Liv

What it does

Liv’s unique design enables midwives to demonstrate and communicate in a clear and powerful way, the consequences of right and wrong actions in connection with labour improving the user’s understanding and ability at a higher rate than conventional training.

Your inspiration

Due to the significant lack of staffing within refugee camps, midwives are required to train people living within the camp to support them during delivery. Thus, need equipment that can convey the complexities of labour and support the trainees to ensure proper understanding and expertise needed to facilitate complication-free labour. During my research, I have found that infants account for almost half of all deaths among children under the age of five, often as a result of neglecting natural and basic human needs such as wrong positioning and neglecting patient’s well-being during labour, resulting in dire, but preventable complications.

How it works

Liv consists of a base where the top part can be angled, a detachable pelvis, a transparent birthing canal, and active training guides representing the end of the spine, the cervix and the perineum. Included is also a protective textile shell, which is used for both advanced training and transport and storage. The product can be used to train standard labour situations as well as the repercussions of bad procedures. Velcro patches representing the perineum, will open and clearly indicate when the labour is executed badly and resulted in a tear, providing the trainee with a better understanding of the repercussions of their actions. The design and its functions are defined through three colours: White represents the focus area. Pink accents important elements like the tearing patches. Grey stands for utility and basic functions. Liv’s footprint is small and can be packed, stored, and transported with ease, and does not need any electricity to function.

Design process

My process started with extensive research and Interviews with Midwifes from several countries with various amounts of experience working within refugee camps with whom I have had feedback sessions and workshops throughout my project. Furthermore, I have had sharing sessions with industry experts from Norway and Sweden, related to labour training equipment and products built to withstand the refugee camp environment which gave me further input on what the product specification should be. I built mock-ups reflecting mechanical functions in order to ensure the plausibility of the design. Starting with low-fidelity foam core structures for the base and progressing to higher-fidelity 3D printed prototypes. I have explored how bone structures and tissue could be simplified and depicted in order to achieve a good balance between realism and functionality. Finally, I have experimented with materials and colours that could indicate key focus areas in a clear but non-intrusive way, for example the tearing patches.

How it is different

What separates Liv from other labour training products, foremost is her transparency. By allowing the user to change the visibility of the Birthing canal based on their skill level and desired training, the user can see the movement and position of the new born model whilst descending into the birthing canal, giving them a real-life three-dimensional representation that they can feel and see. Furthermore, by illustrating to the user what are the repercussions of bad positioning, the user can gain awareness and a clear understanding of how a person should be handled during labour. Finally, due to the product adjustability and error indication, Liv opens a new product category in Labour Preparation which could empower the user to learn and minimize preventable complications from occurring in the first place.

Future plans

Despite the positive responses from the midwifes, there are always improvements that need to be made. During my degree project, I found that there is value for electrification that could be further explored, possibly allowing for even more training options both in low- and high-income countries. The prize from the James Dyson Award would facilitate further research and development. This would allow for more testing and Improvement of the design and potential collaboration opportunities in order to bring Liv to life.

Awards

During the annual UID Talks Event at the Umeå Institute of Design, in June 2023, Liv received the Golden Seed award, from the UID Climate Group, for its work within Social and Human Sustainability!