The members of the Bioelectronics Laboratory of the Electronics Faculty of Kim Chaek University of Technology developed many new medical devices and equipment conducive to the improvement of the people’s health and welfare, thus enjoying affection and respect from the people.
It was a decade ago that the faculty began the research for developing electronic medical equipment. At that time, it was recognized as an established idea that the designing and manufacturing of cutting-edge medical appliances were possible in only a few developed countries.
The Kim Chaek University research team, led by Dr. and Associate Professor Ri Mu Chol, head of the laboratory, challenged the status quo, and bore down on research to innovate and break through, pursuing cutting edge solutions with their own effort and technology.
The first advancement they developed was an eight-channel unipolar induction electroencephalograph, a portable medical device capable of diagnosing brain and nervous system diseases by recording and measuring electrical activity of the brain.
This meant that the team pioneered a new phase in devising medical appliances Juche-oriented, and their achievement drew the attention of the medical circle and was highly commented upon at a national sci-tech festival.
Not content with the aforementioned, they pushed ahead with new development projects. In the course of this, the research team succeeded in developing a portable insulin pump, a somatic component analyser, a standard twelve-derivation electrocardiograph, an electromyograph, a multi-detector CT and many other advanced electronic medical devices and equipment. All of these are associated with the researchers’ sincere study and effort.
In August 2016, the researchers were tasked with developing an ECC device for a multipurpose roentgen. The roentgen is an advanced piece of equipment for ordinary roentgenograph, cardiovascular examination and general vasography.
The roentgen consists of various special devices, where the ECC device is the core of the machine. During the process, some worried that the team might fail to develop the device, as they did not have any basic knowledge of it.
The team, however, did not give up. They had gained rich experience in conducting development projects over several years, and were full of confidence that they could do whatever they were determined to do. So, they interpreted more 80 functions of the ECC device in a week, and created an encoded code protocol, the main key to networking communication.
Within a month, the researchers developed in a completely new way an algorithm for creating a connection between the ECC device they had developed and the host computer, thus succeeding in putting the machine into normal operation. This laid a solid technical foundation for putting the multipurpose roentgen on a Juche-oriented footing.
The above represent only part of the team’s achievements. They have developed into an experienced group capable of developing not only medical appliances but also up-to-date equipment for different sectors, including a voltage-frequency stabilizer for industrial and home use and an industrial CT.
Ri Mu Chol was awarded a certificate of “February 16 Scientific and Technological Prize”, which is conferred on the best scientists in Korea; some members of the laboratory also became holders of academic degrees or titles.
Ri says, “‘Breaking through the cutting edge!’ This was and is our invariable target. Adding lustre to the motherland by breaking through the cutting edge—this is just the honour of the collective and the happiness of individuals, I think.”