Design Futures are pleased to announce their sponsorship of the Innovation Award to be presented at The Medilink Innovation Reception and Healthcare Business Awards 2011 being held at the National Railway Museum, York on the 9^th November 2011. The event, run in partnership with the South Yorkshire Comprehensive Local Research Network, will provide the opportunity for guests from across the industry to meet, engage and network; stimulating potential collaborations and business opportunities.

The five award categories and the shortlisted companies, which have been chosen for their contribution in revolutionising healthcare delivery, are detailed below.

The Medipex Start-Up award will be presented to a newly established company that shows a promising future. E-Tect (University of Leeds), MediVisum and Sheffield Precision Medical are all in the final trio.

Competing to win the Design Futures Innovation award are Brandon Medical, JRI Orthopaedics and Retrogenix owing to their part in the development of an innovative technology, design or process that has produced major improvements in business performance or end user benefits.

The Devices for Dignity Partnership with the NHS award will be awarded to the organisation that has developed a collaboration with the NHS that has, or will have, a major impact or benefit on business performance or patient care. The three finalists are CPD 4 Health Innovation, Longhand Data and Red Embedded.

Hoping to walk away with the Medilink Outstanding Achievement award are Bioclad, Granton Medical and Parkhouse Healthcare for their achievements that have had a significant or vital impact on the company.

International trade will also be recognised in the UKTI Export Achievement award with Inditherm, Forsite Diagnostics and Single Use Surgical battling it out to be recognised for their outstanding performance in trading overseas.

Mark Phillips, Design Director of Design Futures, will present the Design Futures Innovation Award to the winning company. Speaking about the award he said:

‘Projects with the right combination of technology, design, business insight and user involvement can bring about new products, processes and services that can significantly improve peoples experiences within healthcare, and improve organisational efficiencies. I am very much looking forward to seeing the latest innovations from Yorkshire and Humber companies.’

Inspirational speakers, leading innovations and entrepreneurial networking opportunities are just three reasons why businesses, clinicians and academics from across the region are booking their places now.

The Lab4Living team would like to thank all the delegates, exhibitors and presentors from around the world, that came to Sheffield and Sheffield Hallam University for the inaugural Design 4 Health conference and exhibition.

It was a highly stimulating, exciting and even challenging event that presented an opportunity to reflect on how the disciplines of Design and Health might develop new ways of thinking and working, and how we might impact positively and sustainably on the social, economic and cultural factors within our communities and beyond.

This timely forum was a focus for researchers, policy makers and practitioners to discuss, disseminate and test their approach and methods. It challenged the value of interdisciplinary collaboration and engagement with users and stakeholders.

We would like to thank all the keynote speakers, delegates, organisers for their contribution to the event and to the sponsors for their contribution. Our sponsors included age UK, Devices for Dignity, KT-EQUAL and User-Centred Health Design which is part of the NIHR funded South Yorkshire CLAHRC (Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care).

We hope that everyone enjoyed their time in Sheffield and hope that you found the event both useful from a network point of view and inspirational from a discourse perspective.

The conference was happy to welcome a BBC Scotland team to the opening day and for the launch of the peer reviewed exhibition associated with the conference. Their main focus was a specific exhibit, Carbon Black, pictured below, design and developed by Andrew Slorance also pictured below.

More images from the exhibition launch can be found at the gallery below

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Inaugural European Design 4 Health Conference and Exhibition (2011)

Design 4 Health Exhibition Launch Event

'Memory and Touch'; recalling experiential knowledge: ceramic artefacts - Imogen Aust

'21st Century Nursing Bag' - David Swann

'Carbon Black' - Andrew Slorence, www.iimaginedesign.com

 

