Designing for Lymphedema patients (MT2547)

• Post by: Christian Johansson
• 23rd May 2017
• 1 Comment

In the Design Thinking course, students from the MSPI-program and the Mechanical Engineering MSc program have explored issues relating to diagnosis and treatment of Lymphedema. Based on need analysis, ideation, and a prototyping approach, the students have developed concepts for how to address these issues, focusing on merging user desirability, with feasibility and viability from a business perspective.

The project has been initiated by and performed in collaboration with Blue Science Park and the SICAHT project. Lymphedema disease provides one of the opportunities for innovation within the healthcare sector, which has been identified in an extensive mapping of needs that are yet to be fulfilled to a satisfactory level, given opportunities that comes with modern technologies and E-health.

Lymphedema is an illness that frequently affects people who has gone through cancer treatments. It is important to discover and begin effective treatment already in the early stages to manage the most severe effects of the illness. Current methods rely to a great extent on access to scarce resources within the healthcare system. Therefore, the students have investigated if there are opportunities to make identification and treatment more independent and effortless for users to manage on their own.

Project 1 – MobAirDem

About the project

Students:

Caridad Espinosa, Höel Chainge, Marco Corti,  Simon Thorstensson, Saga Hald, Karthik Battula

Program:

MSPI, Mechanical Engineering

Project problem:

“How might we return lymph fluid to the body?”

Solution:

Modular Pressure System for treating Lymphedema

Summary – Treating Lymphedema

The MobAirDem modular pressure system is intended to allow users to treat their Lymphedema from the comfort of their home. It is an intuitive solution that allows users to regulate the pressure exhibited to the area they want to treat by customizing the air pressure in several air sections.

Poster:

Project 2 – Controlymph

About the project

Students:

Ehsan Hosseini, Bahram Ghandchi, Sadegh Sajedi, Jakob Riemer, Marta Del Genio, Tobias Karlsson

Program:

MSPI, Mechanical Engineering

Project problem:

“How might we better the identification of the disease with more reliable and easier measurement.”
“How might we better transfer knowledge about the disease in a better way.”

Solution:

Standardised and connected measuring device + Service app for information and communication with physicians

Summary – diagnosing Lymphedema

The Controlymph product and service consists of a handheld measuring device and a connected app for illness management. Using the measuring device, the users can independently perform accurate measurements in the comfort of their own homes. With the connected app, these measurements can be uploaded to a cloud-based storage which allows physicians to be alerted if and when a trend shift happens in the illness, which means that effective treatments can be started. The app concept further allows users to stay informed about the illness and its development.

Poster

 

More Pictures of Prototypes and Event