FIGHT AGAINST COVID
Vibromech is proud to be the design partner in the Sundaram Ventago project. Helping the TVS group transform a noble vision to a product at great speed.
When it comes to our projects, Vibromech listens to its customers' needs to make sure the product is the best it can be, the Vibromech team rigorously follows a mature design and development process when it comes to any of its products. This process is;
- Voice of Customer,
- Feature Definition and Functional Requirements,
- Product Development Roadmap,
- Technology and Sprint Planning,
- Product Design,
- Frugal Engineering and Development,
- Internal and External Validation,
- Testing,
- Risk Assessment and Mitigation,
and Official Approval Process.
Voice of customer
Various clinical and user inputs were gathered from doctors and biomedical engineers over several hospital visits. All the information was documented in videos and collated into an extensive “voice of the customer” document. This document played an important role in understanding and developing product functions and specifications.
Feature definition and Functional Requirements:
Using the “voice of customer” document, across several intense brainstorming sessions internally and essential features and functional requirements for the product were developed
Product Development Roadmap
The product development roadmap included feature introduction planning, risk management actions and validation trials.
Product Development Roadmap
The product development roadmap included feature introduction planning, risk management actions and validation trials.
Technology and Sprint Planning
Using a rapid development model, advanced design technologies (3D modeling, simulation tools) and rapid prototyping methods (arduino), the product was developed in 6 rapid iterations (sprints).
Technology and Sprint Planning
Using a rapid development model, advanced design technologies (3D modeling, simulation tools) and rapid prototyping methods (arduino), the product was developed in 6 rapid iterations (sprints).
Product Design
Vibromech was involved closely and assisted in many aspects of the design: Mechanism design, Dead space reduction in the patient circuit, pressure sensors and the user interface. Using the depth of our experience, we were able to identify and anticipate various technology and sourcing needs. We were proud to call upon our connections across industries and the medical community to find solutions and leads to solutions.
Product Design
Vibromech was involved closely and assisted in many aspects of the design: Mechanism design, Dead space reduction in the patient circuit, pressure sensors and the user interface. Using the depth of our experience, we were able to identify and anticipate various technology and sourcing needs. We were proud to call upon our connections across industries and the medical community to find solutions and leads to solutions.
Frugal Engineering and Development
The product needed to be robust, light and cost effective, during the lockdown sourcing components was a very big challenge. This constraint required a great degree of introspection to reuse, repurpose and recycle designs that were successful in other products and projects. The cooperation of committed people from across disparate disciplines and departments resulted in more ideas than we could handle. Frugal engineering philosophies were used to eliminate any excesses in the design, local sourcing and the “re-purposing” of available designs meant that ultimately the product was developed almost completely in house.
Internal and External Validation
Vibromech has been a part of the validation process and various internal and external validation meetings with engineers and doctors to ensure the capability of the product and alignment with the “Voice of the customer”. This was done over the weeks by several interactions with doctors and the IIT-M HTIC team.
Testing
Every prototype was tested rigorously with benchmark tests, continuous tests, durability tests, safety alarm tests, electrical safety tests, functional parameters tests, impact and load tests to ensure the standards where vibromech played an integral role in getting responses and suggestions from various key personnel apart from the sundaram and vibromech team.
Risk Assessment and Mitigation
3D mobile application development:
Vibromech developed a 3D/AR/VR mobile app for the product in lieu of a printed paper manual. This app contains user procedures, product explanations and illustrations and specifications. It is also used to train the medical personnel in making setting up patient connections.
Risk Assessment and Mitigation
3D mobile application development:
Vibromech developed a 3D/AR/VR mobile app for the product in lieu of a printed paper manual. This app contains user procedures, product explanations and illustrations and specifications. It is also used to train the medical personnel in making setting up patient connections.
Official Approval process
Vibromech understood the approval procedures needed for this device and closely assisted the team to navigate the process with HTIC (IITM), hospital ethics committees and various government hospitals and departments.
COVID-19 has been declared a global pandemic by the WHO. The Vibromech team assigned the highest priority to this project and worked relentlessly during the lockdown.
In conclusion
The Vibromech team pulled in many favours, used its extensive industrial and even family connections towards the development and success of this project.
We supported a multidisciplinary team of engineers and doctors, whose spirit of collaboration, speed of execution and commitment to the cause has been inspirational. From gathering the voice of stakeholders, planning product development sprints, providing critical technology inputs to assisting with the validation process, this has been a most exciting and fulfilling project.
To find out more about the device go to www.ventago.org
If you need help in converting your ideas into a product or technology, we are available at projects@vibromech.com
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