The pursuit of better health outcomes through collaborative design and health research

Medical Design & Innovation - Red Dot Winning Products

RIBB - provides a solution to internal fridge management, including physical organisation to achieve specific spacing of all TSP’s, quicker access to medicines maintaining internal temperatures, and improving the effectiveness and efficiency of fridge operation for pharmacy staff.

CATCH - is a solution to the management of emesis processes within the hospital environment, assuring patient and hospital staff dignity and respect.

SLEEP IN THE FUTURE - An initiative to investigate design interventions that would aide in improved patient sleep within a hospital environment, undertaken in collaboration with Auckland DHB. Patient sleep is impacted by state of mind, pain, discomfort and environmental conditions i.e. sound and lighting.

BLOOM, Over-bed Privacy Sleep Aid (Sleep in the future) - Constant hard light conditions are not conducive to effective circadian rhythm and negatively impact sleep. Bloom facilitates better sleep through a patient-controlled baffled curtain system with integrated lighting. Patients regain agency over their personal space and privacy, mitigating external noise from neighbouring patients and machines, clinicians undergoing procedures, and centrally controlled lighting.

PILLOW CONCEPT (Sleep in the Future) - One of several pillow concepts that adjust for comfort, support, and helps to mitigate sound and light interference. The mechanical curl concept also helps to facilitate patient rolling when required.

HAND RAIL LIGHTING (Sleep in the future) - Handrail lighting responds to a patients need to have personalised controlled lighting in easy reach of the bed. The light can be swivelled and adjusted as needed for reading or other activities.

TYLT - makes movement possible even when sitting at a desk, typing and or other activities. Tylt celebrates the value and importance of movement and aims to turn what can often be an uncomfortable environment - like an educational institute or workplace, into a more comfortable and functional situation for users who need this type of stimulation.

OUR PARTNERS

Associate Professor Rodney Adank

Associate Professor | Industrial Design

Rodney is a design academic with a research focus on medical devices and equipment innovation. Leveraging prototyping and user experience to develop higher levels of performance and utility in product design, His experience managing and leading successful research initiatives and postgraduate supervisions, has produced many award-winning designs and designers for Massey.

Jason Mitchell

Senior Lecturer and Major Coordinator | Industrial Design

Jason is a researcher and industrial designer working across health and wellbeing projects. His expertise explores products, systems, and services to complex problems within hospitals and the wider health ecology. Jason co-founded several start-ups, including Fab Lab Wellington. He works across disciplines and with healthcare partners, focusing on the commercialisation of research outcomes.

Dr Zené Krige

Zené is an early-career researcher in Industrial Design, gaining a Ph.D. in 2025 (Dean’s List). Her work with Health New Zealand as an Advisor explored the role of design in producing and communicating positive outcomes , as well as the means of facilitating creative workshops and user testing. She has worked on major projects that span from initial idea to manufacture and commercialisation.

Klaus Kremer

Senior Lecturer | School of Design

Klaus is a research academic and designer. He specialises in information design, focusing on calm technology (design residing in the users's periphery), Information design, UX for emergency design and health applications. His expertise across media and technologies supports a rich engagement with user experience as a consequence of interaction with digital media, leading to affective experience.

Dr Wyatt Page

Associate Professor/Deputy Head of School | School of Health Sciences

Wyatt is Associate Professor and Deputy Head of the School of Health Sciences. He is a key member of the Environmental Health team that delivers a range of programmes at Massey. Current research interests are diverse and include environmental, occupational and recreational noise exposure, acoustics of teaching spaces, immersive sound, and technology for hyper-instruments.

CONTACT OR COLLABORATE WITH US

If you would like to work with us, or just have an enquiry please reach out by email.

Rodney Adank. R.G.Adank@massey.ac.nz, or Jason Mitchell. J.K.Mitchell1@massey.ac.nz