“Our Smart Lab has enjoyed increasing recognition in the [medical] industry,” Asst Prof Anak Khantachawana said in his capacity as KMUTT assistant president for internationalisation.

Late last year, the Smart Lab at KMUTT Faculty of Engineering grabbed six awards for its research-based innovations – three from the 12th Taipei International Invention Show & Technomart and the rest from the 10th International Warsaw Invention Show. One of the awards was for enhancing materials for internal fixations through fine shot peening techniques.

“We can produce thinner and lighter materials with greater durability. They are easier to use for both surgeons and patients,” Anak said.

He added that these materials, when launched to market, would also reduce the risk of the materials becoming loose or breaking inside patients.

These materials have already been tested on the bodies of people who donated their remains for educational purposes. Following positive results, they are now being tested on rabbits.

“We believe human clinical trials can start soon,” Anak said. “We expect the commercial production of these materials to start before the end of next year.”

He said when these materials were launched to the Thai market, their prices would be about half the price of imported products.

Anak complained that at present most of imported devices for Thailand’s medical industry were significantly overpriced.

He hoped his institution would be able to ease this problem by introducing Thai innovations. The Smart Lab of KMUTT has now dedicated about half of its research to such developments, with about 40 researchers working there.

“We plan to shore up doctors’ and patients’ confidence in Thai medical devices and materials,” he said.

The Smart Lab has got the attention of the Thai medical community based on the potential of fabrication and development of shape-memory alloys for orthodontics and medical applications, which provided Smart Lab with the opportunity to work more on researching this medical device.

The Smart Lab has also been working on other innovations that could be used for commercial purposes, including a LED device for Alzheimer’s treatment and a distractor device that helps move the jaw of cleft palate sufferers.