Our award-winning Dialock concept for laparoscopic surgery has morphed into the 'Seymour Shield'. Seymour is an adjunct to the laparoscopy toolbox, which maintains visualization of the surgical field even during brisk bleeding directed at the camera.

We thank Lunar Design for awarding us the Robert Howard Next Step Award, of 100 hours of design consultancy. They have been professional and inspiring mentors. Check out the Lunar blog about the RHNS Award, and their recent update on our projects.

Below is the blurb I provided to the Lunar Corp Comms team regarding our experience:
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Having the opportunity to work with Lunar was the best thing that has happened to our project so far. The contributions of Matt, Andrew and Patrick brought our work to a higher level, and gave us a blueprint to follow for the road ahead.

Our project was based on the observation that laparoscopic (keyhole) surgeons were absolutely dependent on the view from the camera. When the camera lens is fouled by water vapor or blood, workflow is interrupted and time is wasted cleaning the lens. 

Under the excellent guidance of Matt, Andrew and Patrick at Lunar, we further defined the problem, brainstormed solutions, and did some low resolution testing of the top ranked ideas. We made a very crude lego prototype in Singapore, and Lunar designed a beautiful to-scale works-like prototype that we can now use for more vigorous testing in the animal and cadaver labs. This was all completed in 6 weeks.

Lunar's design was not only useful for our internal testing, it allowed us to better communicate our idea to our clinical collaborators, and receive useful feedback. We are very impressed by Lunar's expertise, and honored by this chance to work with the pros. Matt, Andrew and Patrick went above and beyond to ensure we had a successful project presentation in Dec 2012, despite extremely tight time constraints.

We are applying for grant funding to take our concept to the next stage. Our prototype reliably maintains camera vision despite brisk bleeding, and we look forward to greatly improving the safety and efficiency of future laparoscopic surgery.

Postscript: 1 month after biodesign

Final presentations are over.
Desks and lab benches have been cleared.

What's next for 2SSB??

Tze Kiat and Luke are back in the clinics, groomed for Great Things To Come. Justin has a new position with Greatbatch business development. Pearline is back in the lab, figuring out how to apply biodesign principles to molecular engineering projects.

Our 2 projects (sleep apnea and laparoscopic visualization), are temporarily on hold while we apply for funding. We have identified promising technical collaborators in the local universities, and are optimistic about our chances of success. However, we welcome all generous donations! Please paypal to DAPEARL at gmail =).

During the 'personal reflections' portion of the final night, it was striking that we all thanked each other. Sure, there were many pedagogical moments in class, and during mentor meetings. But we definitely learnt a lot from the team, and not just about biodesign.

Gambatte!

Loose Ends

So, we're done with our mid-point "final" presentations, the US fellows have graduated, and the day after, life seems much the same, save for the near-palpable absence of Deliverables, lectures and meetings. Oh wait, scratch that last, we've got at least four more before we fly home...

We came, avoided the man eating plants, did it "real" (precisely!) and learnt a ton (and won an award to boot! how unlikely is that!) and now we have to go back and do it Even More Real. (Pearl ate all the mushrooms)

And as Dan put it - there was no one single unifying thing that we all took away. This program has left an ill-defined, but extremely indelible, and personally unique imprint on each one of us, and we've all come out of it a little older, wiser, and better prepared for the future.

All the best to our colleagues from the Red, White and Blue teams. They're stepping out into the great unknown (which looks suspiciously like the inside of the Clark center...) to do great things.

Us SSB guys, we fly back to the familiar confines of our "system" and see if the box can indeed be thought out of, or perhaps jimmied or sprung.

Ken - and a bunch of people - said  yesterday that they expect great things for us... we're not sure if we expect them, but we sure are anticipating... :)

Stay tuned for next episode, when our heroes do battle with a gigantic eight foor tall beanbag!

You get what you put into it.

An interesting point surfaced last Tuesday during our meeting with the dshrink. Luke was belaboring on his point that we needed to 'do this for real', and at the end of June we needed a polished product to show to VCs. I was confused for a while. If what I've been doing is not real, have I been in some sort of alternate reality? Did Luke believe that the rest of us would dare to present an imaginary prototype to the world?


Then I realized that Luke's obsession can be explained using Super Mario Brothers. This year of training is like a game of Super Mario! As long as you avoid the man-eating plants, and eat a few mushrooms, you can pass the stage. Or, you can go all out: hit your head against all the blocks, go up every cloud and down every drainpipe, to rack up bonus points and level ups.


What kind of player am I gonna be?

What kind of player do I wanna be?

Need we say more?

"Luke's log. A*Stardate 16.02.2012.

We are currently embarked on a perilous journey through uncharted territory. Shadows lurk in every corner... well, actually they only lurk in East Palo Alto.

We are (sometimes) cold and (always) hungry, but have a nice curvy vehicle that achieves warp 9 in 2.4 seconds, give or take a microsecond. We have no complaints.

Had an epiphany today while listening to Col. Uday rhapsodizing for the umpteenth time about the Needs Statement.

As I watched his mouth move, I realised that the trick wasn't to listen to the individual words, but to hear what wasn't being said...

It is not about learning to differentiate right from wrong. This is not a lesson about learning how to do, but how to think.

There is no right.
There is no wrong.
There is only Risk.

Risk is diminished by continuously placing oneself in a position from which one can remain agile and malleable, yet sufficiently focused towards the goal. It is akin to armed combat - lunge too far and you are over committed, opportunities are missed and your enemy gains a foothold from which to counter-attack. It brings to mind the peculiar experiment our crew psychiatrist Doctor Julian-a performed on us a few days ago, involving geometric shapes and strenuous physical exertion. We barely escaped with our lives.

In a nutshell : Commit just enough to strike but remain ready to riposte or retreat - remain agile and you remain alive to fight another day. Fleche only when the stars align. Minimize Risk.

This is the nature of the Needs Statement.
This is Biodesign. This is bushido."