Professors Myoung-Hwan Ko, Ki-wook Kim and Sun-jung Yoon (College of Medicine) have been receiving attention for their technology transfer results over the past three years, including the latest ‘hip joint protector’ technology for medical device manufacturers.

The hip joint protector is a medical device that allows for quick and effective rehabilitation of patients after hip joint surgery.

The equipment is advantageous in that it can comfortably and stably protect the hip joint region by fitting it to the shape of the human body through the expansion tube, unlike the conventional metal protectors which are inconvenient to wear.

It is a protection technique that reduces the load on the hip joint and restricts excessive joint movement of the thigh, reducing the recurrence risk of the hip joint injury after surgery and inducing quick and effective rehabilitation.

The professors succeeded in developing the ‘virtual rehabilitation training device with variable tool module’ for recovery of patients suffering from cognitive impairment and hand function impairment caused by dementia and brain disease in 2017. The ‘functional games and non-verbal measurement techniques for language therapy for patients with speech disorders’ followed in 2018, with collaborative research with Professor Hee-cheon Yu of POSTECH.

The techniques have also been commercialized through rehabilitation medical device manufacturers and are now being widely used in the medical field.

‘Rehabilitation Medical Device Intermediary Clinical Trial Support Center’, a national project supported by the Korean Ministry of Health and Welfare, was made possible due to the infrastructure of the research. It is a successful case that the related organizations have led the whole period of medical device development from new technology development to prototype production, efficacy verification, product licensing and final commercialization, through one platform.

In addition, the support of the university hospital has been a key factor in obtaining these technology transfer results.