Six years ago I faced a choice: Risk facial paralysis, or potentially lose some hearing in my left ear. I opted for the latter, and two surgeries later, my ability to hear high and mid frequencies on one side is notably diminished. I've tried several...
We’ve been very vocal about how much respect we have for designers who take up challenges in the medical domain. There’s always a lot at stake and with such a small margin for error, Design for Medicine or Design for Special Needs may just be one of the most challenging (and if done right, rewarding) design disciplines out there. Fast.Co lists Inclusive Design as a trend that will shape 2018, and our favorite posts from 2017 have only been a testament to the rise of that trend.
Whether it’s technological advancements to make better and more accessible medical products, or just redesigning medical and special-need products look more fashionable and inclusive, our top Medical Design posts for the year 2017 are pretty indicative of how big health care in 2018 is going to be!
This hospital bed can be folded and transformed into a wheelchair in a matter of minutes without disturbing the individual.
This wheelchair enhances mobility thanks to its scissor-inspired structure. It sports an innovative adjustable seat-height feature for better ergonomics. It also has two distinct riding positions: one that is ideal for cruising and maneuvering and the other for putting the user at eye level with standing individuals.
OH is at once a hearing aid and a fashion accessory. It allows the user to customize the product by changing the external ring’s range of textures and colors. It can also be used as an earring or attached hearing pin.
This smart thermometer is the embodiment of portability and compact design being just 5cm long and weighing a total of only 13g. The thermometer simply plugs into one’s smartphone audio jack.
Clevu is a wearable system that can not only work as traditional reading glasses but is capable of enhancing a variety of other sight situations. Enjoying the outdoors? There’s a setting for that. Watching TV? There’s a setting for that too.
This ergonomic smart cane comes as just a joystick handle with an automatic telescoping stick that shoots out when switched on. However, the walking stick doesn’t stop there. It connects to an app on the smartphone, actually guiding the user to destinations they set.
Simple and desirable, these black and white inhalers don’t just break the stigma of carrying an inhaler, they also look striking enough that you’d instantly spot it on the shelves (helping the brand reach customers).
This new EpiPen design, called Epipi, really makes things as simple as unscrew, press, and go! Just twist to arm it, hold against the skin, and press the button to release. A clear window into the medication reservoir will indicate that the contents have been emptied which enhances the confidence of the user that they performed the function correctly.
The Hue inhaler is completely 3D printed (note the transition from mottled color to transparent) and comes with a dazzling set of color combinations that are bound to break the monotony of medical product design. There’s even a woven paracord for easy access, or clipping/strapping to your bag/pants.
The Kardia is a tiny ECG (or EKG) reader that works in conjunction with your iPhone to give you heart-rate readings. Simple in its design, with just two textured sensor-pads for your fingers, the device takes readings and its partner-app guides you through the process, showing you your current heart rate.
Meddsy isn’t as much a first aid kit as much as it’s an emergency aid kit. It contains dedicated units for everything from medical goods to any instruments one may need to treat themselves.
This thoughtful design by Julia Marina Cunha forces us to examine our attitudes about hearing disabilities. For years, hearing aid designs have gotten “better” by blending in with the human body. However, this masking of the device also perpetuates the concept that hearing loss or disability is something to be ashamed of.
Designed with this in mind, OH is at once a hearing aid and a fashion accessory. It allows the user to customize the product by changing the external ring’s range of textures and colors. It can also be used as an earring or attached hearing pin. However it’s worn or in whatever style, it’s aim is to diminish the stigma associated with assistive technology and enhance the user’s self confidence.
Hearing loss is often neglected since there are no visible symptoms associated with it. But it can lead to some serious psychological and mental issues. People who are suffering hear loss have a...
For a long time now athletes have been requesting for a solution to the discomfort and the minor inconveniences they face due to their earphones. Answering to this call by the athletes Hearing...
People in their middle age often begin suffering from some degree of hearing loss. And as you approach senescence the number may go up to the point where half the old timers are hard of hearing....
“Find a need and fill it,” as the old saying goes. In this case, the need is your ear, and it’s the method of filling that’s deserving of a little bit of attention. OwnPhones, a headphone startup...
The team of engineers behind the Earin has claimed that they are world’s smallest wireless earbuds. This team was led by mechanical and design engineer Olle Lindén and their main mission was not just...
Engineers at Stanford University have discovered a way to power medical chips or devices inside your body. This is part of a new medical frontier known as electroceutical devices being developed to...
Conventional hearing aids come with a lot of short comings. Loud noises making the wearer feel irritable, the awkwardness of wearing bigger sized hearing aids and many more. The CLOSE is an attempt at an alternative system to provide speech input to the hearing impaired by means of tactile sensations.
Fashioned like a stylish smart watch, CLOSE has been claimed to possess the capability to analyze and convert auditory signals into tactile sensations. It aims to achieve tactile communication by means of electrode arrays that simulates the feeling of touch on the wrist. The designers are confident that human brain could decipher these tactile inputs into speech patterns. CLOSE can also share information with a smartphone via Bluetooth linking.
The CLOSE concept would be a great invention if it could work perfectly as claimed by the designers. Because, not only can this be an alternative to hearing aids, but also help people with cochlear damage and zero hearing abilities.
Designers: Zhengmu Fang, Liang Wenshan & Liu Junming
Six years ago I faced a choice: Risk facial paralysis, or potentially lose some hearing in my left ear. I opted for the latter, and two surgeries later, my ability to hear high and mid frequencies on one side is notably diminished. I've tried several...
