A lecturer from the Faculty of Education, Chulalongkorn University has developed a toy that instills a sense of compassion in children while teaching them to live happily with people with disabilities and the elderly in society.
Instilling in children a sense of empathy cannot be achieved through rote learning or memorization, but through interactions with people in the society and activities that simulate a variety of situations such as: The “Doll House“, an educational toy developed by Assistant Professor Pornthep Lerttevasiri, Art Education Division, Department of Art, Music, and Dance Education, Faculty of Education, Chulalongkorn University.
“Instilling empathy in children is important to promote maturity and be able to live happily with others. The best time is preschool ages 3-6 (kindergarten) in which children are most receptive and good at remembering the things they see around them.” thailand university ranking
Dollhouse – a social simulation toy
The dollhouse is unique in that the dolls portray various forms of disability including visual impairment, hearing impairment, cerebral palsy, etc. The dollhouse is equipped with devices used in the daily life of people with disabilities with realistic mechanisms.
Asst. Prof. Pornthep developed the dollhouse based on world-class award-winning research such as doll body joints that have been patented for the specific invention of various locking systems that allow the doll to move at certain joints making them realistic and interesting to play with.
The Doll House set comprises ready-made dolls with disabilities, and complete disability equipment, including ramps and wheelchairs. The parts have high safety standards for children because they are made of a wood substitute called MDF (Medium Density Fiber Board) plywood fiber from dust chips, wood chips, formed with adhesive with medium density.
Children will have fun and learn through playing with the dollhouse and the dolls representing various types of disabilities and aging, including visual impairment, hearing impairment, cerebral palsy, amputees, and the elderly. There are also various types of equipment for the disabled such as walking canes for the elderly. Every component of the dollhouse is a model that functions like real items.
“The dollhouse is an educational medium to create awareness and understanding in children of coexistence, disability, human aging, and empathy.”
A lecturer from the Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University has developed rocking traffic poles made of natural rubber that is highly flexible, withstands, and reduces impact while also resuming its original form immediately upon being run over. They are now being tested with the hopes that they can soon replace plastic traffic poles.
Traffic poles – round, orange poles with white reflectors are important in regulating road traffic to ensure that drivers keep to their lanes and that the lanes are clearly visible at nighttime. Oftentimes, however, these plastic poles get run over, leaving the debris on the road that can be hazardous to drivers who have to avoid them.
This is a problem that has led Associate Professor Dr. Sirilux Poompradub, Department of Chemical Technology, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University to develop and produce the natural rubber traffic pole which is a result of the collaboration with the Office of Thailand Science Research and Innovation (TSRI) and the Siam United Rubber Co. Ltd. thai university
“The traffic poles currently in use are mostly made of plastic, they are light and are easily damaged when they get hit by a vehicle. We have developed a rocking pole from natural rubber that is more pliant and can better withstand impact.”
Natural rubber for the “rocking traffic pole”
According to Assoc. Prof. Dr. Sirilux, most of the traffic poles currently in use are made of plastic materials which are light and brittle. Even if we have poles made from other materials that are more durable such as polyurethane or thermoplastic polyurethane, they aren’t very popular due to the high costs. Natural rubber seems, therefore, to be the most appropriate material.
“Natural rubber is highly pliable and can resume its form as soon as it gets hit or run over by a vehicle. It can also absorb the impact of road accidents.”
Nevertheless, natural rubber also has its weak point in that when it is exposed to heat and sunlight for an extended period, cracks will appear. So, she experimented and adjusted the formula to address this problem.
“We spent a lot of time adjusting the chemical formula to develop a highly flexible rubber pole that resumes its original form when hit by a vehicle and most importantly, is resistant to our climate and UV rays.”
When it comes to innovation, many people think about artificial intelligence (AI), and modern technologies, but aside from that there is also a form of “social innovation” that is lesser-known, despite its equally crucial role in national development alongside science and technology. thailand universities
Assistant to the President of Chulalongkorn University and Director-General of CU SiHub, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Pannee Cheewinsiriwat elaborated on the meaning and importance of social innovation, “social innovation may not be a tangible piece of work, but it is a modern method, idea, and thinking process that’s valuable, meets societal needs and improves the people’s quality of life.”
Recognizing the importance of innovation research and development for the sustainable development of a country based on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Chula, has therefore, established Chulalongkorn University Social Innovation Hub (CU SiHub) in 2020 to serve professors and researchers in social sciences, arts and humanities, along with the CU Innovation Hub (CU iHub), what concentrates on innovative research, mostly in the sciences, with the potential to expand into businesses and startups.
