Pukyong National University

PKNU student developed a 'one-touch air splint' that can be worn in 15 seconds

- Park Ye-Ji, Yoon Jeong-Won, Lee Ga-Ram won the 'grand prize' at the Lookie innovator day

△ Lee Ga-Ram, Park Ye-Ji, and Yoon Jeong-Won. ⓒPhoto Lee Sung-Jae (PR team)

Pukyong National University (President Jang Young-Soo) announced that the student team (advisor, professor Nam Seung-Yoon) of Park Ye-Ji (3-year student in Biomedical engineering), Yoon Jeong-Won (4-year student in polymer engineering), and Lee Ga-Ram (3-year student in industrial chemistry) developed a one-touch air splint that can be worn in 15 seconds.

They won the grand prize at the Lookie innovator day, which was recently hosted by the SK Happiness foundation and held with the participation of university students from all over the country for their work 'S.O.S', a one-touch air splint using CO2 cartridges for emergency fracture patients.

Unlike existing air splints, 'S.O.S' operates with one touch and can be used on multiple body parts, enabling a quick and reliable response in emergency situations. It was recognized by the evaluation panel as the best performance in this competition.

This air splint, which is shaped like an air bladder, can be used for first aid when a sudden fracture or injury occurs during outdoor activities, but existing air splints require the use of a pump, so it takes several minutes to put them on and has the disadvantage of requiring various types of splints for each body part and being expensive because it relies on imports.

'S.O.S’, an air splint developed by students at Pukyong National University, connects a CO2 cartridge to the air inlet, presses the button, and the air sac inflates in 15 seconds to compress and fix the body part. It is designed to be customized to the human body and can be used in various parts. By applying customized materials, the volume has been reduced to increase portability, and at the same time, the price has been significantly lowered.

Not only have they been tested on the public, but they are also working on commercializing air splints by applying for permission to use them as medical devices and pursuing collaboration with sports companies.

Park Ye-Ji said, "I expect that the supply of S.O.S air splints to medically underserved areas will secure golden time for fracture treatment, spread a new sports culture that actively uses them for mountaineering and camping, where fracture injuries are frequent, replace essential items in emergency medical settings that minimize secondary damage to patients." <Pukyong Today>

△ Image demonstrating the use of the S.O.S air splint.