Open Eye 23 The Health Edition July 2014

OPEN EYE
THE HEALTHCARE ISSUE
No. 23 | Summer 2014
beautiful thinking
I N TRO DUCT ION
01
The healthcare, beauty care and healthy eating categories continue to overlap.
This, our 23rd edition of Open Eye, records this blurring of categories.
Technology continues apace with both an array of new medical devices and digital solutions,
the explosion of apps being far too numerous even to try and summarise here.
And there’s an increasing recognition of the role that a well designed environment plays in our overall
sense of wellbeing and ability to recover after illness. We’ve also seen a raft of innovations
in the healthy (and sustainable) eating space from visionaries, entrepreneurs and multinationals alike.
Before you depart for your summer breaks, or perhaps as a refresher on your return, we hope you get
time to enjoy this edited selection of stories gathered over the last few months from
the team here at DewGibbons + Partners.
beautiful thinking
G A D GETS & DEV ICES
02
L I V I N G WI TH EP I L EP SY
Epilepsy is the third most common neurological disorder after
Alzheimer’s and stroke. US company Artefact are developing Dialog –
a wearable sensor that links to an iPhone app and monitors vital signs
leading up to, during and after a seizure. It allows users to predict
impending events and in turn alerts either family, or even passers by.
Current devices only address detection issues, Dialog will help with
the whole experience of living with the condition.
Many medical devices now are supplemented or enabled by
an accompanying digital solution. Some of this new crop of
innovations we’ve shown here are examples, but we’re also
seeing a second generation of devices that understand we
don’t need devices for devices sake, and they’re better when
they become more intergrated into the fabric of our lives.
WE ARABL ES WE ARI N G THI N
3D PRIN TE D O RT HOS E S
The hype around 3D printing suggests
it might become the answer to most of
the world’s problems. Although it’s still a
technology in its infancy, there are areas
where it’s having a tangibly effective
impact now. Orthopedic healing aids is
one such area. Braces, splints and casts
are all traditional post-surgical devices
known as orthoses (singular: orthosis).
They’ve always been cumbersome.
MHOX (a firm of structural designers
specializing in the field) and CRP
(suppliers of 3D printing materials) are
now producing ‘biomorphic’ shapes
from 3D scans that hug every contour of
the human form. Aside from reducing
irritation and improving motion they are
stunningly beautiful objects.
It would seem that ‘wearables’ (Nike’s FuelBand
etc) are being abandoned. In the manner of gym
membership more than a third of purchasers
stop using them in six months. The daily battery
recharge required, lack of ‘wardrobe’ fit, not
being waterproof and feeling self-conscious
wearing them are all reasons cited for rejection.
Withings Activité have attempted to overcome
all these issues with the design of a technologyrich, but otherwise traditionally designed
analogue watch.
G A D GETS & DEV ICES
03
R E T HI NK I NG
J A U ND I C E T HE R A P Y
The on-going cost and unavailability of
consumables for phototherapy devices for
the treatment of jaundice (effecting up to 3 in
every 5 newborns) in the developing world
means many newborn children miss this
vital therapy.
D-Rev have developed Brilliance which uses
long lasting LED bulbs which they calculate
will save the average hospital $200 a year
per machine.
G A DGE TS & DEV ICES
04
M Y C U P OV ERF LOWETH
Shipping in early 2015 and costing $100 is Vessyl. Vessyl monitors
at a molecular level the contents of all your beverages (assuming
everything you drink is decanted into it). In realtime it monitors
and accumulates the calorific, fat, sugar and alcohol content of
everything you imbibe. In doing so it claims to help you lose weight,
stay hydrated, regulate your caffeine, build muscle, sleep better and
regulate your sugar intake.
It’s an extraordinarily sophisticated diagnostic device – at first sight
it’s hard to believe it does all it claims. Its aesthetic and ergonomic
design makes it truly a thing of beauty. Does it work – they make a
convincing case on their website, but we’ll have to see.
THE I C E C UBE TRAC KER
We are all well versed in the issues around over-consumption of
alcohol. Presumably after a particular heavy night of drinking
MIT students have created an ‘ice cube’ that tracks the amount
youalldrink
and gives
a issues
clear visual
(changing from
We are
well versed
in the
aroundcue
over-consumption
of green to
red)
when
approaching
your
limit.
alcohol. Presumably after a particular heavy night of drinking
THE I C E C UBE TRAC KER
MIT students have created an ‘ice cube’ that tracks the amount
you drink and gives a clear visual cue (changing from green to
red) when approaching your limit.
G A DGETS & DEV ICES
05
T HE CO MP L I AN C E SMART P I L L
Proteus Digital Health is developing minute edible sensors with the
intention that they become a component of existing drugs.
The resultant ‘smart-pill’ will then communicate with your mobile phone
via a sensor-rich patch to allow doctors to track compliance and monitor
patient’s conditions without the need for a physical check-up.
It’s already been approved by the FDA in the US and its implications are
potentially profound on the quality of healthcare outcomes.
