Pakistani medical invention Eco has been awarded the first ever innovation award in the US. Photo: Courtesy of Echo website
Texas: A medical device developed by a Pakistani university has won an important award on the last day of the ‘Association of University Technology Managers’ (AUTM) in America.
The award is given as a 2023 Better Place project that also demonstrates the commercial viability of the device. It has been developed by experts from the College of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering (CME) of the National University of Science and Technology (NUST) of Pakistan. This device reduces diseases like autism and cerebral palsy by emitting waves.
In the final round of AUTM 2023 held in the American city of Austin, Echo has been honored as an important invention. Steve Susalka, head of the organization, said: “Our Pakistani colleagues deserve congratulations for bringing their invention to improve the world for people with neurological diseases.”
The full name of this breakthrough invention is ‘Echotherapeutic Wave Device’ which increases neural activity in the body and brain by emitting vibrational waves. The rights for its commercial scale production have been given to Risetech Company, which is also a testament to the commercial importance of the Pakistani invention.
On this occasion, Mahfouz Ahmed, who is associated with technology transfer at NEST, said that we consider the Better World Award to be a matter of pride for us, which is also a humble attempt to make the world disability-free through Echo. It should be noted that 40 inventions or innovations were included in this competition last year. Then the three most important inventions were selected and finally Pakistani Echo got the award which is also an honor for the country.
How does Echo work?
Around the world, due to complications of pregnancy or premature birth, the child may suffer from mental and neurological problems and these diseases may also appear later. These include muscular atrophy, neuropathy of the tongue, cerebral palsy and autism. There are one billion such patients in the world and two million in Pakistan.
However, Echo is also an effective treatment for two disorders including autism and cerebral palsy, but it has also shown efficacy in other disorders including motor-speech dysphasia, facial palsy, speech, writing and chewing problems. Echo is also a cost-effective, safe and effective treatment. It should be noted that the Pakistani invention received a total of 1100 votes, which is also a wonderful development.
Nest experts have created two models (versions) of the Echo, one for home use and the other for use in a hospital or clinic. His app is also available on Google Store while he was already awarded a Higher Education Commission Pakistan (HEC) TDF grant.
This invention has also been presented at Germany’s famous ‘Falling Walls’ event, competitions in China, Holland and Germany. Most importantly, Eco has been granted seven patents so far, which is an encouraging sign. More details of Echo can be found here.
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