Firefly has treated over 100 infants!
We are excited to announce that Firefly has officially treated over 100 infants! Since our successful clinical evaluation in 2011, we have had a tremendous outpouring of excitement over the product. Firefly has treated 108 infants and saved 15 from life-threatening exchange blood transfusions as of January 1, 2013.
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Check back soon for more news about Firefly as we work on furthering its commercialization!
Project Firefly wins Highest Spark Design Award
ABOUT PROJECT FIREFLY
Jaundice resulting from hyperbilirubinemia affects 60% of newborns worldwide; 10% of those affected will develop permanent, long-term disabilities or brain damage without treatment. It can take up to three days for an infant born with jaundice to travel from a rural area in Vietnam to a facility with phototherapy. Meanwhile, the infant’s condition worsens often beyond the hope of treatment.
Firefly is the first low-cost phototherapy device that Vietnamese clinicians trust to use in the room with mothers in rural hospitals--a context that supports an optimal cycle of newborn phototherapy and feeding for rapid and effective treatment. The combination top and bottom phototherapy, robust enclosed housings, table-top size, removable and cleanable single-infant bassinet, and high-tech medical aesthetic make it the most trustworthy, intuitive and effective phototherapy device affordable for low-resource, remote settings in Vietnam and Southeast Asia.
The goal of this effort is to reduce the volume of otherwise-healthy newborns referred to overloaded national-level hospitals by equipping rural district hospitals in Vietnam and Southeast Asia with a trusted, safe, affordable tool to provide phototherapy in the mothers’ room.
Learn more about Project Firefly
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Firefly in Da Nang General Hospital during the summer of 2012.
ABOUT THE SPARK AWARDS
The Spark mission is to promote better living through better design. The Spark founders believe Design is an important, relevant tool to help build a better world. We feel that Design and designers act as catalysts, addressing problems and improving our lives and our Earth. Designers may be from anywhere, of any age, of any education. But they design!
Sparks are big ideas “embodied as great designs”. Spark awards the biggest ideas in a wide range of disciplines and catagories. Spark crosses traditional design boundaries (industrial, graphic, interiors, etc.) to highlight the power and value of great design.
The submitted designs are evaluated by expert and independent judges from design and related fields. Their knowledge and experience are the ultimate arbiters of the Spark Awards. The criteria reflect the key factors that they take into consideration. The judges look for these "big ideas" when they make their choices.
I.D. Magazine Features Firefly Phototherapy
I.D. Magazine, one of designs leading publications, recently highlighted Firefly as an example of exceptional design. We are pleased to see Firefly recognized by such a high profile organization, and be so broadly embraced by the design community.
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Firefly treating an infant in Da Nang General Hospital during the summer of 2012.
ABOUT I.D. MAGAZINE
Design is everywhere. In fact, there are so many new projects, ideas and blogs that it’s hard to keep up with the conversation. And that’s where I.D. comes into play. Just think of us as your personal concierge to the design world. We’re sorting through the noise to connect you with the future of design.
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Follow @IDOnline to discover the best design links morning, noon and night. Visit our online gallery with Behance (www.id-mag.com) to get inspired by innovative product design.
I.D. has always been about thoughtful discourse and what’s next. Our new online format allows us to reach into every corner of the design world to bring you even more of the best ideas.
Firefly Phototherapy Clinical Evaluation Update
Since its introduction in December of last year, Firefly has been embraced throughout Vietnam and the Philippines. Last month the DtM team travelled back to Vietnam to collect more feedback from hospital staff and families about their experiences with Firefly, and received an overwhelmingly positive response. Below are pictures and feedback from the two week long field study throughout Vietnam.
“I am most impressed with how fast the bilirubin level is reduced. Firefly was empty when this baby first needed phototherapy, but I put him under the overhead because I wanted to save Firefly for the most severe cases. We ended up moving the baby to Firefly when his levels spiked to 405. If we hadn’t had Firefly, we would have had to do a blood transfusion for him.”
-- Nurse Dan Thi Quynh, St. Paul General Hospital
“Treatment with mom is better. It allows mom to be with her baby, and let the nurses deal with more severe cases.”
-- Dr. Truong Thi Nhu Huyen, Da Nang Hospital for Women & Children
Click to read more...
Firefly a Winner of 2012 IDSA IDEA Award
We are pleased to announce that Firefly has won a silver award in the Social Impact Design Category of the yearly Industrial Design Society of America's International Design Excellence Awards, considered to be the Oscars of product design. Firefly was also selected as a finalist in the Medical and Scientific Products category.
ABOUT IDEA
Started in 1980 by IDSA, the International Design Excellence Awards program (IDEA®) fosters business and public understanding about the impact of design excellence on the quality of life and the economy. The IDEA program is considered one of the most preeminent design competitions in the nation with its scope and influence reaching far beyond U.S. boundaries.
ABOUT IDSA
With its roots reaching back to 1938 and founded in 1965, the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA) is the world’s oldest, largest, member-driven society for industrial design. IDSA represents professionals in product design, interaction design, human factors, ergonomics, design research, design management, universal design and related design fields. The society produces the renowned International Design Excellence Award® (IDEA) competition annually; hosts the International Design Conference and five regional conferences each year; and publishes Innovation, a quarterly journal on design, and designBytes, a weekly e-newsletter highlighting the latest headlines in the design world. IDSA's charitable arm, the Design Foundation, supports the dissemination of undergraduate and graduate scholarships annually to further industrial design education. The organization has more than 3,000 members in 29 professional chapters in the U.S. and internationally.
Firefly Phototherapy: a Brief Intro
Check out a video we put together to describe the global jaundice epidemic and how Firefly phototherapy is best suited to solve this problem. This is our most concise piece yet describing the challenges children face in the developing world when they are in need of phototherapy.
Please share it with friends and family, as we are trying to get the word out about this great project!
Project Postcard: In Mom's Bed
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Mrs. Foronda watches over baby Marlaine as she receives phototherapy from Firefly in her mother’s bed at Philippines General Hospital.
On March 21st 2012, Firefly cured its first infant outside of Vietnam. Doctors and nurses at Philippines General Hospital were excited to see Firefly’s convenient, compact form designed for mom’s room. When placing three day old Marlaine in the device for treatment, Dr. Manarang remarked, “We actually had to take this baby out of phototherapy so she could be breast fed by the mom. Wow! Now we can do both!”
