The unveiling of the winners' list for the '2023 Taiwan International Student Creative Design Competition,' organized by the Ministry of Education, revealed that Chen Si-Ying, a student from Tunghai University's Industrial Design Department, received the Special Award from the International Design Organization for their intelligent assistive device, standing out among tens of thousands of international entries.
The '2023 Taiwan International Student Creative Design Competition' centered its theme around 'Compassion,' encouraging global students to design with empathy and care, focusing on people and matters worldwide. Chen Si-Ying, a student from Tunghai University's Industrial Design Department, distinguished themselves in the competition with the 'CÁNI ARM,' a device for hand fixation and stretching. This achievement earned them the Special Award sponsored jointly by the iSee Taiwan Foundation and the Sayling Wen Cultural and Educational Foundation. Chen Si-Ying described the CÁNI ARM as a comfortable, accurate, new, and intelligent assistive device. It integrates ergonomics, simple wearability, and personalized adjustment design. Besides serving as a hand fixation aid, it also functions as a device for stretching hand spasms. Depending on the hand spasm condition of stroke patients, it stretches the palm and forearm at different angles and durations, not only alleviating spasm discomfort but also aiding in hand rehabilitation exercises.
Caption for Image One (on the right): " Chen Si-Ying, a student from Tunghai University's Industrial Design Department, emerged prominently with the 'CÁNI ARM,' a device for hand fixation and stretching, in the '2023 Taiwan International Student Creative Design Competition.'
Dr. Chiu Hsiao-Ping, the supervising professor, highlighted that this creation originated from the home rehabilitation of stroke patients. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, stroke patients were unable to attend medical facilities for rehabilitation. Through digital design, students enabled home-based rehabilitation, reducing the hardships of commuting, automatically recording, analyzing, and transmitting data. This not only allowed patients, families, and medical personnel to understand the rehabilitation progress but also reduced the burden on medical resources.
Dr. Lu Chia-Chen, the director of Industrial Design Department, mentioned that this competition attracted 18,367 entries from 1,161 institutions across 56 countries and regions. Amid intense competition, only 85 outstanding works stood out, with a selection rate of merely 4%. The award rate was even lower at 0.46%, underscoring the competition's high difficulty. Director Lu expressed pride in students showcasing their design prowess during their academic journey. The entire school community rejoices in their success. The Industrial Design Department actively supports students in participating in international design competitions, nurturing their design perspectives. This award not only recognizes Chen Si-Ying's exceptional creativity and talent but also underscores Tunghai University's remarkable achievements in fostering creative design talents.