'Self Retaining Anal Speculum' - Saiful Hasley

'Design a new touch to colon cancer screening' - Jeremy Shellhorn

'Design a new touch to colon cancer screening' - Jeremy Shellhorn

'Health Measure' - Christie Blandford

'Health Measure' - Christie Blandford

'Care Together' - Kevin Tseng

'Care Together' - Kevin Tseng

'Designing health as physical, social and mental wellbeing' - Jo Szczpanska

'Walkinsense'; Design to inform clinical appraisal - Design Futures & Tomorrow Options

'Hanky Pancreas' - Jessica Floeh

'Hanky Pancreas' - Jessica Floeh

'Suitable Sensory'; Museums of the Mind - Jamie Billing, Tracy Cordingley & Annabel Elliott

'Suitable Sensory'; Museums of the Mind - Jamie Billing, Tracy Cordingley & Annabel Elliott

'Suitable Sensory'; Museums of the Mind - Jamie Billing, Tracy Cordingley & Annabel Elliott

'Innovative Healthcare Interiors' - Will and Sam Boex

'Innovative Healthcare Interiors' - Will and Sam Boex

'Future Bathroom' - Paul Chamberlain, Heath Reed, Maria Burton and Gail Mountain

'Future Bathroom' - Paul Chamberlain, Heath Reed, Maria Burton and Gail Mountain

'Future Bathroom' - Paul Chamberlain, Heath Reed, Maria Burton and Gail Mountain

'Future Bathroom' - Paul Chamberlain, Heath Reed, Maria Burton and Gail Mountain

'Future Bathroom' - Paul Chamberlain, Heath Reed, Maria Burton and Gail Mountain

'From the incredibles series' - Christoph Zellweger

'From the incredibles series' - Christoph Zellweger

'From the incredibles series' - Christoph Zellweger

'Be Active' - Peter Dalton, Rob Copeland and Helen Crank

'Chronic Facility' - Alison Thomson

'Chronic Facility' - Alison Thomson

'Envisage: the development of visualisation methods for use in physical rehabilitation' - Alastair Mcdonald, David Loudon and Philip Rowe

'The Green Room' - David Cotterrell

'Dragon Boat Simulator' - Helen Crank, Heath Reed, Jonathon Wheat, Simon Choppin, Virginia Heath

 

 

 

 

 

 

A group of interdisciplinary researchers from Sheffield Hallam University (SHU), hosted a Dragon Boat simulator in Sheffield’s Winter Gardens from March 14th to 18th. This was an interactive installation supported by the ‘Engineering for Life’ project at SHU which has been funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) under the ‘Bridging the Gaps’ initiative.

Dr Vesna Milanovic from the ‘Engineering for Life’ team says ‘…it is one of the most original and innovative ways of public engagement for all ages; growing old  and growing young using the rowing as an activity, coupled by a drum beats and the beautiful landscapes of the Lake District . In this way participants from the all age groups engage in this specific physical activity through fun, music, joy and in a community team spirit…’

Teams of five were recruited and scheduled into the week at specific times. One member of the team was a ‘drummer’ and banged a real drum in the prow of the boat to set a time.  The other four team members paddled the boat with Wii remotes in the paddles recording their speed and synchronicity as a team. The screen in front and to either side played a simulation video of the boat travelling along a river. The front screen also displayed the teams speed and time.

Researchers from the University compiled data about the positive benefits of team sport and exercise while participants tested their ability on the boats.

Dr Helen Crank, researcher at Sheffield Hallam who is leading the project, said: ” Dragon boat racing combines an unusual mix of individual and team work, and physical and mental agility.

“It is also an innovative, fun and relatively accessible way of raising fitness levels and we are hoping more people to sign up to dragon boat racing teams during this simulated event. Hopefully it will inspire people to think about novel ways in which they can boost their fitness.”

Dr Jon Wheat, a senior research fellow in the University’s Health and Well Being faculty said: “The idea is that the more in time they paddle as a team, the quicker they will go as opposed to each individual paddling as fast as they can. The week will be fun, raise awareness of exercise and health and wellbeing benefits, as well as demonstrating that exercise doesn’t have to be serious.”

