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Generally, projects proposed to us by
private individuals are not a good fit for our team. The product
development process can be overwhelming. Burden of the time requirement
for effective project management can be demanding. Even though the design
and engineering costs are modest (usually about 10% overall) compared to
manufacturing and marketing expenses, pre-production expenditures are
formidable to most inventors. Some hardy individuals are prepared to see a
project through from start to finish and Ob/Gyn, Dr. Diep Nguyen, is a
good example.
Our client came
prepared when she first visited Omnica.
Dr. Nguyen was aware that development of
her baby kick counter would be a challenge, but she was ready for action
with a business plan and a business advisor. Above all, Diep was
passionate about her product and knew it was something expectant mothers
would find vitally important. In the U.S., stillbirth claims 26,000 lives
each year. Tracking fetal movements with the kick count method could help
pregnant women work more closely with their doctors to identify potential
problems before their baby's heart rate and future well-being are
affected.
Easy to operate and
interpret.
The kickTrak™
kick counter is a handheld device with only two buttons, one for kick
counting and the other for elapsed time, recall, and setup. The display
shows kick number, pregnancy duration and tracks the days until the due
date. To operate the device, the expectant mother presses the
"kick" button each time her baby makes a distinct movement. It
records the elapsed time between movements 1 and 10. When the tenth event
is entered, kickTrak™ charms mom with the tune "Twinkle, Twinkle,
Little Star." Ten, ten-kick groups may be stored.
The handheld device (at right) only
has two buttons, one for kicks, and another for mode. The custom LCD shows
kick count, pregnancy progress, mode, and pregnancy countdown.
We performed all of
the design and engineering, from the initial concept through the handoff
to the manufacturer.
With Diep's input, we designed the
product from the initial concept through to the hand-off to manufacturing
- all of the design and engineering of the pink, peanut-shaped device.
It's compact, fits the hand nicely, and is easy to use. Aesthetics aside,
we do our best to design products that are conventional on a functional
level. We are always mindful of "creeping elegance", the
tendency to add features and functions beyond the intent of a basic,
well-planned product.
Disassembled, the components and internal
circuit board look rather simple, but simplicity was part of our
motivation! Simplicity shouldn't imply that we compromised when
designing the product. We specified a custom LCD for the display graphics,
and the integrated micro-controller was chosen for its practical
flexibility and ultra low power consumption. The electronic circuit uses
very little energy to give the user-installed batteries a life of at least
nine months, enough time to have a healthy baby.
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