Wearable Device for Monitoring Oxygen Therapy

Industrial design for a (low unit-cost manufacture) wearable medical device that monitors oxygen through a nasal canula.

Client

Linde Healthcare

Work category

Medical

Services

Prototyping & Testing
Industrial Design
Manufacturing Support
Project Management

Brief

i4 Product Design were tasked with tackling the industrial design for Linde's wearable oxygen monitoring device concept, the VisionOx. The brief called for a solution that is optimised for low unit-cost manufacturing, while ensuring secure integration of the battery to prevent patient tampering. The design also required a versatile and reliable clip mechanism capable of gripping securely onto a variety of clothing materials.

Approach

Concept work explored the differentiation of devices through interchangeable coloured clips for patient recognition. i4PD's Industrial design team presented a plethora of concept sketches based on the projects initial requirements. Our designers collaborated with Linde to explore the avenues and outcomes of early design decisions.

Secured access to the device battery was built into the design to prevent removal by patients.

The device clip was tested to ensure its suitability on a range of different materials. The product is mounted on shirts and belts, so testing with 3D printed prototypes ensured that the clip could hold the weight of long canula lines.

Our design team undertook an highly iterative tooling and testing process to develop the product’s sealed air manifold. This resulted in an optimised pressure profile across the device sensors that ensured reliability and accuracy, without a steep increase in manufacturing costs.

i4PD worked with Distrupol (polymer experts) to specify medical grade polymers that met regulatory requirements including biocompatibility and flammability. Our in-house regulatory team worked closely with our industrial designers to ensure that compliance hurdles were at the forefront from the start of the design process - saving time, frustration and cost.

“i4PD have been an important partner for us over multiple projects, becoming an integral part of our product development process. We have consistently been impressed with their work, bringing new ideas and practical solutions for products operating in challenging environments.”

Brain Jacobsen, Product Innovation Manager, Linde Healthcare

Result

Fully functional alpha prototype meeting all requirements
Achieved low unit cost manufacturing target with considered industrial design and detailed prototyping stage
Secure battery housing to prevent patient tampering
Robust clip suitable for varied clothing and equipment
Optimised sealed air manifold for reliable sensor performance

While VisionOx has not yet progressed to production, the prototype proved the technical and commercial viability of the concept, providing Linde with a validated foundation ready for advancement.

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Clients & testimonials

i4pd were able to bring our very early product concept and technology to life as a commercialised product ready for mass-production. Their design input has been invaluable when it comes to everything from concept development and styling to detail design. We have been very happy with the results from i4pd and will be considering them for future projects.
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