The story behind this work is based on research by Prof Don McKenzie who explored the positive effects of dragon boat paddling on cancer sufferers and survivors. This has become a global movement used for positive health and well-being benefits and for raising public awareness.

The Building Centre, (Store Street, London WC1), is currently playing host to Engagingaging; an exciting series of events including a workshop and an exhibition centred on the theme of ageing and identity. The work represents an international collaboration between Sheffield Hallam University in the UK and Chang Gung University in Taiwan and forms part of a much larger research project comparing the experiences of people growing older in Taiwan with those of individuals in the UK.

A collection of artefacts, STIGMAS, designed by Paul Chamberlain (MdesRCA) that aim to raise awareness and prompt reflection on issues of aging will be on display. Workshop participants and people viewing the exhibition will be invited to explore a range of issues in relation to this broader theme including stigmas, identity, the meaning of objects, place and space.

The exhibition is currently on show at the Museum Of Contemporary Art (MOCA) Studio in Taipei until 12 December 2010, where it has received a considerable amount of attention. A short video of the lively workshop which took place just before the exhibition is below:

Further details can also be found here.

Professor Paul Chamberlain, head of Art and Design Research at Sheffield Hallam University and Principal Investigator of the work said, ‘the project has provided opportunity for older people to participate and help us better understand the issues of ageing that might inform the design of future products and living environments to enhance quality of life in later life. The collaboration has provided an opportunity to reflect on the cultural aspects of ageing’. The project has been supported by the British Council’s PMI CONNECT programme.

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There is a strong evidence base demonstrating the integral relationship between work health and wellbeing. In light of the global demographic changes we are currently witnessing there has recently been much debate and discussion around the merits of promoting active ageing in the workplace. Concerns across Europe that there will be more retired people than workers in the future has led to a surge of interest in interventions that could support individuals to work beyond current retirement age norms (International Labour Organisation 2002)

Named as one of the key areas within the objectives of the EU commission, there has been a call on countries within the European Union to address the needs of individuals who are furthest removed from the labour market and disadvantaged as a consequence of disability, age, gender or ethnicity.  Some limited progress has been made and there exists a need to develop innovative strategies to increase the opportunities afforded to these groups in relation to accessing employment.

Claire Craig (Lab4living) has been part of a European funded project focusing on strategies to promote employability for those furthest removed from the labour market.  This collaboration has brought practitioners from Sweden, Germany and the Netherlands together and has led to the development of a curriculum innovation that will equip health care professionals of the future with the skills required to develop strategies to enable individuals who are occupationally disadvantaged to access work. This work has culminated in the piloting of four 15 ECTS credit modules each focusing on the needs of a different population.

Claire says, ‘…the project has been a huge success.  The UK focus was on the development of strategies to promote active ageing in the workplace and partnerships with manufacturing companies and with older people who have informed the development of the programme.  We have achieved all we set out to do and it is hoped that through this work we will play a role in ensuring that future health and social care practitioners are fully equipped to develop and deliver innovative interventions that support the work agenda for older people…’

If you would like to hear more about this work please contact Claire Craig at  c.craig@shu.ac.uk or go to the website EEE4all which describes the work in more detail.

The MOCA studio in Taipei is currently hosting the Lab4Livings’ Engagingaging exhibition.This is made up of two parts; ‘Stigma‘ and ‘Dream Space‘, both works exploring the physical and cognitive changes that area  part of the ageing process.The works explore similarities and differences in culturally diverse settings. It has been funded by the SPARC Network and by the British Council.The exhibition will return to the UK for two further installations next year.

So far the exhibition has been a great success. Below are some images. Click on the thumbnails to view the images in a galllery mode. Arrows to left and right underneath the gallery view will enable  you to scan on to the next image or back to the previous images. Clicking on the gallery view image itself will exit the gallery view back to this page.

