▲ HJ Park Su-hyun

As the world slowly transitions to an aged society, the society’s interest in dementia is growing. As of 2019, about 700,000 people had been said to have dementia. The Hanyang Journal interviewed Professor Han In-seok from the Department of Chemistry, who developed a diagnostic tool to prevent and diagnose dementia.

Q. What was your motivation behind developing a dementia diagnosis device?
A. I was motivated to invent the device two years ago when Information and Communications Technology (ICT) was beginning to be heavily emphasized as many people were suffering from dementia in the society. Also, I wanted to make practical changes as the society got closer to becoming an aged society. Dementia can be delayed or prevented through early diagnosis if one finds it in its pre dementia stages. Many people don’t even know if they have dementia, which worsens their conditions. In order to prevent dementia, I built a homebased instrument that can assess one’s cognitive abilities from time to time, just like a blood glucose meter. As the world’s aging society grows, there is a high level of interest in this project around the world.

Q. How exactly can your dementia diagnosis apparatus be used to diagnose dementia?
A. The basic principle of fitting the puzzle using five different pieces was based on a cognitive kit from official Korea Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-3. Once all the five pieces are fitted, the lights on each piece are turned off and the time is recorded through a smartphone application. This procedure is carried out once a day and the results are accumulated from the records used to diagnose dementia. If subsequent results are recorded later than those initially measured, then one could suspect dementia. The device can be used for children as well as the elderly. So, this product can be developed as a home appliance for all ages.

Q. Applying ICT to cognitive diagnostic equipment and accumulating big data is becoming a social trend. Do you have anything to say to HYU students who wish to pursue a path in research on ICT?
A. Constantly think about what ICT is about in our lives. When you develop ICT products, be sure to find out how much these technologies are involved so that you can know exactly what new things must be developed. Nowadays, blockchain technology and drones are attracting the most attention. Competing in that position gives you a competitive edge when developing ICT products. You should be at least half a step ahead of others. With this in mind, I am sure both students and prospective developers can be great ICT developers.