Both of Marlaine's parents commented on how much they preferred Firefly over the locally-made phototherapy they had been using for the 2 previous days. At PGH, typically the father stays with the infant receiving phototherapy in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, leaving mom to fend for herself in the maternity ward. Placing Firefly in mom’s room reunited the whole family and enabled them to better care for each other and breastfeed on demand.
Until Next Time,
Tim, Elizabeth & Will
Firefly Featured in Machine Design
"Project Firefly took a collaborative approach to the problem, marshalling hundreds of volunteers and contractors from academia and business to donate or charge very little for their expertise and resources. “Our approach leverages great technical expertise from the U. S., Europe, and parts of the Third World,” says Johansen.
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The main challenges in designing the phototherapy device were designing something compatible with low volume manufacturing techniques or low-cost tooling so the Vietnamese group could take over the design, distribution, and servicing. “But the techniques still needed to give the device a high-quality, professional aesthetic,” says Johansen.
So, the bed the infant lies in is made from vacuum forming — a low-cost process, says Johansen. “The top light with the white housing is an aluminum extrusion. The extrusion tool is low cost. The two end caps are injection molded from plastic. A stainless-steel tube holds up the light. We were able to outfit the Vietnamese manufacturing company with its own tube-bending capabilities at a low cost,” she says."
- Leslie Gordon, Back to the Future, Machine Design, 22March2012
DtM to Participate in RISD ID Portfolio Review
This Thursday, March 15th, DtM Designer Will Harris will join the 2012 Industrial Design and Furniture Design portfolio reviews at the Rhode Island School of Design.
This is DtM's second consecutive year participating in RISD's portfolio review, and we are excited to return! Stop by to share your work, and get feedback from a practicing RISD Alumni.
Check out who else is participating in the portfolio review.
DtM Designer Will Harris profiled in the All Nighter
He has been actively incorporating knowledge of manufacturing into his work while working in a collaborative environment with people from entirely different backgrounds.
Harris stresses how important it is to know how to communicate with non-designers. “A lot of times in advanced studios, people are working on their own or working in a two-person group with another designer. And to really have a sense of what it’s going to be like in the world once you’re working at a studio, you need to work with engineers, business people, to understand their mindsets,” he says.
Because Harris works at such a small company, he is often given responsibilities and opportunities he would not otherwise be able to have.
Harris has traveled to Vietnam twice while working with DtM, helping them with field research and more recently, clinical trials, which began December 5th at the National OBGYN Hospital in Hanoi, Vietnam. He says, “Being able to go to Vietnam and see the response and see how excited people were – I think just made everything worthwhile.”"
"Doctors and nurses have already remarked at how intuitive the product is. Dr. Nguyen Thanh Ha, NiCU Director at National OBGYN Hospital, says, “Firefly provides very good access to the infant for bottle feeding, diaper changes, and even blood tests. We performed blood tests on each of the four infants treated so far without removing them from Firefly.” It has also allowed mothers to sleep next to their infants and supervise them throughout the treatment.
Though Harris understands form and function, it is clear that he is passionate about what Firefly really means to people.
“I think there’s a really strong power of having good aesthetics in any kind of device and really making people feel comfortable, but [I’m] really trying to work on just making a device that’s going to help someone and do something positive for the world,” he says."
- Michelle Chen, Spotlight: Will Harris, The All Nighter, 19Jan2012
Firefly featured in Fast Company
"In 2001, Tim Prestero quit his PhD program at MIT, and founded Design That Matters, a nonprofit that started as a class project. The ultimate objective of this almost all-volunteer organization is to aid the poor through product development. As an institution, it is specifically founded on nonprofit ideals, or as Prestero puts it, “I like the [nonprofit status] because it's a kind of discipline. I like the fact that, like Odysseus, we can chain ourselves to the mast. Google’s commitment to don’t be evil isn’t enforced by any outside body. Our commitment to don’t be evil is actually written in law.”
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Duo Thi Lu watches her baby as he is treated with Firefly at Hai Duong Provincial Hospital.
"Consider what's happening at Design That Matters. The organization is putting its latest product, the Firefly, a device to cure jaundice in newborn babies, into clinical trial. Barring any catastrophes, it will then go to a pilot program in Vietnam this coming April. After the pilot program, there are two possible pathways this product will take to reach its market. The first, and more traditional, is that the Firefly will be made by a local Vietnamese manufacturer, Medical Technology Transfer and Services, and then distributed by the East Meets West Foundation, a nonprofit."
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Bui Naoc Quynh Mu being treated by Firefly at the National OBGYN Hospital in Hanoi, Vietnam.
"You might call the second possible pathway a quasi-capitalist model. And it might offer vastly larger scale: the East Meets West Foundation could instead sign a partnership with a major multi-national that currently cranks out an incubator every 30 minutes. That company would then produce and distribute the Firefly through their for-profit emerging markets medical arm. Why would they care? After all, as Prestero says, “their next 400 million customers aren’t coming from the United States, they’re coming from emerging markets.”
The development of the Firefly, which looks like a simple incubator, actually took 10 years to perfect. It's no surprise that the model for getting it out into the world will require just as much care and boldness."
- Shoham Arad, Do Designers Actually Exploit The Poor While Trying To Do Good? Jan Chipchase Responds, Fast Co Design, 04Jan2012
Yanko Design Features Firefly Phototherapy
Its combination top & bottom phototherapy, table-top size, easily cleanable bassinet, intuitiveness, and high-tech aesthetic make it an ideal (and affordable) device for low-resource, remote settings like Vietnam and Southeast Asia."
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“Laying next to Firefly, my eyes feel fine. I could even fall asleep right here. Using Firefly instead of the overhead phototherapy, I don’t have to worry where my baby is and I can lay comfortably and take care of him.” - Duo Thi Lu, Mother, Hai Duong Provincial Hospital.
- Troy Turner, Modern Phototherapy for Newborns, Yanko Design, 17Jan2012
Design Buzz discusses Firefly Phototherapy
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"Firefly was first introduced to treat jaundiced newborns in Vietnam. It arrives as a single-piece, removable, vacuum-formed bassinet which has its own blue-light source. The light source has been provided above and below that ensures that the newborn receives maximum and effective phototherapy regardless of its orientation. The device is so compact and robust that the doctors have no fears of installing it in the mother's room itself. Thus, the transfer of the infant between the NICU and the mother is reduced. This in turn drastically increases the effectiveness of the treatment. Now, all that the mother has to do is feed the baby, which is by her side, at regular intervals. The periods of non-light are also reduced."
