In Bursa, a mobile hand exoskeleton was developed in cooperation with a medical faculty student and an academician to enable partially paralysed patients to meet their daily needs. The product, which was created after about 2 years of work at the university with the cooperation of students and academicians, enables the partially paralysed person to meet his daily needs.
The wearable support and rehabilitation device produced by İsmail Emir Yassı, a student of Bursa Uludağ University (BUU) Faculty of Medicine, and Prof. Dr. Şehime Gülsün Temel, Founding Head of the Department of Translational Medicine, provides support to patients who have lost their hand grip function. The device, which is also registered as an industrial design by the Turkish Patent and Trademark Office, helps the user to close his palm with its sensors. The national and international patent process for the device, which is the first industrial design registration to which BUU is entitled, continues. İsmail Emir Yassı, a 5th year student of the Faculty of Medicine, told AA correspondent that he did an internship on brain computer interfaces in a clinical neurotechnology laboratory in Berlin, the capital of Germany, in 2021.
Stating that he noticed the inadequacies of the rehabilitative hand exoskeletons he encountered during his internship, Yassı said that after returning to Turkey, he reached Prof. Dr. Temel and told him about his project. Yassı stated that they developed the prototypes of the project thanks to the scholarship and additive manufacturing support provided by Bursa Coşkunöz Education Foundation and continued his words as follows: "The hand exoskeletons offered for sale in Turkey are imported and sold at prices that are hard to reach. We asked ourselves, 'Why can't we produce better ones at a more affordable price in Turkey? The scientific article on the performance and properties of the prototypes produced is planned to be published within the year. When the device is finalised, we aim to control it with brain activity signals. In order to realise our production target in Turkey, we are in the process of incorporation with the support of the government and industry. We hope to be able to bring the final product to a wide patient population at affordable prices within a few years." Yassı, who stated that he was invited to Harvard Medical School in the USA with a scholarship to receive education on brain stimulation and to carry out scientific studies, said: "I am currently studying at Harvard Medical School. After graduation, I aim to improve myself in this field and develop projects with high added value for Turkey."
"IMPORTANT FOR PATIENTS WITH IMPAIRED HAND GRIP FUNCTION"
Prof. Dr. Şehime Gülsün Temel stated that they aim to develop products that can benefit the society. Stating that İsmail Emir Yassı reached him with the idea of the project in question, Temel said, "At that time, the pandemic process was continuing. He made a presentation to me over the internet, I was very impressed. He made a presentation like an instructor. He mastered everything. He explained everything very clearly, from software to electronics." Temel explained that the wearable hand skeleton they developed can be used by patients with mild dysfunction in the muscle, and noted the following: "The most important feature of this device is its compactness. It is important for patients who have lost their hand grip function. It is important for them to be able to do their daily needs at home. For example, the patient had a stroke and lost the hand grip function. There should be a minimal function left in the muscle. These devices are very expensive. They are always connected to another unit. It is not wearable as we produce. In order to benefit from them, either that person needs to go there or take them home. It is already impossible to take it home. This is where our invention idea came from. By making a personalised hand skeleton, it ensures that daily needs are met and the patient does everything himself by exercising that muscle for rehabilitation purposes."
Prof. Dr. Temel stated that they will make the device more ergonomic and solar rechargeable. Stating that they aim to produce at least 3 more prototypes, Temel said, "Our aim is to become a company. We will start our incorporation process after Emir comes from abroad. Then, of course, we will look for investors who believe in us and can partner with us."
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