| In 2001,
Canon Communications announced the winners of the fourth annual Medical
Design Excellence Awards competition. The awards program is designed to
recognize excellence in design, engineering, innovation, and
advancements in medical products.
The impartial judging panel represented
a comprehensive range of medical product related disciplines including
biomedical engineering, human factors, Industrial design, packaging, and
primary caregivers.
From the hundreds of entries, 28
winners were selected as winners in ten product type designations.
Omnica's winning entry was in the category of Rehabilitation, and
Assistive- Technology Products.
The "next generation" device
is a portable, high-efficiency liquid oxygen system designed for the
ambulatory patient. It is relatively lightweight, and incorporates the
first pneumatically driven oxygen conserver.
By incorporating the customer's patented 4:1 conserver valve, the HELiOs
Personal Oxygen System delivers an oxygen flow that is
physiologically equivalent to that of much larger competitive
devices.
 Our
customer supplied the internal components, and we designed and
prototyped an optimized exterior. Notable design features are an
integrated handle (the competition only offered slings for transport),
positioned to improve balance and offer a good center of gravity when
the device is lifted, a concave inner surface to hug the user's hip, and
a fluted, single-bladed knob for precise oxygen-control adjustments. We
incorporated many other ease-of-usability improvements into the design
of the device.
This project is a good example of a
successful long distance relationship between Omnica and our client
company: they are located in Indiana, and we are
based in California. We had a free
exchange of design and engineering ideas through phone conversations,
FedEx, and sharing of CAD files. We ultimately designed many of the
oxygen delivery products in their line.
Market penetration of the HELiOs
Personal Oxygen System in far greater numbers than originally
projected by the manufacturer, shows that it is being well received.
Sales of this next-generation device have boosted the entire product
line. Continued escalating sales growth is a testament to the
positive effect a well thought-out industrial redesign can have on an
existing product.
From Medical Device and Diagnostic
Industry magazine, June 2001:
HELiOS, which stands for
high-efficiency liquid-oxygen system, is designed to provide chronic
obstructive pulmonary disease patients with their prescribed oxygen in a
home-care environment. The system consists of a reservoir and a portable
unit. The reservoir holds up to 46 L of liquid oxygen, and is used to
fill the portable unit for ambulatory or mobile use. The portable unit
includes an innovative pneumatic 4:1 conserver device, "which
allows for the best combination of duration, small size, and light
weight—3.5 lb when full," according to the manufacturer.
Together, the two units provide a home oxygen system "that can
effectively be 'worn' rather than 'lugged around,' which promotes
patient mobility and allows for better patient prescription
compliance," say Lee S. Toma, senior engineer with Puritan Bennett.
Toma notes that the system's biggest achievement was creation of the
oxygen conserver. "Powered by the pressure of the oxygen gas,"
he explains, "it eliminates the need for a heavy and unreliable
battery. Based loosely on our previous design, which only delivered
oxygen on inhalation and saved about 50% over a standard continuous flow
prescription, the new design saves about 75% by using a new algorithm
evaluated in clinical tests." Says Toma, "This allows a very
small unit to hold enough liquid to last up to ten hours at the most
common 2 liter-per-minute setting. It also allows the homecare provider
to save time and money on liquid deliveries."
Find out more about the MDEA awards, click
here.
To find a provider or a HELiOs
information kit, click
here.
We were honored with an MDEA award this
year (2006) for Inogen's
Oxygen One Oxygen Concentrator System™. |
