ROMIX: From mother's pain to the dream of medical equipment made in Vietnam

Doctor Nguyen Huu Duc Minh believes that ROMIX not only meets the needs of Vietnamese people but also targets the needs of foreign users - Photo: NVCC

The process of making ROMIX into what it is today is arduous and costly. The reason why Master, Doctor Nguyen Huu Duc Minh (37 years old) - lecturer at Ho Chi Minh City University of Medicine and Pharmacy - decided to create ROMIX is because there are too many people around him, most recently his mother who often suffers from neck and shoulder pain.

ROMIX is a medical device designed entirely by Vietnamese people, originating from the need to serve Vietnamese people and further, possibly reaching out to international friends.

Everywhere I go I see people with neck and shoulder pain.

24 hours a day revolving around the work of a lecturer, a researcher, and a young startup is probably not enough for Duc Minh. ROMIX was actually conceived by a doctor in 2022 after many volunteer medical trips and he realized that people everywhere were suffering from neck and shoulder pain. That was also the hidden person that made his mother miserable at home every night.

After researching, Minh found that information about neck and shoulder pain is quite common in the community, especially among office workers, workers and laborers, while there is almost no way to completely cure this disease. Taking painkillers or massaging muscles and tendons is only the initial treatment solution.

Even current methods of measuring cervical spine range of motion still have certain limitations. Manual measurements largely depend on the doctor's skill, while X-ray or MRI methods are quite expensive and invasive.

"There are patients who have to wait all day just to do a few simple tests. Is there a faster way? A simpler machine that is more accurate and less expensive? Questions like that always ring in my head," said Dr. Duc Minh.

Concerns were also the reason why he had to start researching and finding partners. The idea of ROMIX gradually became clearer, applying photometric technology through cameras, combining artificial intelligence (AI) to evaluate the range of motion of the cervical spine in six directions of movement (bending, stretching, tilting left/right, rotating left/right).

Using photometric technology

Minh and his colleagues had countless sleepless nights when starting their business. Sometimes the team had to try the same method hundreds of times just to check for errors. Whenever something went wrong, they would disassemble, re-solder, and then adjust the algorithm.

While researching and working, he also had to worry about finding funding to maintain the project. Many colleagues and relatives who knew about the matter advised him to stop because "it's hard to get a foothold in medical technology in Vietnam". Those words and the many difficulties that surrounded him made him feel confused and think a lot, but he didn't want to give up when he remembered the reason he started.

It was not until the end of 2024 that he breathed a sigh of relief when ROMIX was gradually completed. Even the father of ROMIX was quite surprised when the product gave visual analysis results after only 3-5 minutes of scanning, displayed right on the screen, via a mobile application, significantly reducing the time compared to existing methods.

Photometric and AI technology eliminates the need for non-invasive procedures, and also reduces the dependence on the doctor's skills if using manual methods.

According to calculations, this method can help save up to 75% of costs. "The most difficult thing is how to make ROMIX both scientific and user-friendly. Users do not need medical knowledge to operate easily, and doctors will be assured with standardized data based on clinical research," said Dr. Minh.

ROMIX was built from a clinical dataset of 480 healthy individuals and 120 patients with cervical spondylosis. This ensures objectivity and accuracy in classifying the level of mobility limitation. The technology that underpins the ROMIX system is minimalist in design, easy to assemble, and suitable for many different environments from hospitals, businesses to schools.

Dream of "made in Vietnam" devices

After initial successful research and testing with ROMIX, Dr. Minh said he will not stop at one device but will develop the system according to the IoT (Internet of Things) and AI trends in healthcare with the ambition to connect data from patients to doctors, from businesses to hospitals.

It is also the dream of making ROMIX a "made in Vietnam" smart medical product that is competitive and has export potential. Furthermore, the startup doctor said that he aims to achieve the United Nations' sustainable development goals in health and welfare, sustainable economic growth, and technological innovation.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/romix-tu-noi-dau-cua-me-den-giac-mo-thiet-bi-y-te-made-in-vietnam-20250904101334375.htm