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▲Chen Guanwei (third from right), Li Jinbang (fourth from right), Zeng Kairan (fifth from right) and other project members repeatedly tested the product. Photo provided by the interviewed unit

Shenzhen News Network, August 16, 2024 (Shenzhen Evening News reporter Liu Xialan, intern Lin Qiuju) Recently, a group of comparative photos spanning ten years have been widely circulated on major media platforms. The person in the photo is Chen Guanwei, a student of Cuiyuan Middle School. Ten years ago, he took a photo in front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France as a Chinese tourist. Ten years later, he returned to the photo-taking spot. The difference is that this time he is the only representative of the Chinese region of the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow project (referred to as the Samsung SFT project). In Paris, France, he shared with 8 outstanding students from different countries and regions the innovative project he and his team members jointly developed - the intelligent prosthetic socket based on the honeycomb sandwich structure (referred to as "smart cavity"), showing the world the endless enthusiasm of Chinese teenagers for scientific exploration.

This set of photos not only records Chen Guanwei's personal growth trajectory, but also reflects the infinite possibilities of Chinese youth on the road of scientific exploration. In order to gain a deeper understanding of the story behind the "Smart Voice" project, a Shenzhen Evening News reporter interviewed Chen Guanwei and his team members.

The project was born out of love for people with disabilities

Chen Guanwei is a senior high school graduate from Cuiyuan Middle School. In his freshman year, he joined the school's Science and Technology Innovation Workshop Club under the leadership of technology "big shot" Li Jinbang. Together with Zeng Kairan, who is good at data writing and product design, the three of them complemented each other's strengths and became the original team of the "Smart Voice" project.

"During a volunteer activity, we saw that disabled people had to remove and put on their prosthetic limbs many times to dissipate heat because the sockets in their prosthetic limbs were not breathable. It was very inconvenient, so we wondered if there was a prosthetic limb that would be more convenient and comfortable for them to use?" But recalling the starting point of the "Smart Cavity" project, Li Jinbang and Zeng Kairan both said that because the initial ideas were not supported by research data, many uncertainties in the project caused the team to encounter bottlenecks in the early stages.

"It's very sad to see disabled people suffering from skin diseases because of the airtight socket of prosthesis." This feeling was like a thorn in the team's heart, and they didn't want to give up easily. With the help of Zhang Jie, the instructor of the Science and Technology Workshop of Cuiyuan Middle School, they contacted the Shenzhen Disabled Persons' Federation and other institutions, visited and collected the real needs and feedback of a large number of disabled people, and also investigated a number of prosthesis socket manufacturers. They found that most of the products on the market use traditional designs, and the air permeability problem needs to be solved urgently.

In February 2022, the team members decided to develop a prosthetic socket with its own "air conditioner". When their creativity and determination were presented to scientific research experts, they were highly recognized and encouraged by the experts: "This field is almost blank internationally, and what you are doing is a very meaningful thing!"

This affirmation is like a shot in the arm, which has doubled the confidence of the team members. In October 2022, they officially invested in the research and development of the "Smart Chamber" project. "We hope to make something tangible and truly help people with disabilities." Zeng Kairan's words are full of a sense of responsibility and mission.

Integrate cutting-edge technology and keep advancing

"Every time we complete a new generation of products, we will submit them to the competition and accept the judges' inspection and questions. This way of learning through competition allows us to constantly discover and solve problems in practice, and promote the continuous progress of the project." Chen Guanwei introduced that during the competition for the first generation of products, the battery life issue became the focus of the judges. Since the prosthesis needs to fit closely with the disabled person's body, the internal space is extremely limited and cannot accommodate high-power electronic components and large-capacity batteries. Faced with the judges' questions about battery life, the team members did not back down, but carried out more in-depth research.

From debugging the temperature detection module to integrating various components to the final product, team members often worked hard in the school laboratory. If they did not finish the work in the laboratory, they would go home and continue the online meeting. "The module debugging was successful here!" "The report file is complete!"... It was not until late at night that everyone breathed a sigh of relief when the team members reported the results of their completed tasks online. "At that moment, we really felt an unprecedented sense of accomplishment." Chen Guanwei said.

According to Li Jinbang, the third-generation "Smart Cavity" uses 3D scanning technology instead of the existing plaster molding method in the production process, so that it can fit the residual limb more accurately. The project team streamlined the production process and improved the comfort level. In terms of intelligence, the "Smart Cavity" incorporates cutting-edge technology, deeply integrates GNSS modules with Internet of Things technology, and cleverly combines high-precision sensors such as acceleration sensors and gyroscopes to build a comprehensive safe travel guarantee system for disabled users.

On August 13, 2023, the project team came to the laboratory of Shenzhen Zero One College and completed the cooling effect test under the guidance of Professor Ren Jianxun, the head teacher of Tsinghua Qian Xuesen Mechanics Class, and determined that the expected cooling effect was achieved, proving the feasibility of the invention.

Now, with the graduation of Chen Guanwei, Li Jinbang and Zeng Kairan, new members such as He Youran, Chen Daoyan and Xiang Zirui will add smart screens to the fourth-generation "Smart Voice", which is expected to be commercialized and put into use to benefit people in need.

Appearing on the international stage with strength

Relying on its innovative strength, "Zhiqiang" has won four national awards, including the gold medal of the "Global Invention Conference China National Finals", the first prize of the "37th National Youth Science and Technology Innovation Competition Special Award Dream Aerospace Innovation and Creativity Award", the second prize of the "37th National Youth Science and Technology Innovation Competition Grade Award" and the third prize in the "9th National Youth Science Popularization Innovation Experiment and Works Competition Middle School Creativity Group" (the only one in the province).

"This is called 'Smart Cavity', which is an intelligent prosthetic socket." During the sharing session of the "Create the Future, Empower People" public welfare project launch event jointly launched by Samsung and the International Olympic Committee, Chen Guanwei, on behalf of the team, confidently introduced their award-winning work "Smart Cavity" to Thomas Bach, President of the International Olympic Committee. "Awesome idea!" "Interesting idea!" The "Smart Cavity" project won high praise from Thomas Bach, who said that the scientific and technological innovation projects and innovative ideas from Shenzhen, China are impressive.

Chen Guanwei told the Shenzhen Evening News reporter that in this international exchange activity, the topics they discussed not only focused on scientific and technological projects and sports competitions, but also crossed national borders to share the culture, education and traditional food of each country. What makes Chen Guanwei proud is that he can use this platform as a bridge to introduce Shenzhen's development to international friends, tell China's stories, and convey the charm of China's excellent traditional culture.

"I am happy to see the children showing themselves and realizing their dreams on the platform of the Science and Technology Workshop Club." Zhang Jie said that since its establishment in 2017, the Science and Technology Workshop Club of Cuiyuan Middle School has grown into a big family with more than 70 members, and each member is a child who is passionate about science. Guo Yuzhu, the president of Cuiyuan Education Group and the principal of Cuiyuan Middle School, said that Cuiyuan Middle School focuses on the fundamental task of cultivating morality and cultivating people, actively builds an innovative environment, and strengthens students' scientific and technological innovation capabilities. Through the organic combination of courses, teachers, practice and competitions, Cuiyuan Middle School is gradually forming a unique educational path that integrates innovation, openness and wisdom.