On 7 September 2018, NECTEC-NSTDA held a press conference to announce the success of Thai students at the Global Student Innovation Challenge for Assistive Technology 2018 (gSIC-AT 2018). gSIC-AT is an annual competition held at the International Convention on Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology (i-CREATe).
It provides a platform for students from all over the world to develop creative and innovative devices or solutions to improve the quality of living of elderly and people with disability.
The press conference was attended by NSTDA Executives comprising Prof. Pairash Thajchayapong, Senior Advisor to NSTDA President and Secretary-General of the Information Technology Foundation under the Initiative of Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn; Dr. Narong Sirilertworakul, NSTDA President; Dr. Siwaruk Siwamogsatham, NECTEC Deputy Executive Director; and Dr. Wantanee Phantachat, Director of Institute of Technology for Persons with Disabilities and Elderly Persons, NECTEC.
This year, gSIC-AT 2018 was held concurrently with i-CREATe 2018 during 13-16 July 2018 in Shanghai, China. There were 45 entries from seven countries and territories: Thailand, Hong Kong, Singapore, Germany, China, India and Japan. There were a total of 25 awards, of which 8 were presented to teams from Thailand as follows:
- Gold Award in Design Category: “EZStand Walker” by a team from Thammasart University
- Merit Award in Design Category: “Elliptical Trike” by a team from Thammasart University
- Best Prototype Award in Design Category: “Tiny Urban Vehicle: TU-V” by a team from Thammasart University
- Gold Award in Technology Category: “Automatic Walker for the Elderly by Using Microcontroller” by a team from Wangnamyen Industrial and Community Education College
- Merit Award in Technology Category: “SoundSense” by a team from King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi
- Best Presentation Award in Technology Category: “SueSan: A Game-based Tool for Enhancing Autism Children’s Communication Skill” by a team from Mahidol University
- Creativity Award in Technology Category: “Development of Thai Braille’s Translator Program and Development of Braille’s Font in Thai and English Language” by a team from Princess Chulabhorn Science High School Chonburi
- Best Commercial Feasibility Award in Technology Category: “Automatic Walker for the Elderly by Using Microcontroller” by a team from Wangnamyen Industrial and Community Education College
NECTEC-NSTDA has been engaging in research and development in assistive technology for a number of years. It formed a partnership with the Coalition on Rehabilitation Engineering & Assistive Technology of Asia (CREATe Asia) in organizing i-CREATe 2018 on 14-16 July 2018 in Shanghai, China. i-CREATe 2018 was attended by 510 participants from 18 countries, namely Japan, Denmark, Thailand, Taiwan, New Zealand, Switzerland, Germany, USA, Spain, Korea, China, Singapore, Australia, UK, Italy, India, Israel and Hong Kong. The program consisted of 5 keynote lectures, 17 sessions with a total of 73 presentations. Researchers and students from Thailand actively participated in i-CREATe 2018 and gSIC-AT 2018 with 8 presentations at the convention and 9 entries in the student competition.
The Information Technology Foundation under the Initiative of Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn has been a staunch supporter of i-CREATe and gSIC-AT. With the guidance provided by the Information Technology Foundation, NECTEC-NSTDA in collaboration with the Biomedical Engineering Association has established Assistive Innovation Startup Group to help bringing innovations created by Thai students to market.