- Nikonian Bar, Firefly: Constant and instant phototherapy for infants, Design Buzz, 20Jan2012
risd-id.org profiles Project Firefly
On December fifth, Firefly Phototherapy began clinical trials in Vietnam and went on the market as a method for treating infants who suffer from jaundice. Harris just returned from a one month trip in Hanoi, setting up and observing the trial, and was happy to tell us that Firefly is being embraced by both doctors and parents, as well as treating infants in about thirty percent of the time as it takes other existing devices in their hospitals. As he told us, “It is a true testament to the care that RISD instills in its graduates when approaching any design problem.”"
- Carly Ayres, Will Harris | Firefly, RISD ID Blog, 19Jan2012
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CoLab Radio highlights Firefly Phototherapy
"Access to quality medical care is not universal, even in a first world country. I have firsthand experience with the broken medical system in the U.S. My mother has lived in a nursing home for the past six years under the auspices of Medicare and Medicaid services. Each day, we are prevented from accessing high-quality doctors. There are a maze of exclusions from receiving well-designed medications, devices, and equipment beyond the reach of my mother’s insurance providers.
The Kwikpen I helped to design is available only by prescription. It is not covered by many health insurance plans. In fact, it is incredibly costly to pay out-of-pocket due to the painstaking Research & Development effort required to create a new medical device in a litigious society.
Now consider DtM’s Project Firefly where we ask: How might we create intuitive and affordable products that help provide accessible, quality medical care for those who have very little?"
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The head nurse of Moc Chau district Hospital takes the temperature of an infant in Firefly.
"Project Firefly is a joint effort between DtM, East Meets West Foundation (EMW), and Vietnamese manufacturer Medical Technology Transfer and Services (MTTS) to design an easy-to-use infant phototherapy device to cure neonatal jaundice in rural district hospitals across Southeast Asia.
Our collaborative team of Boston-based designers and Vietnamese doctors has begun to answer these tough questions. DtM just returned from a trip to Vietnam kicking off a one-month clinical trial for Project Firefly. For me, the experience was an eye-opening and inspiring lesson in collaboration, trust, and spontaneity given my own American, Food and Drug Administration-laden notions of risk."
- Elizabeth Johansen, Creating a Phototherapy Device for Babies in Vietnam, CoLab Radio, 05Jan2012
Tour Vietnam District Hospitals
Get a first hand look at some of the Hospitals that DtM visited during the December 2011 field study.
The Ninh Giang District Hospital NICU taken December 2011.
Take a look at more hospitals that DtM has visited.
Project Postcard: Many Thanks
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Nurse Bui Van Ha places baby Nguyen Van Hai into Firelfy during DtM’s visit to Hai Duong Provincial Hospital.
/ Lincoln Design Solutions
/ Boston Design Solutions
/ Excellus Engineering
/ Optics for Hire
/ Actinica
/ Project Advisors from Cooper Perkins, IDEO, and MIT
The Firefly Phase 2 team, from left to right: John Dunn, John Ellis, Leon Hiemstra, Huan Tran, Oakley Thomas, Dave Duncanson, Elizabeth Johansen, Greg Dajer, Mike Damiano, Will Harris, Joe Galibois, and Timothy Prestero .
Until Next Time,
Tim, Elizabeth & Will
Firefly Clinical Trial Initial Feedback
It has been almost two weeks since the Firefly clinical trials began, and we are receiving great feedback from doctors, nurses, and mothers. Below is a PDF with a few photos from the field, with user quotes.
Firefly Phototherapy Treats First Infant
On December 9, 2011, Firefly officially cured its first case of infant jaundice, restoring severely jaundiced Le Bao Chan. His was cured in only 17 hours using Firefly, which doctors predicted would have taken 2-3 days with a standard overhead phototherapy device. The feedback from doctors and nurses has been overwhelmingly positive, below are a few of the feedback we have received:
“This is very easy to use: you put the baby inside and turn it on! You don’t need to adjust the height of the light which makes it better than an overhead.”
- Dr. Nguyễn Thanh Hả, Director, National OBGYN Hospital
“The overhead phototherapy systems are tall, so you can’t clean on top of it or even see if they are dirty. Bugs can get inside the overhead units. Firefly is very small and easy
to clean.”
- Dr. Nguyễn Thanh Hả, Director, National OBGYN Hospital
"The Firefly has very good light intensity for what we need - there is a top and a bottom light and it is very intense. Where other machines might take 3 days, this should take no longer than 24 hours.”
- Dr. Khuất Than Bình, Vice Director, Moc Chau District Hospital
Project Postcard: Cured
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Baby Le Bao Ngan being fed by Mom, Vu Ngan Ha, 3 ½ days after birth by cesarean section. Baby Ngan is the 3rd infant to receive full treatment from Firefly.
Born at a healthy weight of 3700g (8.4 lbs), baby Chan’s only challenge was overcoming jaundice. When he was 2 days old, a doctor identified the tell-tale yellow skin color indicative of jaundice. Jaundice is a symptom of an excess of the chemical bilirubin in the blood. A bilirubin blood test was ordered and confirmed a level of 295 μmol/L, which placed him in the highest risk category for developing permanent defects including brain damage.
Instead of the usual 2-3 days of treatment, Dr. Le Minh Trac determined baby Chan was cured only 17 hours later! “We’ve been waiting for this for a long time,” said Dr. Le. 60% of all newborns worldwide suffer from jaundice in the first weeks of life. If left untreated, an estimated 10% of jaundiced newborns would suffer life-long injury. We are so happy Firefly can help!
Until Next Time,
Tim, Elizabeth & Will
Project Postcard: Firefly Takes Flight
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Baby Nguyen Huong Giang, the first infant treated in Firefly!.
Six infants received one-hour treatments while their temperatures were monitored continuously during the day one final safety check. The babies, ranging 6-9 lbs, all looked calm and comfortable in the perfect-sized bassinet. NICU Director, Dr. Nguyen Thanh Ha asked, "Why are you doing all these extra tests today? We trust Firefly! There is no need to worry!"
One mother, Tran Ha Phuong, came to visit her newborn during his treatment. Ms. Tran commented, "I am happy to see my baby is being treated by the latest technology."
If the next month runs even half as well as day one, plans for rapid expansion of Firefly into its intended context of rural district hospitals will begin in 2012.
Until Next Time,
Tim, Elizabeth & Will
Firefly Unveiled at TEDxCambridge
DtM Designer Will Harris unveiled the Firefly beta prototype at TEDxCambridge this past Saturday, held at Harvard University's Northwest building. It was the first time for the public to get a hand on demo with a beta design, which resulted in an overwhelmingly positive response.