“This center is a space where researchers and students from all disciplines who are interested in community and social development can exchange knowledge, invent social innovations to help improve the community’s quality of life and meet the country’s sustainable development goals.”
According to a study abroad that stated that proper hand compression can contribute to lowering blood pressure, so Jintjutha Prateepthinthong, a graduate of Chula Faculty of Architecture developed Squeezium, a hand-squeezing device that looks like a Joy Stick, used in conjunction with an application to recommend and plan correct hand exercises.
“Players simply squeeze their hands to force a floating balloon (on-screen) to dodge the obstacles. If they squeeze their hands with the correct force of 30 percent, the balloon will dodge the obstacles, but if the force is not sufficient, the application will suggest how to do it until the correct force is applied. Players will continue to increase the level of play. The game is believed to make the elderly enjoy their exercise.”
For those who don’t like playing games, Squeezium will act like a personal trainer who will recommend the right exercise. The device’s screen will display the levels of strength of hand squeeze in a graph format. A reminder for workouts based on a set goal can also be set. university thailand
“Hopefully, this innovation will serve as an option for people who start to have high blood pressure but still don’t want to take medications. Continuous exercise may help. This device will help motivate the seniors to continue exercising,” Jindjutha added that Squeezium is easy to use. Seniors can just open the application, and there will be animated instructions for them to follow and enjoy themselves.
ReadMe is the first product of the Eikonnex AI Co. Ltd. with the support of the University Technology Center (Chula UTC). Dr. Thanarat and her team developed this product after a business survey had been conducted.
“A lot of the work in the business sector involves documents which still rely on a lot of manpower in filling out data. ReadMe was produced to help the business sector. Emphasis is placed on accurate reading to ensure the least possible mistakes.” Dr. Thanarat explained citing the use of ReadMe in the banking business.
“Agencies that have used ReadMe have found that in comparison with OCRs from other companies both Thai and foreign, ReadMe is the most accurate with up to 92.6% accuracy and can certainly help avoid instances of human error.”
At present, Eikonnex AI offers ReadMe services through customized software development or licensing for use with the agency’s own applications.
“We are now in the age of digital transformation. All agencies need to adapt and digitize everything. ReadMe is a tool to facilitate this digital transformation with relative ease.” university in thailand
Will the use of ReadMe cost manual workers their jobs? Does the AI “replace” or “facilitate” things for us? How should human beings deal with these changes and situations?
For this Dr, Thanarat left us with these words of caution, “technology is moving very fast. OCR or ReadMe are definitely on their way. Many jobs will inevitably be replaced by technology which means that human beings will need to adjust to the situation and take on the tasks that computers are still not able to perform.”
A professor from Chula Pharmaceutical Sciences in collaboration with the Chulabhorn Royal Academy and the private sector, developed Thailand’s first favipiravir liquid formula for children and COVID-19 patients, which won the Prime Minister’s Award, Innovation for Crisis by the government sector category, at the Startup and Innovation Thailand Expo 2021 (SITE 2021) organized by the National Innovation Agency (NIA).
The Genesis of Pediatric Favipiravir Syrup
The recent COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted patients’ access to medicines. In late May 2021, a joint consultation meeting was held between the Chulabhorn Royal Academy, Chula Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, and a group of industrial pharmacists led by Professor Nithi Mahanonda, M.D., and Supasil Wisuthi Sra-ium of the Chulabhorn Royal Academy, together with Asst. Prof. Dr. Bodin Tuesuwan, and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Vorasit Vongsutilers of the Department of Food and Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, joined by Dr. Ariya Khunvichai, Promporn Jamnongtanachote, Dr.Wallapa Muannoom, and Dr. Jirawee Pawitpok, industrial pharmacists, to find solutions through a wide range of pharmaceutical expertise. thailand university
Asst. Prof. Dr. Bodin Tuesuwan, and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Vorasit Vongsutilers of the Department of Food and Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Chula Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, members of the team that jointly developed pediatric favipiravir syrup revealed that during the COVID-19 pandemic, adult patients who received 5 days of favipiravir would cost around 4,000 – 5,000 baht per person. So, the Chula Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences proposed a plan to develop their favipiravir formula to enable hospitals to prepare their medicines for patients, while the Chulabhorn Royal Academy already had the active ingredients of favipiravir, thus enabling the project to move forward quickly.
