If there’s something that this pandemic has taught us it’s that health truly is wealth! We cannot take our health and well-being for granted, and a mindset of preparedness and precaution is extremely integral during such times. The medical industry has been making leaps and jumps in its innovations, to ensure such a brutal pandemic doesn’t occur again. Designers have been coming up with new and improved, life-saving medical designs that not only boost medical care but relieve some of the pressure from our tireless medical force. From a prosthetic limb integrated with smart technology to a Dyson award-winning injection accessory – these designs tackle a variety of problems in the health and medical field. They’re a boon to modern healthcare and a reminder that we cannot take our health for granted any longer!
1. The Pinsoft
While its appearance could easily be mistaken for a fancy meat tenderizer, the James Dyson National Award-winning Pinsoft is an injection attachment that helps people deal with Trypanophobia or a fear of needles. Its terrifying appearance aside, the Pinsoft sits around ‘ an injection, and its multiple round-tipped prongs help stimulate and confuse your skin as the needle makes its way through. The gentle stimulation caused by the prongs distracts your brain since it can’t immediately tell the difference between the prongs touching your skin and the needle piercing your skin. By the time you realize what’s happened, you’re done with your shot!
2. The Smart Prosthetic Arm
The Smart Prosthetic Arm is a wearable design concept that integrates AI and smart technology into the construction of a prosthetic limb. While some prosthetic arms take on the look of an actual limb to create a cohesive look with the user’s body and skin tone, Lihovski’s design embraces the tech of it all. The robotic look also helps to normalize the use of prosthetic limbs in common spaces. Conceptualized in optic white and slate black, a digital interface wraps around the prosthetic arm’s elbow crease that operates as the prosthetic limb’s smart hub.
3. Cyberpunk inhaler concept
This inhaler concept shows clear signs of a cyberpunk future design style. The form itself is unconventional and the transparent parts of the shell reveal the inner workings of the medical device. At the same time, the worn-down metal surfaces of the canister suggest it has seen better days like it has traveled through rough roads to get to the person who needs its life-saving medicine. The small light at the end of the tunnel is that the design equally works for a utopian version of an inhaler. Idealized visions of the future often utilize white or bright motifs, tremendous use of plastic-like materials, and clean, unmarred surfaces. There is nothing that says “bright future” better than pure white materials.
4. Home Breath Analysis Concept
Most of the at-home medical devices that we have are more functional and not design-focused. The important thing for most users is that it does what it’s supposed to do, whether it’s measuring blood pressure or taking your oxygen saturation level. But what if the design of the device actually contributes to how regularly the “patient” will be using it and how regularly they use it is connected to early detection and diagnosis? This is the idea behind the concept for a Home Breath Analysis device by designer Lucas Couto. Anyone who has taken care of a patient at home, whether a family member or a professional, knows how hard it is sometimes to make them use a device that is supposedly good for their health.
5. Fanny
Designer Abel Szabo zooms in on the problem of wrist injuries to create a rehabilitation product that eases the user through the process of strengthening the muscle and tissues. Dubbed Fanny, this wrist rehabilitation medical accessory is specifically designed for people in the process of recovering from a nagging wrist or hand injury, or ones who keep suffering the same injury due to negligence in the past. Abel also seeks to devise a practical solution for people who either develop tennis elbow or are susceptible to developing it in the future due to the repetitive nature of their task.
6. The Alba
Alba is a unique conceptual product design that aims to help people start habits that will help synchronize the body’s natural rhythms with the outside. Unfortunately, we don’t know when the pandemic will be over, so it’s still crucial that we keep our minds and bodies healthy. There are already plenty of solutions and tools that will help you and me begin a more mindful lifestyle. The Alba can encourage you to follow routines each day. With the help of artificial light, it can deliver an experience that will augment what the body lacks due to disconnected rhythms. According to the designer of Alba, there is such a thing as “light diet”. Christoph Sokol designed the Alba to gather real-time data of solar cycles and day length. It is usually different from a person’s busy lifestyle and natural rhythms, but the Alba aims to make changes if there’s a need.
7. The Aliya
The Aliya can be a new staple in your life. Since your daily routine won’t be complete without hand sanitation, you may want to get something fun, quirky, and useful. This special hand sanitizer dispensing unit is aesthetically pleasing. It can be another conversation starter because of its unique design and purpose. The fully automatic liquid hand sanitizer dispenser can be mounted on the wall. You can also place it on a table or stool in your living room for easy access. It’s a masterpiece that design enthusiasts like you and me will appreciate. The Aliya uses seasoned natural softwood bent to give the elephant trunk shape. The alcohol or sanitizer comes out of the “trunk” part after being stored inside the “belly.”
8. Gravity Jet Suit
And while some might use jet suits like these for entertainment or sport, one customer of Gravity Industries’ technologies will be using them for emergency operations. No, emergency personnel from the UK’s Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS) won’t be swooping down to rescue people from danger. The design of Gravity’s jet suits makes carrying anything in your hands impossible anyway. In addition to the mini-jet engine on the back, the ensemble also requires the wearer to don two rather clunky “hand units,” each with two mini jet engines of their own. You’ll have to point your hands in the opposite direction you want to steer toward, so carrying someone is clearly out of the question.
9. The Ember Cube
The Ember Cube is a self-refrigerated, cloud-based, trackable shipping box that’s ideal for the cold-chain logistical requirements of medicines and vaccines. Designed to be effective but also be durable and reusable, the Cube is set to offset nearly 3000 tonnes worth of medical shipping containers from entering landfills… in just the first year of its use. The Ember Cube uses the same microprocessors, sensors, and algorithms found in the Ember mugs, but flips the parameters by ensuring the contents within stay cool instead of warm. It uses a vacuum-insulated design, lined with phase-change gel packs on the inside that help the container’s contents stay 41°F degrees for up to 72 hours, even in warm desert-like climate conditions.
10. The Neatfit
The Neatfit is a simple fitness tracker that makes a lasting impression with its sleek design. It is for those few who can appreciate simplicity and a healthy and fit lifestyle. Why the Neatfit when there are more advanced smartwatches? This one boasts a stylish yet minimalistic look, and it can be an elegant wearable device you can also use every day. Neatfit shows only the information you need with the five hidden LED indicators. They only show up when you check the tracker or when you need to know your progress.