We would like to thank everyone who stopped by the demo, as well as the TEDxCambridge team for putting on a great conference!
The Firefly beta prototype on display at TEDxCambridge.
ABOUT TED
TED is a nonprofit organization devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. Started as a four-day conference in California 25 years ago, TED has grown to support those world-changing ideas with multiple initiatives. The annual TED Conference invites the world’s leading thinkers and doers to speak for 18 minutes. Their talks are then made available, free, at TED.com. TED speakers have included Bill Gates, Al Gore, Jane Goodall, Elizabeth Gilbert, Sir Richard Branson, Nandan Nilekani, Philippe Starck, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Isabel Allende and UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown. The annual TED Conference takes place in Long Beach, California, with simulcast in Palm Springs; TEDGlobal is held each year in Oxford, UK.
Project Postcard: Ready for Impact
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The Firefly Beta prototype, assembled and ready to begin treating newborns in Vietnam.
groups that donated time and materials:
/ Solid Concepts
/ Dassault Systèmes SolidWorks
/ Brigham and Women's Hospital Newborn Medicine
and our donors for their help on making this possible:
/ The Lemelson Foundation
/ Mr. & Mrs. Eijk Van Otterloo
/ The Bohemian Foundation
/ and an anonymous donor.
Until Next Time,
Tim, Elizabeth & Will
Project Postcard: Playing it Safe
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Pictures from the Firefly beta design process, from thermal testing to various design reviews.
/ industry standards - Firefly has been designed to the same IEC standards as all European and U.S. devices.
/ experienced team - the Firefly engineering team applied the same rigorous methods they used previously to design medical equipment for the U.S. market.
/ design reviews - additional professionals participated in key design reviews including Bob Hartmann of Cooper Perkins, Scott Mackie of IDEO, and Mark Jeunnette of MIT.
/ partner guidance - DtM partner, Medical Technology Transfer and Services, added additional requirements to prepare for the harsh operating environment and will perform the same safety testing as with their prior three newborn technologies implemented across Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia.
Until Next Time,
Tim, Elizabeth & Will
Project Postcard: Passing the Baton
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Huan Tran from MTTS polishes the Firefly beta base window.
/ transfer - DtM and MTTS spent long hours discussing every engineering and design detail to prepare MTTS to launch volume production in 2012.
/ assess - MTTS will perform safety testing on the Firefly Beta during November.
/ test - to verify clinical effectiveness, one Firefly Beta device will treat infant jaundice at a Vietnamese hospital in December 2011.
/ pilot - Firefly roll-out during 2012 will enable a larger-scale study of its overall benefits.
Until Next Time,
Tim, Elizabeth & Will
The Firefly Beta is here!
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At long last the Firefly phototherapy beta prototype has arrived, and is being assembled before it is sent to Vietnam, with manufacturing partner MTTS. We are thrilled to have finally finished a prototype ready for human trials, and look forward to seeing it treat infants in the coming months. Check out pictures of the assembly process at the below link.
Project Postcard: Co-Created
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Oakley Thomas of Lincoln Design Solutions, changes the lenses of the Firefly engineering breadboard top light.
/ one foot in today - to control the lights, display, and alarms, DtM and Boston Design Solutions have integrated the same micro-controller computer used on all other MTTS devices so Firefly electronics will be easy for MTTS to program and update.
/ one foot in tomorrow - DtM and LDS have ordered equipment and trained MTTS to custom-form metal tubing to form Firefly’s structure. LDS also identified vacuum forming and several other low-cost methods to help MTTS manufacture the curvaceous housings that create Firefly’s trusted, contemporary aesthetic.
Until Next Time,
Tim, Elizabeth & Will
Visual tour of Firefly beta prototype design
To help better demonstrate the collaborative nature of designing the Firefly beta prototype, we have created a photo album to walk you through the whole design process from concept sketches to the breadboard design review. Keep checking, as we will update it as the project progresses. We hope you enjoy!
Project Postcard: Tangible Tests
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The Firefly Beta breadboard model, in the Lincoln Design Solution office, with Oakley Thomas working in the background..
/ as predicted - Lincoln Design Solution’s tilted base design effectively draws heat away from the infant bassinet. Engineering prototype temperatures matched John Dunn’s calculations very closely. Optics for Hire’s lighting from below exceeded expectations for eliminating bright and dark spots.
/ the surprise - Lighting intensity from above was much lower than predicted when measured with the Ohmeda industry-standard light meter. Lincoln Design Solutions quickly fabricated an angled shim to better direct all of the light into the infant bassinet; the solution worked!
Until Next Time,
Tim, Elizabeth & Will
Firefly featured in LEDs Magazine
"The task for Optics for Hire was to model the uniformity and efficiency of optics matched to a Seoul Semiconductor LED. Using the LED ray set provided by the vendor and the non-sequential modeling tools in ZEMAX, OFH helped determine the number of LEDs needed, their optimal position, and the best lens. Given initial production volumes and delivery time requirements, it was decided than an off the shelf TIR lens should be used."
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Dave Duncanson and Oakley Thomas from Lincoln Design Solutions study the first Firefly breadboard optical design.
"Designers of medical devices face slightly different engineering challenges when designing for the developing world. For example, hospitals are less likely to be climate controlled in counties like Vietnam, the location of a pilot study. In such environments of high heat and humidity, systems need to be designed very robustly. "
ABOUT OPTICS FOR HIRE
Optics for Hire, the optical product development company, is a privately held firm with offices near Boston, Ukraine, and Belarus. Founded in 2002, OFH provides product development and prototyping services for clients with difficult, optics-centric requirements. OFH specializes in lens design for LED illumination, medical devices, video games, and zoom lenses; whole-product design including electronic, mechanical, and optical engineering; and computer vision software development for the entertainment industry.
Project Postcard: Measure Twice
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A thermal model of the Firefly Beta prototype design, created by thermal engineer, John Dunn.
/ heat management- LED lights create heat that effects the infant bassinet temperature. Adding cooling vent holes or fans risks failure due to dust, insects, liquid spills, and fan break-down. To manage the heat, Lincoln Design Solutions proposed a tilted base sealed from dust, insects, and liquid. John Dunn used virtual thermal models to determine a 3 degree tilt should create enough air flow to carry the heat away off the high side.
/ lighting design - the lighting from below must be angled at 3 degrees for heat management, and lighting from above must fit in a very small space. Optics for Hire used digital optical models to make an educated guess on best LED position and off-the-shelf lenses to get the right light intensity and evenness for effective phototherapy.
