Challenge, approach, and impact

Due to a long prototyping phase, the company had a working product. However, the length of the prototyping deemed some of the components had gone out of date and required replacements or a rework of the infrastructure. The outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic made some of the parts hard to access, especially the semiconductors, causing turmoil in the market. With limited documentation and resources, our team needed to work out a solution that would compromise on some resources and accommodate the end users’ specific needs. We faced the challenge of integrating multiple services and functions into a user-friendly design that could be applicable in various medical settings, including nursing homes, care homes, hospitals, and home care services. To meet the needs of these settings, it was essential to consolidate all user interactions into a few intuitive buttons that could trigger essential functions like an alarm and emergency call. The device also featured a simple display showing operating hours and remaining battery life. In addition, the device had to be very energy efficient, meet certification requirements, and provide reliable operation in the long run.