This smart home health monitoring device will prevent panic in a pandemic

There is no denying that the shortage of tests is causing more panic and unrest in the public. As a global community, we were not prepared with the right tools to curb the outbreak and we’ve learned our lessons the hard way. However, the learning is important and hopefully, this has taught our world leaders to put public health over profits and invest aggressively in resources like PPE and home testing kits so that should a similar situation arise again it won’t cause us to close down the world. Self-testing kits like Blink will ease the load on healthcare professionals and will inevitably educate the people on the protocols that can help flatten future curves.

Every industry from fashion to tech is doing their bit to contribute in this fight and designers are using their creative skills to come up with solutions like 3D printed or low-cost ventilators, facial protection gear or mobile ICU pods, and many other products that will mitigate situations like this in the future. Blink is yet another smart medical device created by designers who were influenced by our current situation. It is compact and was made to be used at home, it can perform basic medical tests and report on your vital signs. The user is guided through steps to measure their blood pressure, body temperature and even carry out basic blood, urine, and saliva tests. Blink collects the data and reports it to a physician who sends his feedback – this not only reduces the risk of transmission (especially in a pandemic) but also is reassuring instead of anxiety induced by overthinking.

Regularly monitoring your health will encourage people to adopt a better lifestyle. Blink’s inclusive design makes that choice accessible to our differently-abled demographic as well who may not be able to get their regular check-ups in quarantine which has a larger impact on their health and this gadget will enable them to be independent in complex times. The user interface is minimal and the user experience is simplified by making data easy to understand. These steps are enough to indicate when you should seek medical help and when you can treat yourself by simply resting up. Right now, most people are going for Covid-19 tests because they are panicking over one sneeze but having a home test kit can be reassuring and reduce strain on medical resources during a crisis. Blink was created to improve the healthcare system by saving time, money, energy and increasing the safety of everyone involved. It empowers you and helps you take better decisions in life – crisis or otherwise.

This project has received Gold awards in both IDEA and Spark Design Awards in 2017 and has been exhibited in Global Grad Show in Dubai.

Designers: Belfug Sener

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A medical device that gives you doctor-free monitoring from top to toe!

I am guilty of going to the doctor for the smallest concern because there is no way for me to analyze what requires immediate attention. I am sure that I am not the only one who Googles symptoms and then descends into panic. It would be so much easier if there was a device like Kala, conceptual health monitoring smart kit that provides a complete non-invasive medical check-up.

A quick look at how much time, money and stress this could save us – 1/5th of doctor’s consultation time is spent on non-medical issues and there are more than 13.5 million GP appointments that do not require medical attention, most of these can be attributed to the human nature of worrying and because there is no other way of ruling out how we feel. Devices like Kala that use existing technology in innovative ways can pave the way to make monitoring devices digital, smaller, non-invasive and most importantly, accessible.

Over 60% of the world’s deaths are caused by heart disease, stroke, cancer, respiratory disease, and diabetes. The first step in diagnosing these ailments requires simple tools like a stethoscope, thermometer, blood pressure pump, and self-glucose monitor – Kala includes all of these and more. It tests lung functions, temperature, blood glucose, blood oxygen, stethoscope, electrocardiogram (ECG), blood pressure which can reduce panic doctor visits and save time on follow-ups too.

Kala uses artificial intelligence to read and translate data from the device into understandable diagnostics for the user. The smart device is trained to recognize normal and abnormal values – so it cannot diagnose diseases but it can warn you when something does not seem right about your vital statistics. It has been designed keeping in mind that apart from regular check-ups at home it also serves for emergency check-ups, hence the results are in a simple green or amber color for the user to quickly grasp what’s happening and take action if needed. It is crucial in eliminating anxiety while waiting on an appointment date and lets you monitor your health at home which can save many of us from the spiral of overthinking a small allergy or heartburn. It is also a great way to find out if it is a concerning situation and then taking the right call which can also end up saving time in many cases.

One of the coolest features is that it is independent of smartphones and the internet which is a major advantage thanks to the built-in AI but also has the sync-to-your-phone feature to look back at results. If you don’t have a smartphone that is fine too, it includes a built-in thermal printer so you don’t have to rely on any other external factors to do a well-rounded test and keep the results – this is especially helpful in lesser developed regions where users may not have smartphones to sync and track their health data. The parts are made from stainless steel which retains a clean and sterile surface. The rest of the box uses recycled plastic. One of these devices can help an entire community where medical facilities might be scarce, it makes good health accessible to everyone.

Kala is the future of having an efficient and accessible health management system for individuals, communities, and reduce the load on medical facilities.

Designer: Maximos Angelakis