Until Next Time,
Tim, Elizabeth & Will
DtM Better World by Design talk highlighted in Core77
DtM's Director of Product Development, Elizabeth Johansen, discussing the "Product Butterfly Effect" at the 2011 Better World by Design Conference
1. "Don't Design for Everyone" - Johansen suggested focusing on a very specific user group, as opposed to trying to satisfy the needs of all users. For example, Project Firefly targets otherwise healthy newborns who are at risk of jaundice.
2. "Think Big and Act Small" - Products at a purely commercial level, said Johansen, can actually have a large effect on innovation at the social level. For example, the washing machine was designed as a time saver, but ended up being key in the feminist movement in terms of allowing women to spend less time at home doing chores.
3. "Mind the Gap" - Designers need to be mindful of the entire timeline of product use and aim to eliminate waste of time or leverage such situations. For example, a new-born is often left either all-night in feeding with their mother or in photo-therapy all-night. Design That Matters created a desktop therapy device for use next to a mother.
4. "Affordable, Not Cheap" - While working with Vietnamese doctors, Johansen was presented with a Catch-22: doctors trust complicated-looking equipment, so they would want to use it in their hospitals, yet they think it is too complicated to use. Simple-looking equipment doesn't get used. Johansen mentioned an American doctor who said, "Even in the US when we tell parents their child has a potentially life threatening condition and all we're going to do is shine a light on it, there's disbelief." There is a fine line to walk between sophisticated technology and simple technology, each of which turns away users in their own unique ways."
- Dave Seliger, A Better World by Design: Day One, Core77, 01Oct2011
Project Postcard: Demystifying Light
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Pete Flowers of Actinica, measures light from the Natus NeoBlue phototherapy device at Bringham & Women’s Hospital.
/ How Intense? - what is the light intensity of high-end U.S. phototherapy devices? How much do the light sources dim over time?
/ How Blue? - how much of the device’s light is in the effective blue range from 430-490nm wavelength specified for treating jaundice?
/ How Even? - how evenly spread (diffuse) is the light ? Can the human eye easily see bright spots and dim spots across the infant’s skin?
Until Next Time,
Tim, Elizabeth & Will
DtM's SOCAP presentation in Next Billion
Design for America is an award-winning national initiative using design to create local and social impact. Director of Operations Sami Nerenberg briefly introduced the organization's methodology with examples from projects in several fronts, such as child health, water conservation, and street dwellers.
"When you start suggesting solutions from the get-go, you are probably answering the wrong questions," she cautioned.
DtM's Director of Product Development, Elizabeth Johansen, and Design for America's, Sami Nerenberg, during the SOCAP reframe presentation
Design that matters offers design services to solve social problems in Africa and Asia. Director of Product Development Elizabeth Johansen presented their work in Vietnam, where the organization sought solutions to treat jaundiced babies in rural areas. After observing how hospitals operate and talking with doctors and nurses, the organization decided to focus on deploying a robust, yet simple product for small hospitals to allow the babies to remain close to their mothers during the treatment.
"Babies need to be fed often. We thought of something that the mother could carry," explained Johansen. However, we found it to be impractical, since the treatment takes place in five-hour cycles: a mother would be unable to sustain the weight for so long, particularly so soon after delivery."
The team decided to focus only on the children who were otherwise healthy. Other children would have to be referred to larger hospitals. "It's important to clearly define the problem that needs to be addressed, as well as those that not.""
- Rob Parkinson, Bringing Research, Action Together in Pursuit of New BoP Solutions, Next Billion, 15Sept2011
Project Firefly featured on Teague Blog
"For me, medical devices were the standout category. The image above is a design for wall-mounted epinephrine injector. Allergies are on the rise and both the wall-mounted and pocket injectors are a good deal more user friendly and can be administered by a much larger number of people than the current Epi-pen."
Firefly prototype design review with doctors and nurses at the Dai Tu District Hospital in Vietnam. Feedback from users and domain experts is a vital part of DtM's product design process.
"Firefly Phototherapy for newborns affected by jaundice in the developing world by Design that Matters is another standout based on deep research—it’s compact and inexpensive, so that more children can be treated without moving the child and breaking the mother-child bond, critically important for the newborn’s healing."
- Ying Liu, Spark Concept Winners Announced, Teague Blog, 25Jul2011
Project Postcard: Succeeding Sooner
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/ infant bassinet - made from foam core, one of multiple models that determined the best infant bassinet dimensions keeping the infant cozy but accessible.
/ top light - made from a curtain rod & pink foam, quick adjustments of the top light during user role-playing determined the minimum lamp height that still allows safe and easy infant access.
/ 9 pound infant - made from socks and pinto beans, replicating the weight and proportion of a large, three week- old infant used to role-play with the sketch models.
Until Next Time,
Tim, Elizabeth & Will
Project Firefly wins Spark Design Award
ABOUT PROJECT FIREFLY
Jaundice resulting from hyperbilirubinemia affects 60% of newborns worldwide; 10% of those affected will develop permanent, long-term disabilities or brain damage without treatment. It can take up to three days for an infant born with jaundice to travel from a rural area in Vietnam to a facility with phototherapy. Meanwhile, the infant’s condition worsens often beyond the hope of treatment.
Firefly is the first low-cost phototherapy device that Vietnamese clinicians trust to use in the room with mothers in rural hospitals--a context that supports an optimal cycle of newborn phototherapy and feeding for rapid and effective treatment. The combination top and bottom phototherapy, robust enclosed housings, table-top size, removable and cleanable single-infant bassinet, and high-tech medical aesthetic make it the most trustworthy, intuitive and effective phototherapy device affordable for low-resource, remote settings in Vietnam and Southeast Asia.
The goal of this effort is to reduce the volume of otherwise-healthy newborns referred to overloaded national-level hospitals by equipping rural district hospitals in Vietnam and Southeast Asia with a trusted, safe, affordable tool to provide phototherapy in the mothers’ room.
Learn more about Project Firefly
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Evaluating the Firefly prototype dimensions with a doctor and nurse at the Ninh Giang District Hospital in Vietnam.
ABOUT THE SPARK AWARDS
The Spark mission is to promote better living through better design. The Spark founders believe Design is an important, relevant tool to help build a better world. We feel that Design and designers act as catalysts, addressing problems and improving our lives and our Earth. Designers may be from anywhere, of any age, of any education. But they design!
