Education; Singapore Poly students' tech solutions to help Parkinson's disease patients and the elderly

12 Nov 2018

Article featured SP’s Diploma in Electrical and Electronic Engineering students Mohamed Umar and Wong Jun Heng, who won the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow competition. The competition encourages students to use technology to come up with innovative solutions to social issues in their community. The duo’s submission was an interactive therapeutic pet robot they named SP Buddy, which aims to get the elderly to think and move around more. For example, one game requires the user to choose a tile that completes a random mahjong sequence. Other shortlisted submissions include Shaky, developed by SP’s Diploma in Aerospace Electronics students Heng Yin Qi and Lee Wei Juin. Shaky is a device that can be attached to objects such as utensils, plates and cups to monitor tremors, aimed at helping to manage Parkinson's disease. It can also counter the tremors and stabilise the objects. The device was inspired by Yin Qi’s aunt’s experience with Parkinson’s disease. The two of them have plans to develop the device further and explore it as a solution to turbulence on an aircraft. Article also featured RP’s aerospace avionics student Jordan Sia and supply chain management Azimah, who came up with a locked pill dispenser to help patients keep track of the medication they take daily. (The Straits Times, pB6)