McLaren Neuromodulation project - Charger Prototype
The Charger for the Charger. Patients will need to charge the implants inside their bodies and as such the circular piece seen here was meant to be sticked to the body where it would allow for that. But that charger also needed to be charged itself. For that purpose a dock had to be created as well, which is the wider squared shaped device represented here as well.
Three great insights came out of research that would steer the direction on this stage. The first was that most people would put all of their devices in one place, usually the cupboard right next to their beds. Otherwise most would just go into a drawer and become forgotten for the most part. The second insight was around the fact that most people were somehow embarrassed of having these type of devices in plain view., since medical looking devices frequently make family and friends prompt for questions - that most patients don't really feel comfortable answering (i.e. due to appearing weak , being a target of condescendency, ignorance, etc). Finally, the third one was also related to embarrassment on using such devices in public (which could eventually happen in some scenarios).
As such some of the experiments we did focused on making the devices feel more like a fashion accessory, that could actually even make people proud to use them rather than ashamed. The direction was also to make them light and as small as possible to fit within people's already device crowded cupboards.
Although reception to this direction - the fashion accessory one - was very positive both internally and during testing, we had to eventually drop it in favour of a bit more "medical" one due mostly to legal health regulations constraints.
Read more here:
https://us.gsk.com/en-us/research/what-we-are-working-on/bioelectronics-research/bioelectronics-at-sxsw/
Image credits go to Jay Canham (Industrial Design Lead) and specially to Ryan Jongwoo Choi (Industrial Designer), as the final design seen here, as well as the render itself, is for the most part his own.
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Industrial Design credits:
Ryan Jongwoo Choi
http://www.ryanchoi.co.uk/
Jay Canham
https://uk.linkedin.com/in/jay-canham-20035b13
Melissa Lara
https://uk.linkedin.com/in/melissa-lara-71600425