Naveed Ahmed

The EKKO waves can positively affect neural activity in the brain and body, thus helping to treat neurological disorders. EKKO-wave therapeutic device offers low-cost and safe treatment for these disorders. This device has proven its efficacy in overcoming symptoms such as tongue paralysis, motor speech disability, physical disabilities such as partial paralysis and facial palsy, and slow cognitive development.

Dr Muhammad Usman Akram, Associate Professor at the College of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering, National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), said while talking to WealthPK that the device is built on the basis of the instructions of Shahbaz Khalid, who is a famous speech therapist and psychologist. It has two modes of operation, i.e., manual and using intelligent software applications.

While explaining the functioning of the therapy device, Dr Usman said this is based on neurotransmission cognitive theory. It is a portable device capable of producing vibration waves of different frequencies. Based on the type and nature of the disability, the time of application, triggering point and frequency of stimulation is set in the device automatically.

Dr Usman said another module of the device is an intelligent software application.“Our product's second module is an application based on artificial intelligence (AI). It is an integral part of the entire system's operation and is based on research work. It consists of gathering data from multiple sources, and using it to build a knowledge base. On top of that, a decision support system enables self-rehab for the patients,” he explained.

Dr Usman said many diseases affect children, some during their childhood and some at birth. There are 1 billion such patients globally, 20 million in Pakistan, and 12% of global deaths are due to these disorders.“Diseases that affect children at birth are usually caused by premature birth, complications during birth or complications during the development of the foetus. These diseases include behavioural, neural, and physical disorders,” he said.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) reports that nearly 10-20% of children worldwide have a mental disorder. So, to address the issue, Dr Usman has introduced EKKO-wave therapeutic device at the industrial and local levels. “Our device was at the Falling Walls event in Berlin, Imagine Cup event in Amsterdam, and MEDICA 2019 in Dusseldorf, Germany. In total, seven intellectual property rights (patent, industrial design, trademark and copyrights) have been filed for this device’s different versions,” he added.

Credit : Independent News Pakistan-WealthPk