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| TEC
team plays ‘matchmaker’ |
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| The networking
session was very useful to innovators
and the healthcare sector. |
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Even innovators could
do with a little introduction. To their potential
market, that is.
The Enterprise Challenge (TEC) is synonymous with
innovations that bring about quantum leap benefits
to the Public Service. The TEC team recently co-hosted
a networking session with the Institute for Infocomm
Research (I2R).
Director of PS21 Office, Mr Boo Chong Han, shed
light on this event, which brought together 50 like-minded
participants.
“We hope to create this opportunity for proposals
from I2R to be presented to the various
hospitals and healthcare institutions present today,”
he said of the first TEC-co-organised networking
session based on the healthcare theme.
By honing in on the medical sector, the event enabled
representatives from various hospitals to learn
of innovative solutions developed by I2R
researchers that could benefit their organisations
and ultimately the Public Service significantly.
One example is the Optical Biosensor, a light-sensitive
device which can be used to detect diseases, such
as diabetes, in their early stages. It also provides
a platform for signal processing, data storage and
data transmission to clinics/hospitals through the
Internet, reducing the cost of e-diagnosis significantly.
Another innovation is the Digital Hand Bone Atlas
and Automatic Bone Shape Analysis for Age Assessment.
A system will be developed to automatically process
raw radiography images. This system will enable
doctors to measure deformable shape more consistently
and accurately, make better bone age assessments,
as well as share data locally and remotely for telemedicine.
The researchers aim to build a hand bone atlas and
process the hand bones of the Chinese, Indian and
Malay races.
Three other researchers presented their innovation
proposals:
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New System
for Neuro-rehabilitation towards Motor Recovery
for Patients with Stroke or Brain Injury |
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Privacy and Image-enhanced
Pathology Information Management Systems |
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Development of Fibre Optic
Sensors for Patient Care |
Following the presentations, the healthcare representatives
had an opportunity to engage the researchers and
find out more details about each project. The session
sparked much debate on the practicality and nuances
of each pilot project. There was much interest among
the participants and the TEC team took the opportunity
to share with the group how they could apply for
the TEC funding scheme to try out some of these
innovations in their hospitals.
Feedback on the event was encouraging. Mr Fong Choon
Khin, Group Chief Technology Officer of SingHealth,
said it was “very innovative and good that
TEC was able to link the healthcare industry with
researchers”.
Dr Sunil Sethi, Associate Professor, Chief Department
of Laboratory Medicine at the National University
Hospital, added that it was a “very good exposure
session” and the presented proposals could
benefit different fields.
Equally keen, Dr Fong Yuke Tien, Consultant, Occupational
Health and Epidemiology Unit, Singapore General
Hospital, said: “It was an opportunity to
interact with people you don’t normally get
to talk to. This is needed in the healthcare sector
and has proved to be very useful.” |
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| By
PS21 Office |
