Vibrational waves are used by EKKO to provide affordable and safe treatment for neurological disorders.
The US-based nonprofit organization AUTM has awarded the 2023 Better World Project Award to a device developed by researchers from the National University of Science and Technology (NUST) in Pakistan for the treatment of neurological disorders. The award ceremony took place this week in Washington.
The Better World Project Award recognizes the impact of research commercialization and the important role technology transfer plays in that process. The annual award honors the outstanding work of a technology transfer office, based on stories submitted the previous year. The EKKO Wave Therapeutic Device developed by NUST won the award after receiving a record-breaking 1,100 votes.
The device offers a low-cost, non-invasive mobile therapy to treat neuro disorders by providing vibrational waves that affect neural activity in the brain and body. NUST’s Technology Transfer Office collaborated with various departments and stakeholders from the project’s inception to its successful pilot testing. The technology was licensed to MIS RiseTech for commercialization.
The device was developed by a team of innovators, including Dr. Sajid Gul Khawaja, an assistant professor, and Dr. Muhammad Usman Akram, an associate professor, both from the College of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering at NUST. The device is based on the theory developed by renowned speech therapist and psychologist Mr. Shahbaz Khalid.
More than 40 stories were submitted to the Better World Project last year, and the committee narrowed them down to three finalists. The EKKO Wave Therapeutic Device was the eventual winner of the award.