iF - Good Health Designs That Shape Our Mindset on Hygiene and Healthcare

Good health and hygiene are the number one priority for everyone these days. Think of thorough hand washing taking 20 to 30 seconds, or regular airing of a room every 20 minutes. Although staying healthy has always been essential – it is the coronavirus pandemic which shed new light on how we think about hygiene and sanitation in both public and private spaces.

iF AWARD-WINNING DESIGNS 2021

HiPCos robot cleaner | Manufacturer: Midea Group, Suzhou, China

HiPCos provides the breaking through cleaning performance in robot cleaner industry. It creates a non-contact behavior in use and a bacteria-free clean environment through electrolytic-water technology (against harmful bacteria) after.

KARE : Mobile Clinic Module | Manufacturer: Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology - KAIST, Daejeon, South Korea

With this mobile clinic module is is possible to rapidly build an isolation ward by combining air tents, functional panels, and a negative pressure frame. The design addresses the requirements of functionality, cost and efficiency. The unique airflow structure guarantees bio-safety maintaining the pressure differences among hot, warm and cold zone in the ward. With the use of air tents, the whole ward can be shipped by airplane in an emergency.

Wearable Air Purifier Mask | Manufacturer: LG Electronics, Seoul, South Korea

Existing disposable masks have to be replaced frequently, causing problems of environmental pollution. To solve this problem LG developed a semi-permanent electronic mask that blocks pathogens and pollutants. It comes with a rechargeable sterilization case to ensure that the mask does not become a breeding ground for germs.

Lumitester Smart | Manufacturer: Kikkoman Biochemifa Company, Tokyo, Japan

This hygiene monitoring system is a revolutionary detection system that combines state-of-the-art detection with inviting design and accessible functionality to put hygiene monitoring in the hands of every user, at a time when cleanliness has never been more important. Features include ten-second detection utilizing three contamination indicators - ATP, ADP and AMP - and shareability via a smartphone app and cloud.

Germlyser neo A | Manufacturer: Aqua free GmbH, Hamburg, Germany

This reusable sterile water filter provides effective protection against waterbound bacteria in hospitals. Its innovative modular structure makes the filter "disappear" for the user´s eye, because it is fully integrated into the faucet. The integrative design enables an unrestricted working height between outlet and sink, and therefore full flexibility of use.

Fitbit Flow | Manufacturer: Fitbit, Inc., San Francisco, United States

After seeing the global need for ventilators during the COVID-19 pandemic, Fitbit applied its in-house expertise in advanced sensor development, signal processing, algorithms and hardware design to quickly create Fitbit Flow, an automatic resuscitator inspired by the MIT E-Vent Design Toolbox and based on specifications for Rapidly Manufactured Ventilation Systems.

Huo-Yan Air Laboratory | Manufacturers: BGI Genomics Co., Ltd., Shenzhen, China and Shanghai Etopia Building Technology Co., Ltd., Shanghai, China

The spread of COVID-19 has highlighted the need for nucleic acid testing labs. The membrane structure of Huo-Yan Air Laboratory creates a modular negative pressure environment. The lab is equipped with smart devices and a fresh air system to achieve the conversion of positive and negative pressure.

LUISA | Manufacturer: Löwenstein Medical Technology GmbH & Co. KG, Hamburg, Germany

LUISA serves ventilation patients. This innovation is especially mobile, compact and lightweight. With a battery run time of up to 18 hours, it expands the user’s radius of action and gives the user a good feeling of additional security.

Blue Ocean Robotics with UVD Robots | Manufacturer: Blue Ocean Robotics with UVD Robots, Odense, Denmark

This UV-C disinfection robot autonomously moves around while disinfecting. It is hyper-intelligent, has a small footprint, is simple to use, and has an unrivaled safety system. It is the first of its generation and definitely a game-changer, and will change the future of UV-C robots for disinfection across a range of industries, especially in the healthcare sector.

Phonak Roger On | Manufacturer: Phonak Communications AG, Murten, Switzerland

The Roger On is a wireless microphone that helps people with hearing loss to better understand speech amid noise and over distance. Roger On is very versatile and can be placed on the table to pick up the voices of a group of people sitting around the table. It can be held in the hand to pick up a single voice or it can be worn on the chest by a distant speaker/presenter.

HUB | Manufacturer: JOMOO Kitchen & Bath Co., Ltd., Fujian, China

This bathroom mirror caniet offers a discrete solution to new standards of hygiene with its integrated, sensor-controlled disinfection and soap dispensers, enabling touch-free use. Supplemented by a wireless charger, sockets, storage space, and alarm clock.

PURO | Manufacturer: Xiamen Lota International Co., Ltd., Xiamen, China

PURO is the ideal solution for touchless handwashing. With this motion-activated sensor bathroom faucet, users need only to wave their hand to turn the water on or off and twist the knob to adjust the temperature, indicated by LED lighting. Its unique, ultra-thin, and rectangular spout is water-efficient, which helps users wash their hands more quickly.

