This Spinamic is a scoliosis correction device by South Korean industrial design firm Intenxiv.

Designed for client VNTC, a South Korean medical technology company, Spinamic is soft rather than rigid, which brings several benefits. First off, it's adjustable. This allows doctors to tailor the pressure—which can literally be dialed in--to accommodate the patient's specific body and variant of scoliosis. "The compression intensity adjustment dial is an effective design that allows for fine-tuning," Intenxiv writes.

Also, 44% of people diagnosed with scoliosis are teenagers—meaning their bodies are still growing. Spinamic's adjustable design allows the brace to grow along with them. "By gathering data on growth factors and spinal conditions as well as x-ray images," explains VNTC, "hospitals and parents can check the patient's treatment progress" and make adjustments as necessary.

Secondly, the quick-drying mesh that Spinamic is made from is far more comfortable and breathable than a traditional thermoplastic brace. It can also be thrown into a washing machine, unlike plastic designs.

Thirdly, it's a lot quicker to manufacture. "A conventional rigid brace takes more than two weeks to manufacture," VNTC points out, while "Spinamic can be immediately customized and delivered based on clinical X-ray data."

Spinamic is currently available in South Korea. While VNTC has expressed the intention to distribute internationally, at press time it was not available for sale in the U.S.