Having outshone over 500 creations incorporating more than 1,000 innovative technologies showcased by 460 manufacturers from some 20 countries around the world at the Taiwan Innotech Expo 2022, ISU won two gold medal awards and one bronze medal award with “How to Evaluate the Compliance of Soft Tissues with Cupping” presented by the Department of Physical Therapy under the College of Medicine, “Multiple Acupoints Fraxel Laser Acupuncture System” by the Department of Biomedical Engineering under the College of Medical Science and Technology, and “Current Controverter” by the Department of Electrical Engineering under the College of Intelligent Science and Technology.
Led by Dr. Chien-Liang Chen, the Chair of the Department of Physical Therapy, and supported by Dr. Ioannis Manousakas and Dr. Shyh-Ming Kuo of the Department of Biomedical Engineering, “How to Evaluate the Compliance of Soft Tissues with Cupping,” the gold medal award winner, was an interdisciplinary collaboration constituted with resources from both ISU and E-Da Cancer Hospital, an affiliate of E United Group. In Taiwan, a cupping device is not a medical device, so everyone can purchase one directly from retailers. However, users may receive damage from it before getting any benefit if they use it improperly. Dr. Chen explained that the cupping system they designed can evaluate the compliance of soft tissues by quantitatively sensing the cupping pressure and the soft tissue pull-up height. With that information, proper cupping pressure can be applied, and the level of improvement after several applications of cupping therapy can be recorded. A traditional therapy incorporating quantitative research is a fantastic spark struck by smart technology and healthcare. Dr. Chen was delighted to win the award.
Another gold medal award winner is “Multiple Acupoints Fraxel Laser Acupuncture System,” which was jointly developed by Dr. Chih-Yu Wang of the Department of Biomedical Engineering, Assistant Prof. Che-Chang Kuo of the School of Chinese Medicine for Post Baccalaureate, and Dr. Kun-Chan Lan of the Department of Computer Science and Information Engineering at National Cheng Kung University. Through technologies like visualizing acupuncture points with AI and a high-speed two-dimensional galvanometer scanner, an automatic laser acupuncture device featuring a smart acupuncture point locator, touch-free acupuncture therapy, and applying acupuncture on multiple acupuncture points was created, and doctors can treat patients without touching them and holding a traditional laser acupuncture pen. Moreover, less manpower is needed. This system marks a milestone in the development of laser acupuncture. Award-winning Dr. Wang said that this invention is an integration of medical engineering, AI, and acupuncture. During the development process, students Hsin-Yu Wu, Chun-Yi Yeh, Min-Yu Shen, and Hsiao-Yun Chang of the Department of Biomedical Engineering played an essential role in design and assembly, showing that ISU students have a solid foundation for software and hardware design and interdisciplinary integration.
“Current Controverter” is a bronze medal award winner created by Dr. Chien-Hsuan Chang of the Department of Electrical Engineering and his students. Compared with a traditional current controverter, this efficient one adopts coupling inductance to increase voltage gain and uses a power switch to control the polarity of output voltage and leakage current; therefore, it can be applied to a grid-connected photovoltaic solar power system. Dr. Chang indicated that students of the Department of Electrical Engineering excel in mathematics and sciences, and leading them to win an award with a creative and unique creation can bolster their confidence and show them that there is nothing you can’t accomplish as long as you are willing to do the work. Yi-Fan Chen, one of the participating students, said that the development of renewable energy is an urgent issue, and he realized the significance of green energy during the process, which is his biggest takeaway. The excellent performance of ISU in different competitions fully displayed the ambition of faculty members and students for interdisciplinary innovation.