03
Client: Aneuvo
Product: ExastimTM
Type: product design
How might our technology help paralyzed people regain mobility?
Anuevo a platform and therapy development company focused on treating chronic injuries and conditions that have not been curable through traditional pharmaceutical approaches.
The Aneuvo team came to us with a rough prototype for a non-invasive neuromodulation system to treat people with spinal cord injuries (SCIs). Specifically, delivering electronic signals to specific parts of the spine, regulating and reengaging neural circuitries so that those paralyzed by SCIs could regain mobility in their hands. Though now a short-term therapy solution, the company sees potential for this to be worn all the time, and to bring mobility to other parts of the body.
The team:
- 1 design strategist
- 2 industrial designers
I spent several weeks doing research to
understand who SCI injuries impact the most,
what their journey is like (both treatment and
emotional), identify key stakeholders, what user
behaviors are, and more.
We learned who a “typical” SCI patient is, what their support network is like, and how often life-shattering this experience is for these people. They are told that persistence and optimism are vital to their recovery, but that hopes of regaining full mobility are often slim to none.
I did a competitive analysis to understand what treatment is available to patients, what is on the horizon, and what they might/might not be interested in trying. I also incorporated social listening by scanning YouTube videos, reading Reddit threads, and analyzing social media posts. I scanned relevant medical research and news.
There are few current effective medical paths forward, and among those most are invasive. They require pre-qualification (that many patients do not meet) and several intensive spinal surgeries.
We understood that what is special and exciting about the ExaStim is its non-invasiveness, its increasing efficacy, and the potential for it to be a part of people’s every day life, like a cell phone. To that end, we realized this device needed to feel like an ecouraging, sentient companion.
Once we came to that conclusion, I worked closely with my design colleagues to come up with three major themes we wanted to touch upon in the design language system: sensory, athletic, and symbiosis.
Finally, this progressed towards a defined product design and marketing messaging. We designed the ExaStim to look reminiscient of a sun rising and falling, indicating transition and motion. Its look and feel is subtle, designed to blend into the background. And it includes subtle lighting that feels almost sentient, in order to indicate to the user when it is working and when it is sleeping.
Functionally, the ExaStim is designed to maximize ease of use in several environments; it can clip onto a wheelchair, rest on a table. It can endure shock, resist water, and be easily cleaned.
The ExaStim has received Breakthrough Device Designation by the FDA for treating spinal cord injuries and is slated to go to market.
Find out more on the Aneuvo website.
“I don’t struggle every day to do something. I feel more free to do what I can’t do before.”
- Martin Smith, Patient
Check out further artifacts from the project below. If you’d like to see even more, please contact me to request to see my portfolio.