Pandemic Design System | Manufacturer: Peter Schmidt Group, Hamburg, Germany

How can creative agencies respond to the hygiene rules during the Covid-19 pandemic? This pictogram set is made up of icons and posters that everybody can download for free to make shared spaces a little bit safer. They make use of internationally recognized symbols and colors and can be integrated seamlessly into diverse corporate identities.

Tap Hand Dryer | Manufacturer: Shenzhen 1mm Product Design Co, Ltd., Shenzhen, China

This product is both a faucet and a dryer, making the process of washing and drying hands fast and easy. As a faucet, it adapts to the different seasons by automatically adjusting water temperature. The integrated drying function compresses and blows out hot air at high speed, drying hands quickly. Its touch-free induction design and integrated air drying function improve hygiene by reducing contact between people and surfaces.

This makes design products that answer to those needs more relevant than ever. And unlike other industries that are paralyzed by the pandemic, designers in the field of sanitary, hygienic and healthcare see themselves in an advantage. They are finding new solutions to keep spaces clear of the virus, at home and in public. Clean air and hygienic surfaces are at the top of the agenda. For this, innovative technologies are paramount, offering unexplored possibilities to ensure everyone’s safety.

Among this year’s iF DESIGN AWARD winners in the category of Medicine / Health are many offering tools that improve healthcare services and outcomes both patients and medical staff. "PURO" is a touchless faucet best used in public spaces, as is the "Tap Hand Dryer" for the least possible contact. It is no longer possible to imagine healthcare without AI and automatization, as "Blue Ocean Robotics with UVD Robots" exemplifies. This robot autonomously moves around while disinfecting. Another example is "Lumitester Smart", a hygiene monetary system which enables ten-second detection utilizing various contamination indicators.

"Professional health products get even clearer and exact in shape for a crisp focus on functionality," says designer and iF Juror Claudia Friedrich and continues: "The trend towards measuring body data and optimizing one's life accordingly continues unabated."

Short interview with Claudia Friedrich

iF: What current trends do you see in terms of hygiene and health?

CF: Artificial intelligence and automatization were already an upcoming topic in product development. Professional health products get even clearer and exact in shape for a crisp focus on functionality. The trend towards measuring body data and optimizing one's life accordingly continues unabated. Common hygiene and health products used in daily life are becoming more emotional as consumer products: for more everyday acceptance and to avoid stigmatization - or even to use them as fashionable wearable.

iF: What is something you have learned about good hygiene in the last year?

CF: Beside new products, it is always the responsibility of people to act hygienically. Products support people by measuring the environment such as air quality. They should provide users with very clear information as well as options for their own behavior.

iF: How has the pandemic shaped product design?

CF: A lot of new products have popped up to help disinfect surfaces of various personal handheld products or to prevent the distribution of the virus. Masks, for example, were designed as modular systems to change filters and allow air exchange.

iF DESIGN AWARD 2021 GOLD-WINNING DESIGNS

Seer Sense | Manufacturer: Seer Medical, Melbourne, Australia

Seer Sense is a revolutionary wireless brain and heart monitoring wearable that takes week-long epilepsy diagnostics out of the hospital and into the home. COVID-19 has highlighted the benefits of at-home testing to preserve hospital beds for those in critical need. Seer Sense delivers a step change in patient comfort and freedom while empowering doctors with the data they need to make a conclusive diagnosis.

Nilo Project | Manufacturer: Rodríguez López Auto S.L.U., San Cibrao das Viñas, Ourense, Spain

This ambulance sanitary cell was designed to facilitate the mobility and functionality of healthcare personnel, ensure great comfort and comfort for the patient, and provide an intuitive and safe workspace with a large storage capacity. Its smooth and unifying lines, with new-generation materials, creates a very visual, intuitive, and suitable setting for emergency medical work.

BIO X6 | Manufacturer: CELLINK GROUP, Gothenburg, Sweden

The BIO X6 3D bioprinter enables the fabrication of multi-material constructs used in cell culture workflows for drug development, tissue engineering, and regenerative medicine. With six printhead slots and unparalleled flexibility in its configuration, the BIO X6 allows researchers to adapt the system to their research, quickly validating, testing, and building on new ideas.

Airluna | Manufacturer: ASA Innovation & Technology Limited, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR China

Airluna is the world's first air purifying lamp. Equipped with patented PACO nanotechnology, it can destroy 99.9% of viruses, including microbes even tinier than COVID-19. The device also breaks down the molecules of harmful chemicals and odors into harmless elements. The Airluna app lets users can remotely control and monitor indoor air quality.

BESPOKE Air Purifier AX9500N | Manufacturer: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., Seoul, South Korea

This air purifier can be moved easily thanks to a stand combination. By applying a three-dimensional form that performs strong suction from the rear, it conveys a sense of sturdy confidence. The outlet, which can be adjusted in three stages, maximizes convenience of use by enabling customized clean management.

As the mantra goes, "safety, technology and comfort", the combinations of clean and hygienic as well as inviting and stylish continues to making an impact on people when decorating their homes. The air purifier "BESPOKE Air Purifier AX9500N" and the air purifying lamp "Airluna" are gold award-winning products designed with both health and elegance in mind.

Good Health Designs That Shape Our Mindset on Hygiene and Healthcare