D E NTAL CARE
06
In the UK more children are admitted to hospital with decayed
teeth than for any other reason according to recently released
NHS figures. Setting aside the root causes of the problem
education in oral hygiene and enhancing the brushing
experience both play their part in fighting the problem.
CO LGATE RE AC HI N G O UT
Colgate, which has recently benefited from trade borders being opened
in Mayanmar, has adopted an innovative and sustainable approach to
educating children. The interiors of cardboard boxes used to distribute
toothpaste are being utilized to explain to children the importance of oral
hygiene. Retailers in rural areas with little access to digital media are
encouraged to take the packaging into local schools. The resultant posters
use a combination of native folk art, local insight and oral care truths.
D E NTA L CARE
07
BE AUTY C ARE F O R YO UR TEETH
Foreo, the Scandinavian company better
know for beauty devices has unveiled
what it claims to be the biggest revolution
in dental care. The ISSA’s (‘the first
beauty routine for your smile’) innovation
is the use of silicone for the bristles.
The advantages of silicone include the
prevention of bacteria build up, durability
(the brush head needs changing only
once a year) and the non-abrasive
manner in which they clean gums.
They have an intriguing business model
for their launch where the brushes are
available for future delivery for one
month only (for which you pay £3.50 for
the exclusive chance to purchase months
before the general public) and then after
only by invitation.
DE N TA L CARE
08
R E D U C I NG THE TEDI UM O F BRUSHI N G
Brushing teeth is boring, particularly for children. Brush DJ is a free
dentist devised app that incentivizes brushing by playing 2 minutes
(the time you’re meant to brush) of your favorite music drawn at random
from your phone or tablet. Combined with this the app carries all manner
of other oral care and timely advice on looking after your teeth.
H E AL THY & SUST AINABLE
E A T IN G
09
Our engagement (at least in the developed, urban
world) and our understanding of issues around
nutrition continues to evolve. As the debate about
sugar takes over from the one about fats more
sensible heads are focused on balanced nutrition and
the need to find sustainable food sources.
AN YO N E F O R C RI C KET ?
Despite issues around consumer acceptability insects represent
both a healthy eating solution and a sustainable food source.
They’re rich in protein, low in fat and full of beneficial minerals.
Crickets for example are 20 times more efficient at producing
protein than cattle. With the Earth’s population approaching 9
billion by the middle of the century we will need new ways
to feed ourselves.
Architectural firm Belatchew based in Stockholm, Sweden has
designed a scheme to make the city self-sufficient in protein by
creating farms for the cultivation of crickets using the space above
nine roundabouts.
H E ALTHY & SUST AINABLE
E A T IN G
10
S NAC K BA R WI TH A SP RI N G I N I TS STEP
Production may prove easier than changing consumption habits (although it’s only
really an issue for the carnivorous developed world). Part of the answer has to be to
develop strong consumer brands. A Brooklyn based US start-up has made a start
with Exo (presumably inspired by an insect’s exo-skeletal form). Each bar is made from
the flour of 40 crickets and with chef Heston Blumenthal the business has created
two protein bars. Whether this proves to have the appetite appeal to take it beyond
a niche player is still to be seen but it’s an important first step in normalizing
insect consumption.
TOTA L D E TOX
London based The Detox Kitchen sorts out all your nutritional needs for the entire day.
Delivered to you door. Think Graze (the UK healthy snacks-by-post business), but for
the whole day. The website encourages you to sign up for your weekly detox needs. If
you want delivery before 9am add £10. Given the cheapest daily meal option (just 1,200
calories) is £30 a day that’s a potential weekly bill of £280. Hard to see who could afford
this but it’s an interesting concept.
T HE PA LE O DI ET BAR
Another day another diet, but the idea of a hunter-gatherer’s Paleo diet is particularly
intriguing. The basic concept being we evolved over 1,000s of years on a huntergatherer’s diet and in geological terms haven’t done much evolution since then. This is
the optimum diet for the human condition. UK brand The Primal Kitchen with a witty
tone of voice (B.C. = before cereals, and ‘go against the grain’ is the tag line) and grainfree (grains only came with the advent of farming) ingredients with fruits that don’t
contain vegetable oils, sugar or sulphites, and fantastic packaging offer a genuinely
healthy on-the-go snack.
H E AL THY & SUST AINABLE
E A T IN G
11
SMART F O RK
For early adopters and the technically literate
smart cutlery may be the way forward for healthy
eating. Weight gain, digestive problems and
gastric reflux are all potentially caused by eating
too fast. Hapifork from Hapi.com monitors your
eating habits, or at least alerts you via a gentle
vibration that you are gulping down your food.
Granny’s advice was right – you should chew you
food 20 times before swallowing.
SM A RT K NI F E
Amongst this year’s entries into Design Lab,
Electrolux’s student design award scheme, is
the Smart Knife from Korean designer Jeon
Chang dae. The knife gives basic information
on food freshness and bacterial infection at a
glance. Furthermore the knife, in some ingenious
manner not fully explained in the entry, emits
decomposition-blocking negative ions that in
turn cover the food’s surface.