Sparks are big ideas “embodied as great designs”. Spark awards the biggest ideas in a wide range of disciplines and catagories. Spark crosses traditional design boundaries (industrial, graphic, interiors, etc.) to highlight the power and value of great design.
The submitted designs are evaluated by expert and independent judges from design and related fields. Their knowledge and experience are the ultimate arbiters of the Spark Awards. The criteria reflect the key factors that they take into consideration. The judges look for these "big ideas" when they make their choices.
Solidworks creates Design that Matters case study
As part of Solidworks World 2011, DtM Design Will Harris sat down with Solidworks and was interviewed for a Case study on the development of Project Firefly. The case study is an interesting look on the importance of effective 3D CAD software in the product development process. In a way allowing a small company without a physical machine shop to have all the typical tools at their disposal in a digital form.
The Firefly Alpha Prototype, as rendered in Solidworks.
The Solution
Design that Matters chose SolidWorks® Premium 3D design and simulation software to support its development efforts because it is easy to use, is widely used by the group’s student contributors, and provides a complete range of design, simulation, and rendering tools. The group also uses 3DVIA Composer™ technical communications software to demonstrate and show design concepts to advisors in developing countries. By implementing SolidWorks solutions, Design that Matters accelerated concept development, improved its ability to communicate design concepts visually, cut the cost of a phototherapy treatment unit, and is helping doctors work to save infant lives in the developing world.
Project Postcard: Made to be Made
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Manufacturing techniques identified include:
Vacuum Forming- an affordable technique to create a modern medical exterior with plastic.
Extrusion - an inexpensive way to create a metal housing that reduces heat for our top light.
Tube Bending - cheap, hand-powered tools create strong, precision metal tubing structures that can support our top light.
Until Next Time,
Tim, Elizabeth & Will
Project Postcard: Realizing Firefly
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Please welcome the Firefly concept development team:
Actinica - optics and electronics
Boston Design Solutions - integrated electronic
product design
John Dunn - thermal design and analysis
Lincoln Design Solutions - design and engineering
Optics for Hire - optics, mechanics, electronics, and
systems
Until Next Time,
Tim, Elizabeth & Will
RISD Alumni Magazine profiles DtM Designer Will Harris
"Building on a project he started in the RISD course Product Design and Development, Will has been working at Design that matters in Cambridge, MA on a low-cost device to treat newborn jaundice in Vietnam, built using locally available materials. Design that Matters has been developing the Firefly design concept he and Alicia Lew 11 ID initiated as students and Will recently helped field-test the system in Vietnam. “it’s a very exciting project,” he says. “it demonstrates the thoughtfulness of the RISD education and the amazing opportunities afforded to RISD alumni even in this difficult job market.”"
- Spring/Summer 2011, Page 57 (59 on PDF), RISD XYZ, 26May2011
DtM Designer Will Harris unveiling the Firefly Phototherapy Alpha Prototype in Dai Tu District Hospital, Vietnam.
ABOUT RISD XYZ
RISD XYZ is a magazine by and about alumni, and is designed to keep readers informed about the people, projects and passions that make RISD’s creative community so special. It does this by openly encouraging participation from alumni, capturing their creative energy and covering a broad range of issues of interest to artists, designers, educators and others in creative fields.
As RISD’s primary print publication, RISD XYZ was first published in May 2010, replacing the college’s original magazine risd views (1995–2009). It is sent to all RISD alumni living in the US at no cost. International alumni are encouraged to download the pdf versions posted here or to opt-in to receive the printed piece through the mail. During the 2011–12 academic year, the magazine will be published in October and April.
DtM Designer Will Harris interviewed by IDSA
As part of the “What do you design4” series sponsored by the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA), DtM Designer Will Harris was asked what drives him to design. While originally drawn to the field due to “the opportunity to solve problems while also creating a unique and beautiful form.” His perspective changed through personal experience as he watched several family friends, as well as his mother, become diagnosed with cancer.
“It was a period that caused a dramatic shift in how I saw the world and the role of design. I was fascinated by the correlation between the comfort of care and the mental will to overcome. More and more it became evident to me that the comforting cloud like curves of an MRI machine made a dramatic difference on a patients trust in their treatment, a drastic improvement from the cold metal machines of the 1970's and 80's. As I sat in the waiting room meeting the other patients, I was struck by the steady decline of those receiving treatment, discovering that one of the patients had just passed away. It was overwhelming to see these individuals who had such great odds against them, maintain a stubborn will to survive, even as they watched those around them succumb to their condition.”
DtM Designer Will Harris unveiling the Firefly Phototherapy Alpha Prototype in Dai Tu District Hospital, Vietnam.
It was this experience that cause Harris to realize that design has an immense power to influence the lives of others, both via the physical interaction with a product and the mental drive to overcome a seemingly unwinnable battle. Believing that the core of design was empathy, Harris now firmly believes that a designer’s job is to empathize with the user and attempt to live in the user’s shoes. “Through this process a designer can have an unimaginable impact upon their users’ lives, empowering them in a way that I do not believe many other fields can.”
“Ever since that time, I have been driven by my desire to use design as a tool to truly empathize with the needs and challenges of others, hoping to ease the daily battles we all fight, be it a medical condition or tying ones shoe.”
- Carly Ayres, Will Harris | Design that Matters, IDSA Blog, 28March2011
Firefly Kicks off Solidworks World 2011
Executive Vice President of Dassault Systèmes and former Solidworks CEO, Jeff Ray, today introduced Project Firefly to the CAD community. After featuring the NeoNurture Incubator in Solidworks World 2009, Jeff used this years conference to express the continued work DtM has accomplished in "truly making a difference in the fight against infant mortality."
Former Solidworks CEO, Jeff Ray, and DtM Designer Will Harris pose with Firefly.
Learn more about Project Firefly
Firefly Featured in Metropolis Magazine
"Nature has spent thousands of years devising countless mechanisms that we have toiled to translate into industrial products. What designers need now is a basic understanding of science in order to utilize biological systems in making our products."
"Light is the basis for the existence of most life on earth, and is an incredibly useful tool when correctly utilized. The ability of light to power, nurture, and heal has been understood by humans for centuries and still is the basis for much of our lives.
Of course, human dependence on natural light has a large part to play in the design world as well. Design That Matters has hatched a clever way to cheaply (and effectively) treat infant Jaundice. Dubbed “Firefly”, this light-therapy device cures the newborn by shining a certain spectrum of blue light on him. The blue light penetrates through the skin, changing the molecular structure of the jaundice, allowing the baby to pass it through urine."
