Team Wheely wins Gold award at i-CREATe 2020

Congratulations to Team Wheely (consisting of NUS Mechanical Engineering recent alumni Jerron, Jin Heng, Manfred, Randall, and Sean) for winning the Gold award at the 14th International Convention on Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology (i-CREATe)’s Global Student Innovation Challenge! The team designed a wheelchair rain canopy that is able to shield wheelchair users and their caregivers from unpredictable weather. What started as an undergraduate design project, the team has been passionate about improving the prototype since, despite some holding full-time jobs after graduation. The annual i-CREATe event was hosted by Taiwan this year, and the team emerged tops out of 21 international teams for the gSIC Design category.

About the Project

Design Category – GOLD Award

Team Wheely – Wheelchair canopy for caregivers and patients Understanding that the weather condition in Singapore fluctuates drastically on numerous occasions, our project seeks to design a wheelchair canopy accessory that would be attached to current manual wheelchairs. Leveraging on the existing wheelchair structures, our canopy is designed to provide good coverage to shelter both wheelchair patients and caregivers from light rain or direct sunlight. Targeting wheelchair users of existing manual wheelchairs and their caregivers, our design takes into consideration the differences in height of both patients and caregivers, in accordance to guidelines from occupational therapist. The design would allow a smooth and quick deployment of the canopy and it will be kept sturdy when deployed even under windy conditions. This would allow wheelchair users and their caregivers to go about their scheduled activities regardless of the weather condition. In the event of a sudden downpour, caregivers would not need to scramble for coverage at the nearest shelter and can deploy the canopy to cover both the patient and themselves.

More at: https://www.icreate2020.org/events/prize_winners

Asst Prof Shin Sunmi named among Nanoscale 2023 Emerging Investigators

Assistant Professor Shin Sunmi has been named among the Nanoscale 2023 Emerging Investigators by the journal Nanoscale, highlighting rising stars of nanoscience and nanotechnology research. Her paper, Enhanced far-field coherent thermal emission using mid-infrared bilayer metasurfaces, was featured by the journal in a themed collection of research contributions highlighting “the very best work from researchers in the early stages of

[Business Times] Engineering Singapore’s green future

Countries have pledged zero emissions by 2050 but the means to get there are vague. Businesses need specific details on the decarbonisation of economies to align their own strategies, to raise and make investments, and to participate with impact. To read the full article by Professor Seeram Ramakrishna and Dalson Chung: Engineering Singapore’s green future

[Straits Times] Smart recycling boxes that reward residents for sorting waste have cut contamination rate

A trial in Bishan and Sin Ming to collect recyclables using smart boxes has managed to cut the contamination rate of their contents to just 5 per cent – far lower than the national average of 40 per cent. Professor Seeram Ramakrishna (NUS Mechanical Engineering), who chairs the Circular Economy Taskforce at the National University