To mitigate pain and regain mobility, some inevitably turn to Total Knee Replacement (TKR) surgery. TKR is one of the most common Orthopaedic surgeries performed worldwide, and is followed by a long and unengaging rehabilitation that is often perceived as burdensome. Rehabilitative exercises are critical in helping TKR patients strengthen and restore movement to their leg following surgery. As most rehabilitation takes place at home, doctors and therapists are unable to keep close track of their patients’ recovery, or monitor how well patients are adhering to the prescribed rehabilitative exercises.

The Invention

Struck by the lack of advancements in the field of rehabilitation, the growing strain on healthcare systems, and a rapidly aging population, the winner of this year’s Singapore National James Dyson Award Winner decided to harness their knowledge in engineering and technology to solve this problem.  

KIMIA Rehab Kit, invented by Aaron Ramzeen and Ricky Guo, recent graduates of the National University of Singapore, is a wearable device powered by patented flexible sensor technology. It provides a comprehensive solution for remote rehabilitation monitoring– where patients who have undergone TKR surgery may follow guided exercises at home, and have their progress shared and monitored by therapists in real-time. This means that therapists can keep track of the patient’s rehabilitation journey, and deliver evidence-based personalised prescriptions remotely.

Existing wearables in the market rely on inertial measurement units (IMU), which need to be positioned consistently on the patient’s body in order to deliver accurate data. However, the signals from these units tend to drift over time, resulting in unreliable data. To counter this problem, KIMIA uses a proprietary flexible sensor which ensures highly accurate and consistent data collection that clinicians can rely on to track their patients’ progress. This device is also designed to be unobtrusive, and is built for continuous 24/7 monitoring; it can be comfortably worn during daily activities when the user is walking, sitting or sleeping.

Looking ahead, the team aims to incorporate an electromyography (EMG) sensor to also help clinicians monitor patients’ muscle recovery conditions. Plans have also been made to develop similar technologies tailored to support the rehabilitation of other parts of the body, such as the hips, ankles and shoulders.

Aaron Ramzeen, inventor of KIMIA and Product Development Engineer at Kinexcs, said:

“Putting ourselves in the shoes of both TKR patient and clinicians was integral in helping us engineer a product that is both engaging and effortless to use. KIMIA is just the beginning for us; we will work towards developing a series of thoughtfully-designed medical wearable products.”

Patrick Grove, Co-founder & Group CEO of Catcha Group, and member of the JDA judging panel, said of this year’s Singapore entries:

“Highly innovative yet practical. They have displayed a great blend of art & science in their work. It is also good to see that many Singaporean inventors are not afraid to tackle problems and create an impact outside of their home region as well.”

Bicky Bhangu, President – South East Asia, Pacific and South Korea at Rolls-Royce, and member of the JDA judging panel, said of this year’s Singapore entries:

“Privileged to be a judge for the James Dyson Award and impressed by the creativity and innovativeness of all the entries from Singapore. Well done to all participants and congratulations to the winners! It’s exciting to see the future of engineering with such passionate, talented minds.”

Aaron and Ricky, along with the team of Kinexcs, have obtained a perpetual license for all the background Intellectual Property (IP) used in the development of KIMIA, and filed foreground IP in the form of patents, copyrights, trademarks, and all know-how embodied in the device. The team has also obtained formal approval from the Institutional Review Board of hospitals to conduct clinical studies using the KIMIA system, and have filed notification for the product as a clinical research material with regulatory bodies like the Health Sciences Authority of Singapore. Clinical trials are currently in progress with selected hospitals in Singapore.

The Runners Up

ASCEND

Problem: It is estimated that 3% of Singapore’s residents have some form of disabilities. Globally, one billion people, or 15% of the world’s population, experience some form of disability. Amongst them are wheelchair users, who face challenges daily in navigating their towns and cities. Wheelchair ramps, while built to serve wheelchair users, can pose a safety risk. Fatigued wheelchair users run the risk of rolling backwards or worse still – tipping over.

Solution: ASCEND, invented by Kong Shao Ming from the Nanyang Technological University, is an affordable and easy-to-assemble accessory that can be retrofitted onto existing manual wheelchairs. It adopts the principles of a ratchet and pawl mechanism to allow for mono-directional motion and is a feasible alternative to navigating inclines without any motorised parts. While motorised wheelchairs do exist, it may not be affordable or accessible for all. ASCEND serves to bridge that gap, and can be manufactured by machining or 3D printing at low cost due to its small but simple design.

LittleDreamer

Problem: One in three Singaporeans suffer from moderate-to-severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). It is a condition that causes sufferers to stop breathing repeatedly in their sleep due to a complete or partial blockage in their airways. Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy is a common treatment for OSA. However, existing CPAP masks tackling Paediatric Obstructive Sleep Apnea rarely fit children – making sleep an uncomfortable experience for them.

Solution: LittleDreamer, invented by a group of students (with backgrounds in Biomedical Engineering, Chemical Engineering and Medicine) from the National University of Singapore, was inspired by one of their teammates’ experiences from paediatric OSA as a child. LittleDreamer, is a personalised CPAP mask that provides a perfect fit and enhanced comfort for children suffering from OSA and features a 3D-printed nasal cushion perfectly conforms to the natural contours of a child’s face. In addition to the nasal cushion, the bellow-designed connector that serves to connect the mask and the hose from the CPAP machine allows 360 degree of mobility. This provides the child with a greater degree of freedom during sleep.

KIMIA, ASCEND and LittleDreamer will progress to the international stage of the James Dyson Award, and international prizes will be announced on 19th November 2020.

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