News
GuideStar Health Giveaway
GuideStar Health Giveaway is giving away $5,000 to the organization that has the greatest number of reviews on their website during the month of June.
Join DesignWise Medical in our pursuit to identify, create, and deliver solutions for children’s unmet medical needs.
Click the link and share a quick story about how you’ve been impacted by DesignWise Medical and help us win $5,000 for our cause!
Spring 2010 Project Teams – Thank You
DesignWise Medical sponsored 4 senior design project teams that culminated over the last 2 weeks with design shows and final reports.
DesignWise Medical typically will sponsor a student desing project for new product development efforts and then once the student project is completed, transfer the continuing development to our network of volunteer professionals and retirees. The student teams provide a tremendous service at the front end of product development by getting the project moving forward and gaining momentum. I liken their efforts to first gear of a transmission…getting the car from zero speed to forward momentum that we will then be able to build off of.
I would like to personally thank each member of the four teams for all the work they have done in advancing the development of needed pediatric medical devices. Brad Slaker
Development Teams:
University of Minnesota - Mechanical Engineering – OPOD Performance Enhancement
- Cheng-Heng Tsai
- Sara O’Connor
- Erik Hansen
- Bobby Schuster
- Jesse Maxwell
University of Minnesota – Mechanical Engineering – Oxygen Pad Concept Development
- Gregor Suzukida
- Mike Jacobsen
- Michael Leininger
- Drew Kieffer
- James Dixon
University of Minnesota – BioMedical Engineering – Closed-Loop Neonatal Oxygen Mgmt System
- Jess Alm
- Alex Hendricks
- Nathan Lau
- Chris Kuehl
- Brad Lewis
University of St. Thomas – Engineering [ME & EE] – Improved Vein Transilluminator Concept Development
- David Timm
- Ryan Markwardt
- Thomas Hillebrand
- Daniel Wadell
- Daniel McNamer
The Overnight Website Challenge
The weekend of March 20/21, 2010 we participated in the Nerdery Overnight Website Challenge. The event, in its third year, pairs nonprofit organizations with volunteer web developers in a 24-hour marathon coding session.
We were thrilled to be selected as one of 16 worthy nonprofits this year and were matched with the Full Court Press team from the Minneapolis-St. Paul Wordpress users group. The result is the website you are now reading.
This new site features enhanced content pages, collaborative applications and the ability to directly accept your ideas. We hope you take advantage of these new features and let us know how we could make the site even better. Just send us your comments!
Star Tribune Profiles DesignWise
Photo by Glen Stubbe, Star Tribune
Janet Moore from the Minneapolis Star Tribune wrote a nice overview of DesignWise Medical featuring our Overnight Pediatric Oxygen Delivery (OPOD) system. Inspired by mother and physiology instructor Ann Gettys, this project was further developed by a design class at the University of St. Thomas and prototyped at the the University of Wisconsin-Stout. A plan to gain FDA approval was then written by a master’s student at St. Cloud State University.
This is an example of the type of partnerships we will foster to bring these important new products to the market. You can find out more about this project and share your thoughts. Or you can share your own idea for a future project.
DesignWise and IPI Collaboration
DesignWise Medical has applied its unique development approach to pediatric medical device development to a pediatric device need proposed by IPI [Institute for Pediatric Innovation]. The device is an improved vein transilluminator used to locate peripheral veins for the insertion of IV’s and PICC lines. No device currently exists in the market that has all the features needed of a robust device for use with children. DesignWise Medical is working on the concept development phase of this project in conjunction with student teams at the University of St. Thomas and the University of Wisconsin-Stout. See the full story in the following link, CAMBRIDGE, MA–(Marketwire – 01/13/10)
LifeScience Alley – New Technology Showcase Winner
DesignWise Medical was honored by being chosen as one of eight recipients of the LifeScience Alley – 2009 New Technology Showcase Winner. Our winning product entry was the OPOD [Overnight Pediatric Oxygen Delivery] System.
UW Stout Students Help Design Breathing Device
Local news coverage of the OPOD system development work conducted at the University of Wisconsin – Stout.
