On December 23-25, 2021 at Bangkok International Trade & Exhibition Centre (BITEC), The National Metal and Materials Technology Center (MTEC) had presented its innovative medical devices “M-Wheel” and “RT Wheelchair” at Inter Care 2021, an innovative trade show for the health and wellness of the elderly and retirees. The event serves both consumers and business organizations and targets the elderly in terms of their needs, health, lifestyle, and well-being.

            In this event, MTEC had introduced the “M-Wheel 2.0” model (one-haded): an electronic device to turn a normal wheelchair into a motorized wheelchair, and the “RT Wheelchair” model for X-ray imaging of the patients and the elderly with impaired physical mobility.  These devices were invented by Dr. Danu Prommin and his research team, the Biomechanics Research Team under Biofunctional Materials and Devices Research Group.

           M-Wheel 2.0 (one-handed control) is an electronic device designed to turn a normal wheelchair into a motorized wheelchair. It was developed from M-Wheel 1.3 and is accessible to middle-income people. The device helps reduce the burden of caregivers since the patients can take care of themselves in many respects. MTEC had redesigned and provided M-Wheel 2.0 with a new one-handed joystick, which is convenient for patients, especially for people with disabilities with one arm.  They can install a joystick on either left or right positions, depending on their conditions, to control the wheelchair.

           RT Wheelchair for X-ray imaging of the patients and the elderly with impaired physical mobility. This medical equipment was designed to accommodate all parts of the body for common X-ray positions without the necessity of moving the patient to an x-ray bed. The RT-Wheelchair has a unique design with its supporting structure for the patient’s body made of carbon fiber, a material that does not diminish the quality of radiation. It has a compartment for radiographs that can be moved throughout each specified location of the wheelchair. It can also be reclined, thus supporting most configurations of routine x-ray imaging for all parts of the body. The most prominent feature of the RT-Wheelchair is that it helps limit the spread of infection between medical personnel and patients and reduce the chance of repetitive injuries that may occur during the transfer. The RT-Wheelchair has passed the electrical standards for medical devices IEC 60601-1 and IEC 60601-1-2.