Don Fry and Prof Michael Neil with Aimtek org no 1 prototype

Following the closure of the NQEA Shipbuilding division and transfer of the General Engineering division to his son, Mark Fry, Don has pursued a passion to be involved with the development of medical devices and processes working with leading surgeons:

• Prof. Michael Neil: Helping Orthopods Fit New Knee Bearings (2007 Engineering Excellence Award (Qld Division) – Research, Development and Innovation (Section 1)
• Dr. Kevin Seex: Improving procedures and development of devices to aid Spinal Surgery.
• QUT: Providing equipment and services to aid the campaign to heal persons suffering spinal cord injury. (Co-author – “Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment in an Animal Model of Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury”.)
• Kings College Hospital, London: Developing devices and systems to simplify achieving accuracy for acetabulum cup placement during Hip Joint replacement.
• Member of the Senior Advisory Board for the Monash Institute of Medical Engineering.

In 2006, Don Fry changed his direction to become actively involved with the development of medical devices to improve the procedures for orthopaedic and neurological surgery.

Paper: “Helping Orthopods Fit New Knee Bearings” – 2007

Recipient Engineers Australia (Qld Division) Innovation Award.

Research has been ongoing since 2007 to develop an advanced device to enable accurate and positively controlled distraction and retraction of cervical vertebral bodies.

Four advanced units are now on trial with leading neurosurgeons within Australia and overseas. The device is proving to be very effective.