Medical Innovation in the minds of students is an abstract concept, more suited to engineers and companies, with the tools required for it lying beyond their reach.
Switch India along with MICE labs at JJ Hospital succeeded not only in giving form to our ideas but also empowering us by imparting the skills required for medical innovation.
The two day workshop focused on a wide variety of topics such as microcontrollers and sensors, 3D printing, drones, robots and much more. It was the perfect amalgamation of medicine and engineering — a much needed combination to solve many global issues.
Day one started off with the respected Dean of JJ Hospital, Dr. Pallavi Saple and Founders of MICE labs, Dr. Anniruddha and Dr. Anjali Malpani addressing the participants and discussing the intent behind creating this lab.
The first session by Dr. Malpani on Medical Innovation and Entrepreneurship stirred our imaginations and filled us with hope and excitement about the future of medicine. And he successfully convinced each of us to participate in some form of innovative activity and become young entrepreneurs.
For the rest of the day the brilliant Mr. Krishna captivated our imaginations with microcontrollers and sensors, allowing us to make novel inventions like devices that measure the degree of finger movement in debilitated or paralysed patients.
In the last session of the day we were taught the basics of 3D printing and how to use the required software.
Day two started with participants developing structures and models to 3D print.
Neurones, Femur models, Brains, Virus models and splints to correct swan neck deformities were printed by the incredibly enthusiastic teams.
We were also exposed to Drones, Virtual Reality (VR) headsets, Hexapod and humanoid robots. And were informed about their vast biomedical applications, for example drones that transport defibrillators to the site of emergencies and more.
Participants had the most fun with 3D pens and VR headsets that were an immersive experience.
Dr. Vidhi Dave of Switch India and Mr. Abhishek of MICE labs were instrumental in making the workshop a memorable one.
The workshop was an outstanding success. Most importantly it widened our horizons and gave all of us ideas and skills to solve real world problems. I would recommend it to every single creative individual in the medical field as a stepping stone to achieving their goals.
