Oti

작품의 기능

Oti enables families to monitor the situation of their newborn in the hospital in a very personal and sensory way. The product extends the proximity of the baby to the home environment and attempts to ease the hospitalisation.

영감의 원천

Every year 9998 babies are born prematurely in Flanders, causing them to stay in the hospital. A very difficult and uncertain period follows for the family, with little contact with their child. There are not so many possibilities available for the parents to stay in contact with the hospital and their child. I was triggered by this challenge to design a product that can create a new way of communicating. Few products solve this problem and many opportunities are present to bring innovation in this context.

작동원리

Oti transfers tactile information, so you can feel the baby's breathing. A very personal and intimate experience is created. Depending on what you need, you can choose to follow the live breathing of the baby or a recorded kangaroo session. During kangaroocare, the baby is placed on the breast of one of the parents. A recording of the breathing is made during these sessions. This beautiful memory can be saved through Oti and relived afterwards. The product will also light up in different colours, informing you about what is happening in the hospital. In order for the product to illuminate, a module is installed at each incubator. Now, caregivers can indicate when the baby is in the incubator or when he is nursed or fed. Even an ongoing kangaroo session or investigation can be communicated. Through a central placement in the home environment, information is given to all family members. Oti makes it easier to start a conversation about the baby.

개발 과정

The first step in the design proces was to research the context and the needs of the families with a premature baby. A literature study, obeservations and interviews with parents and doctors brought a lot of new insights. From this information specifications and design drivers for the new product could be formulated. The next step was to generate a lot of ideas through brainstorming and prototyping. Because of the tactile nature of the product, different 'breathing' prototypes were created. These prototypes were given to parents to find their opinions. To verify the concept with caregivers and doctors a questionnaire was send to different hospitals in Flanders. All these comments made it possible to verify the functions of Oti and adjust some last details. The last step was to find a suitable design for the product. I first started with paper models and finished with 3D-prints and a wooden prototype. In the end a last verification was carried out with parents and children to test Oti as a whole. During the design proces I made sure parents and caregivers were involved in order to create the right product for every stakeholder.

독창성

Oti is the first product that enables parents to have a more physical connection when they are seperated from their baby during hospitalisation. The sensory information provides a reassuring experience for the family members and enhances bonding. Oti creates a shared experience between family members, parents and siblings, making it easier to talk about the subject. Hospitals and caregivers also take advantage of Oti. The product makes it possible to inform parents with a click of a button. The caregiver can be in direct contact with the families, thus making an hospitalisation easier. Oti fills the gap for parents and hospitals providing an easy and personal way of communicating.

향후 계획

The next step is to make a working prototype in order to test Oti with families going through the hospitalisation of their baby. Another verification needs to be done in hospitals. The module used to collect information needs to be refined in terms of design, user interactions and ergonomics. In order to launch Oti on the market investors are needed to start the production and gain CE-marking.

수상 내역