Tapping into LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging), Goh’s invention maps the size (cross-section area) of the breasts to calculate the appropriate force required to get a clear imaging while minimising discomfort as much as possible.
The invention made Goh the national winner of the annual James Dyson Award, which comes with a S$8,400 grant to further develop his project.
The James Dyson Award is an international design innovation competition open to current and recent university students in engineering, product design and industrial design. Designers have to create products with simple engineering principles, that have technical and commercial viability.
Goh will progress to compete on the international stage, where winners will be announced in November.
AN ACCIDENTAL DISCOVERY
Mammograms would probably never cross the minds of most young men. Goh was no different.
It was a chance conversation with Dr Serene Goh, an associate consultant at NUH and a friend of Goh’s design mentor in mid-2023 that made Goh aware of the problem.
“She mentioned that the breast screening rate in Singapore is very low. One of the things she wanted to do was to improve screening rates,” he said.
“I thought, if we can make [the mammogram experience] a lot better, it is going to benefit a lot of people. But I thought that I was not the right person to do it, because I’m a guy – this is a very female procedure,” he added.