- Matthew Kihm, Science and Design, Metropolis Magazine, 25Jan2011
The Firefly Phototherapy Alpha Prototype illuminated.
Next Limit Technologies Donates Software to Help Design that Matters Receive Better Feedback From Users
After hearing more about DtM's work at Solidworks World 2011, Next Limit Technologies donated several licenses of Maxwell Render to Design that Matters (DtM). When talking in San Antonio, the DtM team expressed the importance of being able to accurately convey their concepts to users across the world, while not having to travel to that location every time a concept is created. Next Limit recognized this need and offered to donate its state of the art photo realistic rendering program, Maxwell Render.
With Maxwell Render, DtM will now be able to create realistic, in context renderings of recent concepts, bridging the gap between cultures. Thank you Next Limit Technologies!
ABOUT NEXT LIMIT TECHNOLOGIES.
The mission of Next Limit Technologies is to provide cutting edge simulation technologies for a broad range of applications in Computer Graphics, Science and Engineering. Next Limit boasts a young, multidisciplinary team with expertise in physics, mathematics, computer graphics, engineering and visualization. They all share a common vision for the creation of new products that connect science, simulation and visualization using novel paradigms and innovative methodologies.
Next Limit's products include "RealFlow" (fluid and dynamics simulation for 3D visual effects), "Maxwell Render" (physically accurate light simulation and render engine) and "XFlow" (CFD software for engineering and scientific applications).
A rendering of Project Firefly, created with Next Limit Technologies state of the art rendering program, Maxwell Render.
RISD profiles DtM Designer Will Harris
"Harris initially got involved in the project as a senior via an Industrial Design Advanced Studio Course titled Product Design and Development. “It was a really great course. It paired with two programs at MIT, LGO (Leaders for Global Operations) as well as their Sloan School of Management, so you get these joint teams of business majors, engineers, and designers,” Harris said. The course, taught by Matt Kressy, brought in various companies who would pitch projects to the students. Harris chose a project pitched by Design that Matters to create a low cost phototherapy device for curing infant jaundice."
"In speaking to how he felt his RISD education applied to this experience, Harris said, “I think RISD forces you to challenge things and really not accept what’s ‘good enough.’ I think especially in the development of that course it forced me to push the concepts of what was truly ‘good enough,’ giving me an advantage over others without that background.” Harris also gave credit to the great shop equipment and material courses in the department that taught him how to actually fabricate objects, even with limited resources. “Just being able to understand simple metal bending and various materials techniques gave me a great advantage that many design students don’t have the ability to learn,” he said. “RISD is really good at that.”"
- Carly Ayres, Will Harris | Design that Matters, RISD ID Blog, 01Feb2011
DtM Designer Will Harris unveiling the Firefly Phototherapy Alpha Prototype in Dai Tu District Hospital, Vietnam.
The Hindu highlights Design that Matters
“Firefly is a similar project that we are working with East Meets West Foundation. We found that two-thirds of all newborns are afflicted with jaundice within the first 48 hours of life. If left untreated, the disease could leave children with serious neurological disorders,” Mr Will Harris, one of the three-member team of Design That Matters, told Business Line.
A few bouts of exposure to phototherapy would help get rid of the problem. But majority of children, particularly those in countries like India, could not afford to go for phototherapy sessions as they are expensive.
The Cambridge company has also taken up Project Firefly, and developed a prototype of phototherapy unit using 3D design capabilities which is ‘significantly' cheaper than those available in the market."
- K.V. Kurmanath, Old car parts bring to life hospital incubators , The Hindu Business Line, 01Feb2011
Firefly, a low cost phototherapy device, designed to be manufactured with locally accessible materials.
Luminus Devices Inc. Donates Expertise and Equipment to Help Design that Matters Create a Low-Cost Phototherapy Device
Since March 2010, Luminus Devices, Inc. has hosted Design that Matters (DtM) during multiple technology exploration sessions for DtM's Project Firefly: developing a low-cost phototherapy device to cure newborn jaundice in Southeast Asia.
Blue light phototherapy is the most cost-effective form of treatment for newborn jaundice. Light absorbed through the skin helps break the bilirubin molecule into by-products that are more easily processed by the body. Phototherapy became a mainstream treatment for jaundice in 1968 and has been constantly evolving with advances in lighting technology.
Luminus Devices brought the DtM team up-to-speed on today's state-of-the-art blue lighting technology. Chief Technology Officer Alexei Erchak and Engineering Project Manager Michael Denninger educated the team about the physics of light emitting diodes (LEDs), the landscape of lighting technologies currently on the market, and the characteristics of Luminus' revolutionary, high-power PhlatLight LEDs. A tour of the manufacturing floor, testing labs, and some of Luminus' behind-closed-doors experiments topped off the visits. Luminus' donated components and equipment were invaluable in testing concept technical feasibility and firing the DtM designers' imaginations. Thank you Luminus Devices!
ABOUT LUMINUS DEVICES, INC.
Luminus Devices, Inc. develops and manufactures PhlatLight® LEDs designed for variety of general illumination and projection display applications. Delivering the most lumens from a single source, PhlatLight LEDs are the most versatile solid state light sources available.
Learn more about Project Firefly
Learn more about Luminus Devices, Inc.
Engineer Michael Denninger shows DtM how Luminus measures light output using their photometer and integration sphere.
Project Postcard: Infant in an Eggshell
During DtM's recent visit to Vietnam, we gained many insights about the infant bassinet: the clear plastic bed the infant is placed in for treatment. Despite increased cleanability, comforting contours, and better infant visibility, there were additional worthy improvements to be made.
/ fragility - appearance of bassinet was too fragile and cramped, especially with larger size infants.
/ stability - bassinet not very firmly seated in the base of the device.
/ accessibility - bassinet was hard to hold with infant inside and its vertical walls were not open enough for easy access to infant during phototherapy.
Until Next Time,
Tim, Elizabeth & Will
Project Postcard: Doctors Try Firefly
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Until Next Time,
Tim, Elizabeth & Will
Seven day old Nguyen Van Hoang with his mother after receiving phototherapy from firefly.
Project Postcard: Firefly Lights Vietnam
overall size - a majority of the hospitals used the same cart for infants to lay on between treatments. Given minimal space in hospitals it could be a huge advantage if the device fit on this cart.
overhead light - both doctors and nurses tried to rest objects on top of the overhead light including patient charts, which could cause harm to the device or infant. Reshaping the housing may prevent individuals from placing objects on the device.
