Medical Design and Innovation

Ribb is the result of a collaboration with Te Whatu Ora – Health New Zealand to investigate the management of Temperature Sensitive Pharmaceuticals (TSP’s).

Within hospitals and pharmacy environments TSP’s, including vaccines and medicines require refrigeration. Cold Chain is the system of storing TSP’s within the recommended temperature range of +2°C to +8°C from the point of manufacture through to administering to a patient, ensuring pharmaceutical efficacy. It requires spacing between individual items (25-30mm), to ensure airflow within the refrigerator.

It relies on busy pharmacy staff to:

• organise, pack and repack fridges
• maintain TSP spacing and avoid the freeze and thaw potential of cold bridging
• avoid a temperature breach where the medicine efficacy is compromised and discarded.

Ribb provides a solution to internal fridge management. It improves physical organisation that meets spacing requirements for TSP’s, quicker access to medicines and improved effectiveness of fridge operation for pharmacy staff.

It significantly reduces the potential of cold bridging between fridge walls and TSP’s. It supports:

• airflow throughout the fridge
• customisation to internal fridge dimensions
• utility across a range of tray wire rung spacings
• use as a perimeter bumper or a tray spacer.

Ribb is the recipient of a 2024 International Red Dot design award.

The sight, sound and smell of vomit can negatively affect patients in a hospital, including making them feel nauseous themselves. People feeling unwell and vomiting often experience a loss of dignity and embarrassment.

Catch is a modular system. It enables different methods of use in a range of scenarios based on user preference.

Catch’s moulded paper pulp cup with perforated line reduces smell by allowing the cup to be vomited into and then folded shut after use. The angled cup enables easy location to the face and reduces the risk of spillage. The cup grip indentations is easy to hold.

For greater security the cup component clips into a twin-handled frame. The frame handles provide easier, secure relocation for placement on trays and bedside storage. The handles make use easy in an upright, seated or on-side orientation.

Handing over Catch with its handles provides a sense of dignity for patient and recipient. Handles also make it simple to securely hook Catch to a bed rail. Catch provides certainty, confidence and comfort when people are feeling nauseous and vulnerable.

We undertook an investigation into design interventions that would improve patient sleep in hospitals. This was undertaken in collaboration with the Auckland DHB. Patient sleep is impacted by state of mind, pain, discomfort and environmental conditions like sound and lighting.

We surveyed patients and clinicians to gather baseline information about the hospital sleep experience. We also monitored sound and circadian lighting.

The team hosted large scale design workshops with engineers, scientists and clinicians to identify problems, understand needs and find potential solutions.

Further design development translated the solutions into product concepts that would positively impact sleep.

The mechanical curl concept also helps to facilitate patient rolling when required.

Constant hard light conditions are bad for sleep. Bloom improves sleep through a patient-controlled baffled curtain system with integrated lighting. It offers patients the agency to control their privacy and reduce the impact of other patients, machines, clinicians and central lighting.

The light can be swivelled and adjusted as needed for reading or other activities.

Tylt makes movement possible even when sitting at a desk, typing and other activities. It turns an otherwise uncomfortable environment like workplaces into a comfortable space for people who need stimulation from movement.

Given the growing awareness of neurodivergence and the case for movement, it’s no surprise that the popularity of tools like fidget toys has sky-rocketed. Fidgeting and stimming produce repetitive body movements or repetitive movements of objects. They are effective in many situations but have limitations. Current products are hard to fidget and type with at the same time. Tylt is different – it allows fidgeting with the feet so people can keep using their hands for tasks.

The board is placed on the floor, rocker-side down. Users then control the board with their feet through a combination of rocking, rolling and twisting. People can choose between a range of rocker designs depending on what they like. Rockers are designed differently to prioritise relaxation or concentration.

Both neurotypical and neurodiverse participants reported a significant positive impact on wellbeing, focus and emotional regulation. These findings have been validated by lead researchers in specialist fields of education, medicine, psychology and literacy.

• Red Dot Concept Award Winner 2024 – Ribb
• Finalist IF Design Awards 2024 – Ribb
• 2025 - RAP 1: Project Lightbox in collaboration with ESR.
• 2021 Massey Innovation Prize: Cold Chain
• 2019 Massey University Strategic Investment Fund – Healing, recovery and wellbeing: Designing sleep interventions for the hospital environment

• Krige, Z. (2024) Developing factors of trust for the design of trustworthy Human - Product interactions, in Gray, C., Ciliotta Chehade, E., Hekkert, P., Forlano, L., Ciuccarelli, P., Lloyd, P. (eds.), DRS2024: Boston, 23–28 June, Boston, USA. https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2024.695
• A number of confidential publications and more coming in the following year.

Rangahau Magazine – Issue 4, 2022

NZ Herald, "No Such Thing as Normal: Why dyslexia is a skill set, not a disorder" – Tylt

Medical Design & Innovation Research Cluster – MedTech IQ introduction