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International Accolade for Inventor of ‘Hand of Hope’
Raymond Tong’s magical hand for stroke rehabilitation
Prof. Raymond Tong, chairman of the Department of Biomedical Engineering and the inventor of the exoskeleton robotic hand for stroke rehabilitation, Hand of Hope, has been honoured with the Global Ageing Influencers 2021 award at the 9th Asia Pacific Eldercare Innovation Awards Ceremony held by the Ageing Asia in Singapore. This is to recognize his outstanding achievements in rehabilitation innovations, programmes and services that advance the standard of living for older adults on a global scale.
Professor Tong is the only winner of the award from Hong Kong. On the same occasion, the CUHK Jockey Club HOPE 4 Care Programme, led by Professor Tong’s biomedical engineering research team and the Faculty of Medicine, took home the Best Rehabilitation Programme award. The Hand of Hope forms part of the Hope 4 Care programme, a joint initiative focused on combining software and robotic technologies with clinical expertise to enhance rehabilitation outcomes for stroke patients. The programme is generously funded by The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust.
The Hand of Hope mechanical robotic hand rehabilitation system, developed in 2012, can detect and amplify the brain signals sent to the patients’ hand muscles and pass the information to the robotic hand. This enables patients to learn again the correct way of using the brain to control their hand functions. The Hand of Hope was the first Hong Kong-based innovation to receive the Grand Prix at the International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva. Making use of the latest 3D silicone printing technology, a new version of the soft robotic hand was later developed, providing stroke patients with a tailor-made, less bulky but comfortable and affordable device for the rehabilitation process.
Professor Tong said, ‘Talented minds and the innovative solutions that emerged from interdisciplinary and cross-boundary collaborations are required to tackle the global challenge of ageing population. Through HOPE 4 Care, which runs on a partnership between CUHK research teams and dozens of community centres in Hong Kong, we demonstrated how novel rehabilitation equipment and technology can be beneficial in supporting and accelerating the recovery of stroke patients. This programme is particularly impactful amid the global pandemic since patients can receive guided training at home.’