On Friday the 6th of September, three groups of 5-6 TU Delft students each started their ESCH-R assignment in the course “Product Now” during an official project Kick-off at the Faculty of Industrial Design at the TU Delft. Over the course of 20 weeks, these students will compete to redesign the Pulse Oximeter. 

Disposable Pulse Oximeters are used throughout the hospital to measure the blood saturation of patients. The Oximeter was chosen because it has the second highest emissions of all disposables according to the “National Inventory of Medical Disposables in University Medical Centers”. The students came well prepared and were eager to start this project.

The coming weeks, they will frequently visit the Living Lab at the Erasmus MC, will talk to nurses and hospital staff from the ICU, will simulate the clinical use case at the Erasmus MC, and will tinker with actual sensors. Their goal is to re-design the Oximeter to increase its suitability, for instance by making a more user-friendly reusable design, or by reducing materials used, for instance by creating a wireless solution.