H E AL THCA R E
E NVIRO N MENT
12
There is a significant body of research now
that demonstrates the link between a positive
environment and an increase in recovery rates.
Architects and designers increasingly play an
important role in both creating these spaces
and advocating their beneficial effects.
RECOVERY WARD OR
BOUTIQUE HOTEL?
The contribution the environment makes is as applicable
to children’s cancer as to any other therapeutic area.
Commissioned by the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in
Birmingham, London based agency Two Create asked why
shouldn’t the cancer recovery ward feel like a boutique
hotel? The idea informs every aspect of the interior’s
development from playful signing and decorations to the
choice of furniture.
THE RECOVERY LOUNGE
You know you’ve got a problem when you find yourself in the Acute
Care Ward or the Critical Care Unit. The Recovery Lounge, so
named by the London based transport & travel design consultancy
Priestmangoode already makes you feel better.
They’ve taken their sector expertise and applied it to healthcare. In
this self-initiated project the environment they’ve created focuses
on recovery rather than the illness or medical procedure. The
design is oriented to maximize privacy – a significant problem on
a traditional hospital ward. Using their knowledge of designing
first-class airline cabins the solution also allows for more beds per
square metre and better sight lines.
H E AL THCA R E
E NVIRO N MENT
13
SE XUAL HE ALING
Guy’s & St Thomas’ Trust in London has rethought
the sexual health centre. With a brief to break down
taboos around the subject and encourage people to
more readily drop in for check-ups the designers have
created a non-judgemental environment which aside
from its architectural merit uses wit to relax visitors.
Commissioned artists have used colourful graphics and
motifs along with abstract wallpapers based on sexual
puns and subtle (or not so subtle) allusions to genitalia.
F ITN E S S E NV IRONM ENT S &
E X P E RIEN CES
14
In London the world of fitness is undergoing a
metamorphosis. The male-dominated narcissistic
body-pumping testosterone filled gyms are slowly
being replaced by more holistic environments and
experiences that are as much about the mind as
about the body.
THE EL EC TRI C RUN
Electric Run is built around a pop-up 5K night run that passes
through half a dozen ‘lands’ (purpose-built light enhanced and
decorated environments) set to music and culminating in a main
stage, dance arena and bars. Runners experience neon trees, lasers,
glowing arches, projected moving imagery and all manner of
lighting effects. They’re encouraged to dress themselves as part of
the overall spectacle.
F ITN ES S ENV IRONM ENT S &
E X P ERIE N CES
15
1. PSYCLE CYCLE
Psycle is one of a new wave of fitness concepts based
on spinning. With a philosophy ‘rooted in the belief that
your state of mind is key to how often and how hard
you exercise’ the experience is designed to inspire you
mentally and challenge you physically. A high intensity,
low impact workout, with carefully curated music, at
convenient times and lifestyle advice – a concept
designed to fit within the tapestry of the urban lifestyle.
1.
2 . SKINNY BITCHES
The Skinny Bitch Collective is the training regime for
women from all walks of life, but mostly for supermodels
and fashionistas who are in pursuit of the perfect body.
Run by trainer to the stars Russell Bateman, fitness
fanatics sessions involve whipping, bear crawling and
upside-down burpees. Currently it’s taking the London
fitness scene by storm.
2.
P A CKAGIN G
16
With the development of the OTC and
self-care categories, healthcare packaging
continues to move away from the straightjacket imposed upon it by its allopathic
predecessors. It’s now as likely to borrow
its visual cues from FMCG or beauty
categories as it is from Rx packaging.
NANO SUPPLEMENT S
Brazilian Minerals and supplements company Nano
Labs has created eye-catching packaging that
juxtaposes simple blocks of colour with detailed
ingredient engravings to strong graphic effect.
P A CKA GIN G
17
ROOT &
BULBS
Juicing has had a resurgence of interest in the UK. Roots & Bulbs,
a retail outlet in London’s Marylebone has devised packaging
for its cold pressed juices. The design feels contemporary and
un-contrived and utilizes a nomenclature based on abbreviated
product categories ie G for Greens and a numbering system that
denotes the level of sweetness.
P A CKA GIN G
18
1 . WHO’S YO DADDA
DNA tests are becoming more common, but it’s only
relatively recently that they’ve become an OTC product. So
with no established visual cues in the category what should
they look like? Genos private DNA lab have adopted a
generic returnable tube with photography on over-labelling
to represent the specific test type.
2 .C URE ME
Skin Repair has created an Oncology Kit, a collection
of skin repairing products ‘specifically for symptoms
associated with active and remissive cancer treatment’.
Despite the potential severity of the underlying condition
the design adopts a playful approach both through its toneof-voice and use of primary coloured labels.
1.
3. BRE AD F O R BUN S
As we know Ukraine has its own particular problems at
present but it hasn’t affected the population’s sense of
humour. As much a promotional idea for a local fitness
centre as a piece of packaging this trompe l’oeil effect is
a clever visual and literal metaphor and has proven to be
commercially very effective.
2.
3.