Individuals who suffer from essential tremors find it challenging to carry out daily chores like eating, bathing, dressing, etc. There are medicines available in the market; however, they treat the condition for some time on the surface levels. They do not improve the condition of the patient, and after some time, they too stop working.
Joon Faii Ong – What inspired him to create GyroGear?
Joon Faii Ong is the CEO and Founder of GyroGear, the company behind the breakthrough technological device, GyroGlove. He completed his degree in medicine from the Imperial College in London and designed the glove to help people reduce hand tremors that are generally a symptom of Parkinson’s Disease. He has a mission to assist millions of patients across the world with hand tremors. The GyroGlove helps the patient stabilize these hand tremors so that he/she will not drop things.
How did GyroGear begin?
His story about the invention of the GyroGlove and forming his company revolve around a 103-year-old patient that he came across during his medical days. He chanced upon this lady in a London hospital where he was present at that time. He saw her desperately struggling to sip a bowl of soup with trembling hands. Her hands were shaking badly, and when he asked the nurses why her condition could not be treated, they told him her medicines do not work anymore.
He was so moved by the sight of her struggling to drink her bowl of soup and spilling it all over her dress that he resolved to do something in the future to help patients like her with essential tremors. This was how GyroGear was born.
A technological solution to modern medicines
He says modern medicine did not have any positive impact on this patient because of her old age. He knew a pharmaceutical approach would not work. This is why he started to search for a technological solution as he knew this was the only way patients of all ages would see results.
He remembered his childhood days when he used to play with spinning tops. These tops stayed upright when gyrating, and it was this idea that led him to create GyroGear for manufacturing wearable technology for people suffering from essential tremors. The technology of gyroscopes is popular in the electronics and aviation sectors. Many applications used this principle in these industries. He realized that he too could use this same technology to stabilize shaking hands.
As per Faii Ong the primary function of his invention, the GyroGlove is to give individuals suffering from essential hand tremors the independence they deserve when it comes to the performance of daily tasks. It has a simple design and seeks to aid patients suffering from physical and other neurological disorders the freedom to return to the normalcy of life with success. The GyroGlove deploys the gyroscope technology that are spinning discs popularly deployed in edge cutting aerospace technology but works in the same way as the toy tops for children. It conserves an angular momentum to remain upright in every plane of motion. In this way, it can stabilize the hand as it has the ability to counter any force input.