Until Next Time,
Tim, Elizabeth & Will
Project Postcard: Designers Toolbox
in moms room - can the device be used in mom’s room? where in mom’s room can it be used? how can we make it easier to use in mom’s room?
portability - is the device small and light enough that it can be easily carried by a mother or nurse from room to room? How could the device be more portable?
Until Next Time,
Tim, Elizabeth & Will
Project Postcard: Doctors Weigh In
concept a – to increase accessibility and visibility, phototherapy lights shine from the sides and from below. The form was inspired by an infant cradle.
concept b - an evolution of our earlier “shade” concept, featuring phototherapy lights illuminating the infant from above and below.
concept c - previously named “cocoon”, the high-tech plastic cradle is illuminated by lights at one end, allowing mom to hold it in her arms.
Until Next Time,
Tim, Elizabeth & Will
Project Postcard: Five Concepts
After myriad brainstorms, workshops, and design reviews, DtM came up with 5 concepts for client feedback. From upper left to lower right:
charmeleon - can be held in mom's arms or set underneath, above, or to the side of the infant.
cocoon -thin plastic is illuminated by lights at one end allowing mom to hold it in her arms.
shade - a light shines down from above onto an easily washable plastic infant bed.
dove - an overhead light that can be set on any surface including an uneven hospital bed.
lilypad - treat multiple infants simultaneously to avoid conflict. Fits a standard clear bassinet.
The feedback from our clients: how might we combine some of these concepts to provide light from above and below to maximize effectiveness?
Until Next Time,
Tim, Elizabeth & Will
Project Postcard: Cheaper by the Dozen
held in arms - the Babson team’s flexible blanket may not be quite clean or robust enough for a district hospital in Vietnam. The top photos show experiments with a rigid version of the concept that can be held in the arms, positioned multiple ways, and easily wiped down.
minimal free-standing - the MIT-RISD team’s overhead light only exposes the front side of the infant’s skin. The bottom photos show experiments with minimalist structures that can provide light from both above and below while still enabling great infant access and visibility.
Until Next Time,
Tim, Elizabeth & Will
Project Postcard: To Have or To Hold
Should the phototherapy solution be held in mom’s arms, or sit securely on a bed or table top?
A team of Babson students (fall 2009) and MIT + RISD students (spring 2010) explored this question and many more during their product design courses.
“to have” - one MIT-RISD prototype experimented with an overhead lamp placed on a bed or table providing easy access to the infant, allowing for robust rigid construction and a high-powered light source for maximum therapy.
“to hold” - the Babson team prototyped a concept that allows Mom to hold, feed, and wrap her infant in a warm blanket during phototherapy, maximizing infant comfort and bonding.
Until Next Time,
Tim & Elizabeth
Project Postcard: Exploring Modular
How might we design a modular solution that...
Until Next Time,
Tim & Elizabeth
Project Postcard: High-Tech Bird's Nest
Insight: develop a solution that bridges the look and feel of a trusted, high-tech medical device and a comforting, nurturing environment for an infant.
Until Next Time,
Tim & Elizabeth
MIT PDD Phototherapy final presentation in MIT News
"During the all-day Saturday session, ten student teams demonstrated projects they had been working on for three months. Their assignment had been to design a new product and build a prototype.
The product was to have no more than 10 parts, and there had to be a demonstrable market for it. It also had to relate to one of this year's class themes: green living, global health, and clean transportation. Each team got $1,000 to spend."
MIT & RISD Students presenting their "Bilishade" concept
Cambridge-based Design that Matters has sponsored teams in past years and has acquired usable products from the MIT class, according to the company's CEO Tim Prestero. "We want to work with next year's geniuses—before they get accredited," he said." - Paul Denning, Making Progress in Product Design, MIT News, 19 May 2010
The MIT & RISD PDD Team. Front Row: Nabil Laoudji, Will Harris, Timothy Prestero. Middle Row: Emily Edwards, Liron Azrielant, Adah Chan, Karan Singh, Alicia Lew, Elizabeth Johansen. Back Row: David Bentham, Andre Hamman, Sivesh Selvakumar
Project Postcard: In Mom's Room
Insight: develop a robust solution that can be in the room with Mom, maximizing phototherapy and allowing breast feeding when needed.
Until Next Time,
Tim & Elizabeth
Project Postcard: In District Hospitals
To succeed in district hospitals, our new device must work in a context with minimal staff who have little training and few sanitation protocols. This much-needed solution will allow infants to receive treatment much earlier, dramatically decreasing the risk of permanent disability from jaundice.
Until Next Time,
Tim & Elizabeth
Project Postcard: Introducing Firefly
Almost 2/3 of newborns will become jaundiced within the first 48 hours of life. Left untreated, jaundice can lead to permanent neurological disabilities and even death. The good news: phototherapy is a simple and safe treatment that can restore a jaundiced baby to complete health.
We thought you would be interested in how this project progresses. Please keep an eye out for a series of project update postcards marked with the firefly icon.
Until Next Time,
Tim & Elizabeth
Babson Product Design and Development Course - Precious Blue
When presented with the problem of newborn jaundice in rural Vietnamese villages, most would attempt to take the current devices on the market, and find a way to lower their price.
The five person team in Babson's product design and development course strove not to just create a less expensive unit, but a better and more effective device as well. Their product, precious blue is just that. After noticing that most infants receiving phototherapy must lay naked or nearly naked, they are prone to becoming dangerously cold. By creating a wrap that illuminates, the team was able to provide phototherapy while also warming the infant being treated.
The team also noticed that while infants received phototherapy their parents could not be very close to them, preventing the bond between a mother and her child at a crucial stage of development. They helped solve this by creating a phototherapy device that can be worn like a baby wrap.
Read more about "precious blue" and DtM's phototherapy project, Firefly
The "precious blue" team: Shilpi Gupta, Lara Clemenzi, Molly McDonald, Prakash Bhatia, Rahul Bhansali
A model of the "precious blue" phototherapy wrap
Babson student, Molly McDonald demonstrating how to use "precious blue"
To read more Design that Matters news, return to the DtM Blog Main Page, or choose one of the article archives from the drop-down menus at the top of this page.
Latest News
Check out our 2012 Annual Report!
After a banner year in 2012 with projects in agriculture and newborn health, we look forward to conquering the next challenges in global health, pushing the boundaries of rapid prototyping as an affordable manufacturing technique for our designs, and setting the bar for design standards and practices to benefit developing world communities.
DtM's Elizabeth Johansen Profiled on Womenetics
Design that Matters' Director of Product Development, Elizabeth Johansen, was profiled for the online periodical, Womenetics.
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