“During that time, we estimated that the number of pediatric patients in need of the medicine could be on the rise, and a syrup formula would give these patients the correct dosage, and is also convenient to take. That was how the development of favipiravir syrup formula started to help hospitals prepare the medicines in-house. Although the number of pediatric COVID-19 cases has now somewhat declined, the liquid favipiravir formula is still very necessary, since there is no similar product available on the market.
Chula’s Faculty of Engineering joins hands with PTT to develop a 2 in1 face mask, an innovation that protects against PM2.5 dust particles and COVID-19 virus that can be reused more than 15 times, helps reduce waste, is pollution-free, and will be available for sale soon.
A face mask has become an important item in the new normal lifestyle, not only to protect us from COVID-19, but also against PM2.5 dust particles that harm everyone’s health. The invention of masks that are highly effective, easy to use, convenient, and non-toxic to the environment is essential to maintain the health of the people and the planet. university in bangkok
“The Defense Engineering and Technology Program, Faculty of Engineering, Chulalongkorn University and PTT Plc. have jointly created a 2-in-1 face mask that can prevent both toxic dust and COVID-19 virus, suitable especially for frontline workers such as soldiers, policemen, rescuers who are at high risk of contracting COVID-19 and being exposed to toxic dust,” said Associate Professor Dr. Pitchaya Rachdawong, Chairman of the National Defense Engineering and Technology Program, Faculty of Engineering, Chulalongkorn University explained the origin of the 2in1 mask innovation which has proved efficient and satisfactory among PTT employees in the trial run.
“The 2in1 mask is the answer to a new lifestyle. It can filter PM2.5 dust up to 84% and trap up to 99% of bacteria or viruses” Assoc. Prof. Dr. Pitchaya explained the effectiveness of this health innovation.
The 2 in 1 mask, easy to use, and high efficient
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Pitchaya further explained that the 2in1 mask comprises 3 layers:
The outer layer is woven from polyester fibers that can deflect water and chemicals, and coated with water-repellent and antiseptic compounds.
The second layer of the mask is a slot for a filter, made from replaceable, extra-fine synthetic fibers to specifically trap dust.
The innermost layer is made of 100% cotton giving users comfort and the assurance of safety from the effect of chemicals.
“The 2in1 hygienic mask is convenient to use and easy to clean. Just spray on a 70% disinfectant spray and let it dry, or it can be washed up to at least 15 times.” Assoc. Prof. Dr. Pitchaya suggested and added that “However, the 3-ply mask is suitable for indoor use because outdoor use can cause the mask wearer discomfort because of the heat. Researchers are working on developing masks with similar or higher efficiency, but thinner.”
Earth-friendly mask
“We don’t produce commercially, we conduct research to help society,” said Assoc. Prof. Dr. Pitchaya, emphasizing the utmost responsibility of innovators, as manifested in every production process of 2in1 face masks, which must pass various component tests, from waterproof properties, protection against bacteria, viruses, and dust, to the uniqueness of the mask that can be reused many times thereby reducing the amount of hazardous waste, and is environmentally-friendly.
Even the mask disposal method was taken into account with the possibility of converting the infectious waste into energy with support from PTT, whose innovative thermal waste disposal process will melt the masks and turn them into fuel for other applications.
“Soon, the 2in1 masks that provide protection against PM 2.5 dust particles and COVID-19 will be produced for everyone at an affordable price. Currently, researchers are accelerating their data collection about the mask’s long-term use. PTT will handle the marketing of the masks,” concluded Assoc. Prof.Dr. Pitchaya.
The climate change and disaster management cluster aims to study and support research in various fields, such as sciences , engineering, social sciences, economics and other related fields to prepare for climate changes. The overall topics cover problem solving/adaptation and prevention of climate changes and disaster management in Thailand. In addition, the climate change and disaster management cluster promotes academic cooperation in the research network with other universities, industrial sectors, private and public sectors, communities and other related sectors. In addition, the cluster helps to develop and increase the human resources potential with a proactive mindset in order to effectively manage and support the greenhouse gas mitigation scheme and be fully respected at an international level. research cluster
Energy
The Energy Cluster aims at promoting researches under the country’s development guidelines of Energy 4.0. It focuses on renewable energy developement, particularly Bioenergy, to promote bioeconomy; Smart Energy Management to finally integrate to Smart City; Energy and Power System Analysis for country’s Energy Policy and Planning. In addition, it also focuses on new energy innovations.