“Students across the state are breathing a little easier as summer break begins, but they may not be the only ones, thanks to the work of students at UW-Stout.” WSAW Daybreak
UW-Stout ID Students Help Design Child’s Breathing Aid
Story written by the St. Paul, Minnesota, Pioneer Press on the OPOD device and the work of the Industrial Design students from the University of Wisconsin – Stout.
“Students this semester helped design the Overnight Pediatric Oxygen Delivery System, or OPOD, a device designed to help those suffering from children’s interstitial lung disease — a group of diseases that impair a child’s ability to get oxygen.” Andy Rathbun, Pioneer Press, May 25, 2009.
UW-Stout & UST Students Save Lives by Design
A local story featuring the OPOD device, the work of the Industrial Design students from the University of Wisconsin – Stout, and the work of the Engineering design team from the University of St. Thomas.
“Students at the University of Wisconsin-Stout are helping design a life-saving device for infants and young children with lung disorders. Eight junior-level students majoring in art with a concentration in industrial design are participating in a collaborative project with the nonprofit organization DesignWise Medical, in Minneapolis, and the School of Engineering at the University of St. Thomas, also in Minneapolis.” The Dunn County News, Tuesday, May 19, 2009 11:41 AM CDT
UW-Stout ID Q&A with Noah Norton
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Laura Short recently discussed a collaborative project among UW-Stout industrial design students, St. Thomas engineering students, and DesignWise Medical with Noah Norton, assistant professor of industrial design.Laura Short: Can you tell me more about your collaborative project with DesignWise Medical and St. Thomas engineering students?
Noah Norton: The idea behind this project was to create designs for an alternative way to deliver oxygen to children ages 0-6 while they slept. The 
current way is either taping hoses to their faces or strapping masks to them. Both of these are undesirable solutions that create bad experiences for the children and parents. Ann Gettys, founder of the chILD Foundation (children’s interstitial Lung Disease) came up with the idea of a hood that would deliver oxygen to the child in a less obtrusive way. She created a prototype out of a kid’s tent and some hoses; the OPOD idea was born. She has been working with Brad Slaker, founder of the non-profit company DesignWise Medical. They
have been engineering solutions with St Thomas since September. We were mainly concerned with the experience-end of things: interaction, cleaning, piece of mind. The students came up with a wide array of solutions that really pushed the boundaries of what was expected. We figured out a way to eliminate the wasteful use of many feet of disposable tubing, among other things.
LS: How many industrial design students were involved?
NN: Eight. Linnea Londborg, Hans Neilsen, Steve Lambert, Grayson Smith, Jennifer Seward, Jenny Byrd, Ben Heard, and Dave Keyes
LS: What were the ID students’ role(s)?
NN: Make the product easy to use for parents: easy to assemble, disassemble, clean, access bed sheets, tell that it is working correctly; make it fool proof. For the children: make it “non-medical,” take the fear away, give them piece of mind and relief. We were also looking at ways to make it more efficient.
LS: What was the result of the project?
NN: The prototypes are now being considered for further refinement and eventual production. One will be chosen and worked on more, engineered, etc.
LS: Will a prototype be available at the senior show?
NN: I am not sure yet. This is a junior project and I do not want to step on toes…
LS: Who started the collaboration? DesignWise Medical?
NN: Brad Slaker from DesignWise Medical contacted us over Xmas Break. We had a few meetings and came to an agreement.
NN: Brad Slaker from DesignWise Medical contacted us over Xmas Break. We had a few meetings and came to an agreement.
LS: How did Stout become involved?
NN: Brad came to a design senior show in the fall and decided to contact us.
LS: What is the possibility the product will go to market?
NN: Positive thus far. There is still refinement, but I believe that is the plan.
Posted by P.R. at 12:35 PM 0 comments
Bringing Niche Pediatric Medical Devices to Market
The innovation resource for Oklahoma, i2e, recently profiled the work of Ann Gettys, the originator and driving force behind the Overnight Pediatric Oxygen Delivery system being developed by DesignWise Medical.
“She met and began a business relationship with an engineer from the Minnesota who has similar interests in pediatric medical device development. Together they are developing a design prototype for the Overnight Pediatric Oxygen Delivery (OPOD) system.” i2e – Turning Innovation into Enterprise
