Hang tight while we fetch the video data and transcripts. This only takes a moment.
Connecting to YouTube player…
Fetching transcript data…
We’ll display the transcript, summary, and all view options as soon as everything loads.
Next steps
Loading transcript tools…
Design for MEDICAL devices - tips PRODUCT DESIGNERS must know | Serious Engineering - Ep20 | Star Rapid | YouTubeToText
YouTube Transcript: Design for MEDICAL devices - tips PRODUCT DESIGNERS must know | Serious Engineering - Ep20
Skip watching entire videos - get the full transcript, search for keywords, and copy with one click.
Share:
Video Transcript
Video Summary
Summary
Core Theme
This content outlines five key design principles for developing successful medical devices, focusing on user safety, ease of use, and effective functionality in clinical and home healthcare settings.
Mind Map
Click to expand
Click to explore the full interactive mind map • Zoom, pan, and navigate
Do you know the five secrets for successful medical device development?
Here are some manufacturing insights that product developers should know.
Hi, this is Gordon Styles, the President and CEO of Star Rapid.
I've been involved in rapid prototoyping and new product development for over 35 years,
and I'm here to welcome you to another episode of Serious Engineering for serious engineers.
Well, here we are with another Serious Engineering video, but before we get into it,
I want to talk about why I do these videos. I've always seen myself as a bit of a teacher. Ok,
whether I am teaching engineering, music or Krav Maga, or whatever it is, I love teaching,
I love passing on my knowledge and I hope that you people do as well. I am sure you do.
Now if you know teachers, lecturers, trainers or you know a bunch of students you think can
benefit from this, please please, share these videos with those people. I want to spread the,
as I've said before, the serious engineering love. We need more engineers, we need more
serious engineers, so get the word out there and if you are lecturer or teacher or whatever,
please use this stuff. You can chop it up, and cut it up and do what you want with it,
just get the knowledge out there. Thank you.
And if you would like to do a live Q&A or a recorded Q&A with me,
just send us an email, contact us through youtube or whatever
and we will set that up and we will have some fun asking and answering questions.
Thank you all very much and here's the next video.
I'm not a real doctor but I play one on daytime television.
After performing many life-saving operations, I've learned what it takes to make medical and
healthcare products that are safe, effective, easy to use and to keep clean. So today I'm
going to share with you the top 5 secrets for successful medical product development. First,
raise your right hand and promise that you will use the power only for good, and not for evil.
Now just relax, take a deep breath, open wide and say "Ahhh..."
Easy to Clean
Medical products are exposed to all kinds of contaminants. Some are just icky, while others
are truly hazardous. These include alcohol (not the good kind, sadly), acids, reagents, viruses,
bacteria, and bodily fluids. That means that if your product isn't disposable then it has
to be cleaned - a lot. Therefore devices should be designed to make this easy to do.
How? If the product is a case or an enclosure, and there are seams or joints between shells,
then these joints should be watertight. If that's not possible, then don't hide the seam.
Keep it accessible so that a swab or a fingertip can easily wipe it down.
On the same point, be wary of ribs, no, not those ribs, not those either, yes, that kind of rib,
recesses, tight radii, pockets, and other features that are hard to reach,
and which can provide hiding places for bugs.
Sharp internal angles should be eliminated or re-designed so they have larger and more
gradual curves. Overall, it's best to favor unified designs that present a
single unbroken flat or convex face that offers the minimum opportunity for dirt to collect.
Those surfaces should also have a smooth texture
and be non-porous so they can be swabbed, sprayed, or wiped with cleaners.
If there are internal mechanisms these must be carefully sealed against contamination as well.
Easy on the Hands
You'll rarely find any rough or abrasive surfaces in a clinical environment.
That's because it's hard to keep them clean and they can also be a potential source of injury.
But you also don't find very slick or highly polished surfaces either, because these can slip
out of your hand or cause accidents. The sweet spot is a matte or bead blasted finish, something
that provides tactile feedback for the user without being either too sticky or too slippery.
Another important point: tools or equipment used in stressful emergency
situations- especially if they're going to be held or touched - should have large,
rounded contours. In other words, easy to hold or grab quickly but without sharp angles
or edges that could cut someone or snag on clothing if the user is preoccupied.
Easy on the Eyes
Matte textures on medical products tend to diffuse and absorb reflected light,
which is a surprisingly important consideration but one that's often overlooked.
Why is that? Because most doctor's offices or hospital rooms are saturated with blue/white
fluorescent lighting that provides uniform illumination.
This is necessary of course to help doctors or clinicians to see clearly.
But strong lighting can also create glare, reflections, sharp highlights or confusing
contrasts. These can all be physically and emotionally taxing in stressful situations.
Therefore, all materials used in this kind of space should be bead blasted, etched or
otherwise finished with a light-absorbing surface that's more gentle on the eyes.
Simplicity
More and more healthcare products are used in the home for diagnostic, first-aid, and convalescent
care. And they're being used by average folks without any special medical training.
To help non-professionals, and to prevent possible mistakes, these products need to
be as user-friendly and foolproof as possible. A good way to do this is to simplify the design
so that the proper function is implied by the shape of the medical product.
That means the shape should imply and instruct its intended use.
That way, even someone who has had no instruction would be able to pick it up and immediately
know how to hold it and what it's for. The intelligent application of icons,
pictograms, arrows and other visual cues are also helpful in this regard.
Another good idea is to make buttons large and single-function. If there are critical features,
these must be easy to spot quickly so they can be accessed in emergency situations
without thinking. For these reasons, the smart use of color is also a big help.
Smart Colors
Color can be a powerful messenger, instantly communicating both emotion and information.
For example, strong colors help to separate important or even dangerous functions (red/yellow)
from safe ones (green or blue). Gradations of hue, descending from darker to lighter,
also help to denote a range of values. (Reducing volume, intensity, dosage, etc.) Colors can
define sections or zones on a product which are useful guides or reminders about proper usage.
And of course, color has a strong emotional connection.
For example, vibrant colors add energy and stimulation,
which you might find on healthcare products related to fitness or activity.
In other situations, bright primary colors are fun and attractive to children, while warm colors like
golds and yellows impart a feeling of calm in prenatal settings meant to inspire nurturing.
Light greens and blues are associated with growth and the natural world,
and these are more common in surgical and clinical settings along with soft pastels and off-whites.
Conversely, bright reds and oranges in the wrong setting would be too strong and unsettling.
So there you have it, the top 5 design tips for successful medical devices.
Did we miss something? If so, drop us a line in the comments below.
But don't tell us about that rash,
you know the one, you know, that rash, we don't want to know, please don't.
Please remember to ding the bell, like and subscribe and don't forget,
we are the people that do serious engineering for serious engineers.
Be sure to tune in next time for another episode of "As the Spindle Turns".
Click on any text or timestamp to jump to that moment in the video
Share:
Most transcripts ready in under 5 seconds
One-Click Copy125+ LanguagesSearch ContentJump to Timestamps
Paste YouTube URL
Enter any YouTube video link to get the full transcript
Transcript Extraction Form
Most transcripts ready in under 5 seconds
Get Our Chrome Extension
Get transcripts instantly without leaving YouTube. Install our Chrome extension for one-click access to any video's transcript directly on the watch page.