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On this page you will find contributions to our Dream Box gallery from our UK participants…

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Welcome to our ‘Dream Box’ gallery. There will eventually be two sections to this; contributions from our UK participants and contributions from our Taiwanese participants. The images you will find under these two sections are the result of an exciting collaboration between researchers at Sheffield Hallam University (UK) and Chang Gung University (Taiwan). They are part of a bigger piece of work exploring the experiences of ageing in different parts of the world.

This footage is from the initial ‘Dream Space’ workshop at the Engagingaging exhibition in Taipei where Claire Craig worked with Taiwanese participants to find out what delights and what people detest and what people dream of being able to do.

This element of the project invites people in Taiwan and the United Kingdom who attend our workshops to select between four to six objects that are important to them or that reflect something about who they are, to photograph these and send their pictures to us to form part of a gallery.

In viewing these galleries of images we hope that you will begin to glimpse something of the relationship between objects and identity and in doing so to begin to understand more about how the experiences of people in Taiwan are similar or different to those of people living in the United Kingdom.

Part of the ‘Engagingaging’ exhibition at the Moca Studio in Taipei (30th Oct 2010), ‘Stigma’ is a collection of artefacts that are adaptations to a range of everyday domestic objects. Surreal, provocative or humorous these objects illuminate a landscape of old age. They do not present solutions but a series of considered questions that individuals face as age restricts mobility and cognitive functioning.

Here are some further examples in the collection. Click on the thumbnails to view the images in a galllery mode. Arrows to left and right underneath the gallery view will enable  you to scan on to the next image or back to the previous images. Clicking on the gallery view image itself will exit the gallery view back to this page.

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40+120

adjustable chair

back of the drawer

cosmedic table

danger chair

hearsay

out of reach

rest of your life

this is a chair to sit on

wayfinder

To demonstrate the effectiveness of the tactile map booklets, substantial trials have been completed, with extremely positive outcomes. These took place at Sheffield Hallam University in 2009 and at the award winning Winter Gardens and Millennium Galleries in Sheffield in 2010. These field trials supported the development of the tactile map by understanding:

-how blind people perceive the information by touch

-how they figure it in their mind

-and then interpret it to orientate themselves and find their way around in buildings.

Julie Smethurst (one of the volunteers registered blind who tested TacMap™) said: “This is wonderful, this illustrates so many things; plans are really useful, and it is great to be able to go in a room like for example here the toilets and to know where the basins, the WC and the hand dryers are”.

“We were talking about the difference using a tactile map and not using one, the thing is that without a tactile map I wouldn’t have thought to come in here, but the difference is that I have actually attempted to do this”.

Euin Hill, (one of the volunteers registered blind for 45 years who tested TacMap™) said: “I have spent a few months at a College for the Blind and it would have been handy to have something to show the layout of that building…

I’m familiar with the Sheffield train station but things change, and there are certainly a lot of things at the train station which I don’t know is there, I have walked passed it hundred of time and I’ll never know it’s there, like the main reception and the lift here at the Millennium Galleries. To have something like this would be very good”.

As a  natural part of the trails, users drew comparisons between alternative navigation systems for blind and visually impaired. Satellite navigation systems have their limitations. For instance they can not be used indoors or close to tall buildings and here TacMap™ can help. Also the TacMap™ system has been praised by users for giving a better sense of the environment than using voice direction. Compared to other navigation systems, TacMap™ enables the user to have a more holistic overview of their environment. Using TacMap™ doesn’t impede environmental sounds such as doors opening, escalators and lift noises or talking, which helps to provide a greater sensory experience of the users location. The proposed A4 size of the tactile booklets makes it handy to carry around and can be used alongside talking GPS, white canes and guide dogs.

The trials were supported by the Sheffield Royal Society for the blind (SRSB), Zychem ltd. who sponsored the ink swell paper and heater, and Sheffield City Council who provided the space for one of the trials to take place.