NIBONG TEBAL, 15 September 2024 – NEAR Exergame, a project by a team from the Engineering Campus of Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) under the guidance of Professor Dr. Zaidi Mohd Ripin and Dr. Muhammad Fauzinizam Razali, has been selected as the runner-up in the esteemed National James Dyson Award 2024.

This recognition serves to highlight the innovative efforts of the group, which consists of four students, Yeo Ying Heng (29) and Alexander Tan Wai Teng (29), both PhD students from the School of Mechanical Engineering; Tan Wei Jim (28), a master's student from the School of Materials and Mineral Resources Engineering; and Wong Yong Jie (23), an undergraduate student from the School of Mechanical Engineering.

According to Alexander, the concept for NEAR Exergame emerged from an observation of the challenges that stroke patients encounter during the recovery process and one of the group members, who has personal experience with a family member who is a stroke patient, later witnessed first-hand the difficulties associated with traditional rehabilitation.

“This personal experience was the foundation for the concept of integrating elements of physical therapy with interactive games, with the aim of enhancing the engagement and efficacy of the recovery process,” says Alexander.

“The concept developed from an internal team discussion into a project with the potential to transform the manner in which recovery is achieved.”

He has also indicated that the process of transforming an idea into a tangible reality is not a brief undertaking.

“The project, which spanned several years, involved numerous design iterations and tests, and was beset with challenges associated with coordinating physical movements with digital avatars in gaming contexts,” said Alexander.

"We have had to make several changes to the prototype to ensure that every movement is accurately detected, and that real-time feedback is provided to the patient. It's a challenging process, but every step forward gives us confidence that we're on the right track," he said.

Commenting on the challenges that the team is currently facing, the youngest member of the team, Wong says that the most important issue is to ensure that the system is not only portable and cost-effective, but also able to deliver tangible benefits to patients.

He also highlighted the significant software design and development challenges associated with integrating technology capable of adjusting the level of therapy difficulty according to individual needs.

“Despite the lengthy process, the team remains committed to working collaboratively and persistently addressing these challenges,” says Wong.

Talking about the future, his team sees a bright future for NEAR Exergame, as they intend to expand the use of this system not only for stroke patients, but also for other conditions such as spinal cord injury and scoliosis.

“In addition, we plan to make NEAR Exergame a telerehabilitation tool that will open up opportunities for patients to more easily undergo rehabilitation at home,” he added.

Furthermore, he stated that there is a high degree of confidence that this system will become the standard of care for rehabilitation in the future, with the potential to positively impact a greater number of patients globally.

The James Dyson Award is a renowned international design competition for university engineering students and serves to stimulate interest in design engineering among young people and to foster the development of innovative concepts.

Text: Siti Faizah Abd Halim/Photos: Courtesy of James Dyson Award 2024