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IDC Develops Eco-friendly Inflatable Solar Panel

As a leading sustainable product designer, Industrial Design Consultancy (IDC) is delighted to announce its latest product development; an inflatable solar collector called SolarStore. The SolarStore harnesses the sun’s natural energy to warm domestic water and can heat up to three full tanks of water per day at temperatures close to 80°C.

Continue reading 10 April 2008

IDC Designs Personal ECG Heart Monitor

The development of medical products is usually characterised by long lead times and a significant amount of testing and compliance with medical regulations. However, there is an increasing overlap between medical devices and consumer products which means that medical manufacturers have to develop and launch products at the speed of a consumer market. In this case study, Industrial Design Consultancy (IDC) reveals how they developed a medical heart monitor for consumers – the project was highly successful and completed in only six months.

Continue reading 20 March 2008

IDC Launches LCA Calculator

With increasing concerns over waste and the need for ‘greener’ products, a new free online service will help manufacturers take the first steps towards greener designs by assessing their product’s carbon output in minutes, without spending a penny.

Called the LCA Calculator, the service will provide a complete life cycle assessment (sometimes described as life cycle analysis) of any given product. The questions are comprehensive, addressing issues such as the types and amounts of materials used in production, where the product is manufactured, how the materials are processed, the amount of energy it consumes in use, where and how it is transported, the impact during disposal, landfill or other, and whether it is recycled.

Continue reading 20 February 2008

IDC Develops Dosing Cart for Hazardous Liquids

World leader in liquid additive technologies, ColorMatrix, has just launched a full dosing management system for liquids with properties that make handling difficult. These include liquids that are corrosive or toxic and those which are unpleasant to handle such as strong pigments and additives. The Metrix™ system provides a mobile cart solution, which may be used for dosing applications in the food, chemical, pharmaceutical and plastics industries.

Continue reading 18 February 2008

IDC Designs Insulin Pens for Indian Market

Award winning product designer, Industrial Design Consultancy Ltd (IDC), has just completed a project to develop both disposable and reusable insulin pens for Indian consumers. The resulting products are expected to dramatically advance diabetes treatment in India, by offering a portable, discreet, quick and easy insulin dosage system for users on the move.

Indian company, Wockhardt, was keen to introduce affordable disposable and reusable insulin pens to Indian healthcare but the patent restrictions on existing designs were such that they were unable to cost-effectively go into production. In order to overcome this, Wockhardt contracted IDC to design a completely new insulin pen, which would give class-leading functionality and avoid all the existing patents. Virtually all elements of the conventional insulin pens were patented, so IDC was challenged to find successful design alternatives, which also resulted in an improved product.

Continue reading 12 February 2008

Globalisation for Growth

Published in New Design, Issue 56 2007, www.newdesignmagazine.co.uk

UK designers need to understand the opportunities and threats presented by globalisation. Stephen Knowles of Industrial Design Consultancy (IDC) gives his perspective on the rising profile of design in India and China.

Continue reading 10 February 2008

Breakthrough for Endotracheal & Tracheostomy Tubes

IDC (Industrial Design Consultancy) has just completed a groundbreaking medical design project to produce the LMA LoTrach™ Cuff Pressure Controller for Endotracheal and Tracheostomy tubes. Designed for Venner Trading (Singapore) Pte Ltd to work with LMA LoTrach™ Endotracheal and Tracheostomy tubes, the system is set to help save the lives of many critical care patients by preventing VAP (Ventilator Associated Pneumonia).

Continue reading 5 January 2008

IDC Addresses the CO2 in Santa’s Sack

As Santa squeezes down the chimneys of millions of households on Christmas Eve, he won't just be leaving sooty footprints in the front room. Leading product design consultancy, IDC (Industrial Design Consultancy), has just completed a Carbon Footprint Analysis of the top gifts likely to be on Christmas lists this year. The analysis creates estimates of the carbon dioxide emissions associated with all the stages from a product’s life, the materials it is made from, the manufacturing processes, transport, and the energy used by the product.

Continue reading 3 January 2008

IDC Demonstrates Innovative Design at Medica 2007

Press release, September 2007
Awarding winning product designer, Industrial Design Consultancy Ltd (IDC), will be showcasing some of its most groundbreaking medical product designs at Medica 2007.

Over the last year, products have included the world’s first personal ECG (Electrocardiogram) heart monitor, as well as a pioneering LMA LoTrach™ Cuff Pressure Controller for LMA LoTrach™ Endotracheal and Tracheostomy tubes to help prevent lung infections such as pneumonia in intensive care patients.

Continue reading 25 September 2007

IDC's Innovation Recognised with iDEA Award

iDEA Awards Announcement, September 2007
Industrial Design Consultancy (IDC), based in Datchet, has received an iDEA (Innovation & Design Excellence Awards) 2007 Highly Commended Award for Consumer Product Innovation.