BANGKOK, Aug. 25, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Thammasat University (TU), a leading university in Thailand, aims to create more inventions to serve the society and win awards at the International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva after its successes in 2015-2016.
Thammasat teams put forth a very impressive showing at the 43rd International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva, the largest international exhibition dedicated primarily to invention in the world. With 3 inventions taking home the Gold Medal of Honor, Thammasat conveyed its longstanding commitment to being for the people, promoting internationalism, and its strong emphasis on research.
The first of the three inventions was the 'Spacer Mold for Mobile Spacer in Infected Total Knee Arthroplasty' by: Assoc. Prof. MD. Piya Pinsornsak and colleagues from the Faculty of Medicine at TU, a new treatment method involving a temporary artificial hip implant. The implant, which is made from a kind of concrete mixed with antibiotics from an adjustable, reusable spacer mold, allows patients to move around with a temporary prosthesis while simultaneously treating their infection. It also gives the doctors time to prepare the permanent prosthesis without worrying about the hip area experiencing contraction and requiring further surgery. The invention, which has been in development for the last 4-5 years, is a landmark in orthopedics. It serves in reducing patient suffering, while improving their treatment. This invention was awarded the Gold Medal of Honor in recognition for the impact it would have in the world of medicine.
The second invention was the 'Automated Simplification System for Multiple Thai Documents' by: Prof. Dr. Thanarak Theeramunkong and colleagues from the Sirindhorn International Institute of Technology, TU. This automatic system allows the user to easily collect information from a number of document sources and display a simple summary. It can also be used to quickly summarize feedback and input from a very large number of people. The system works by analyzing parts of speech, named entities, and key words to decide on what happened, where, when, to who and why. In addition, it can easily spot outlying information, and discrepancies which can be invaluable to a researcher. While this powerful data collection and dislpay system is currently designed for Thai documents only, it can always be expanded to work with other languages as well.
The third was the 'Transcranial Doppler Ultrasound' by: Assoc. Prof. Jaturong Thantibundit from the Faculty of Engineering, TU, an automatic system for screening patients for signs of stroke. Strokes are accountable for 6,000,000 deaths a year. They can be caused by stress, poor diet, lack of exercise and smoking. If not treated immediately, strokes can be responsible for leaving a patient with permanent physical and mental damage, and in the worst cases, death. Therefore, this invention that can automatically detect signs of stroke can allow doctors to treat patients instantly, greatly increasing their chance of success and saving a lot of lives. The invention works by using a TCD signal to monitor blood flow in the brain and was designed so that it could be easily integrated into any hospital. It can be an invaluable asset to both large hospitals, and smaller clinics that lack stroke specialists alike.
With these inventions, these visionary teams from Thammasat may very well have played an important role in making a positive difference in people's lives around the world. It is this opportunity, and ultimately this responsibility to society that Thammasat has had such dedication in promoting research and development and will continue to do so in the years to come.
For more information, please contact:
Associate Professor Dr. Attakrit Patchimnan
Assistant to rector for international affairs
Thammasat University
Tel. +66-85-907-4222
Email: attakritp@tu.ac.th
