· · · Institutional Repository

The project is done for the Department of Design Engineering at TU Delft to investigate musculoskeletal injuries amongst guitarist; it focusses on using scientific research to allow musicians to play at their full potential while avoiding injuries. The market for electric guitar is expanding; the instrument itself, being a relatively new one, has scope for evolving further. From market analysis and technical research, the need for an instrument focussed on ergonomics was determined. Rather than competing against major players such as Fender and Gibson, a business strategy that taps a void in the market is proposed. Guitar players tend to be conservative in terms of preference of instruments; any radical change in the design of the instrument involves a lot of risk. However, an attachment that helps overcome any ergonomic limitations of the instrument offers market potential. It offers a low cost alternative to buying expensive custom guitars that fit the body better. So, it is also important that the attachment works well with existing guitars. The design will provide more freedom to the user in various playing scenarios such as two handed tapping, percussive playing etc. by allowing the instrument to be manoeuvred during the act of playing. Hence, the scope of the assignment encompasses designing, prototyping and testing an ergonomic attachment to evaluate acceptance of ergonomic designs in musical instruments amongst users. This design could be the blue print for a next generation instrument.

Hello, I’m Pelie. I’m your peer and could use some help in gardening. Each season seeds have to be sowed, water will have to be given to plants and fruit will have to be harvested. Would you like to help me? This question is being asked to children of group 1 and 2 of primary school when playing the Pelies Garden game on TagTiles. TagTiles is an invention of Serious Toys, a company that develops products that combine fun and personal development in tangible human-computer interaction solutions. For the product to gain market in future, more games will have to be developed. TagTiles uses tangible interfaces which holds enormous promise for children, as exploring and manipulating physical objects is a key component of young children’s learning. All game objects have unique tags on them. Because of localization technologies, each object and location will be recognized by the TagTiles console. Each game exists of physical objects, a foil and game software being programmed in a dedicated specification language; ESPranto SDK. From the reflection on six selected concepts the Pelies Garden game was created out of two of those concepts. Contracting those concepts created a combination of a story context and spatial tasks. A peer figure was developed, named Pelie. Children can ask Pelie for help during the game. Twelve geometrical objects were developed; four cylinders representing fruit, flowers and grass, four filled triangles representing seeds and four transparent cubes representing water. All objects were given the colours red, yellow, blue and green. A foil was developed and software was programmed. The game was tested several times and improved with the help of analysed results. In the Pelies Garden game children will have to set objects on the board according to the story Pelie tells. There are twelve levels divided into three years. In spring, summer and autumn objects will have to be placed at the right positions and in winter the child’s performance will be reviewed. In the first three season levels objects will have to be placed in relation to images on the foil, in relation to other objects and in relation to coloured LED crosses; offering children different spatial tasks. Educational values of the game are listening in a comprehensive way, understanding a story, reproducing, spatial awareness, localising, logical thinking and reasoning, perception of colour, comparing objects, recognizing and naming forms. Results from user tests indicate children become better gardeners each year for each value. The game suffices to all determined requirements and wishes for TagTiles game packages. Recommendations have been made on future development for the game design, physical product design and expansion of the game with future levels. This report describes the product development process of the design of a TagTiles game. The graduation project is the last step in finalizing the Integrated Product Design master at the Delft University of Technology.

IHC-Systems develops automation systems for dredgers. They assume the automation systems on board of trailing suction hopper dredgers are not always employed. Trailer suction hopper dredgers are a specific type of dredgers. Several automation systems can assist the operators for dredging. Some ships have dedicated operators and on other ships operation is done by the 1st mate, in combination with the navigation. The research question is: (1) Why are the automation systems on trailer suction hopper dredgers not always used. And (2) in what way this can be improved. The research consists of observations and of interviews with crew members on several trailing suction hopper dredgers, and with company staff. Also similar studies on the use of automation systems, found in literature, are consulted for the analysis. The factors that can influence the use of automation are sorted and their interrelations visualised. The main factors then are nominated. The major factor is addressed as the design goal for the concept generation. The assumption that the automation systems are not always used, is firstly confirmed. The identified reasons why operators do not use the automation systems, are: Lack of confidence, boredom, situation of dredging, annoyance, complexity of the system and the experience that the utilization does not form part of the routine. These reasons are the result of several influencing factors, that belong to one of three domains: a, the automation system, or b, the user, or c, the context. Such factors are: a lack of knowledge or awareness, bad experiences, risks, workload, type of project, signals from the system, implementation on the ships, and training. To improve the use of the automation systems, a design goal is formulated. Central in the concept is to increase the awareness of the operator on the automation systems. Knowledge is enhanced by adapting the signals from the workstation. This will give the operators a better awareness of the process and the process risks. The other part in the concept is to give the operators more control on the system and a safer feeling. This is achieved by giving more information about the automation system and providing this information structured intuitively. The feeling of control and safety will increase the operators trust in the automation system. He will be more confident to use the automation system and the use will become part of his routine. First solutions for separate aspects of the problem are generated. Integration, with a morphological map, of these ideas result in total solutions. The solutions are developed into several concepts. These are compared with the Harris profile method. And the selected design is combined with the best elements from the rejected concepts. The resulting improved concept is applied to one of the automation systems; the visor automation. The application is developed in cooperation with users. In an early stage the opinion of the operators on the concept realisation are solicited. The study revealed the kind of information they value for the visor automation. Later the users are involved for user testing. The resulting concept consists of adaptations to the interface screen and of added signals on the dredging console. Operators can select, on touchscreen, and view more easy the information about the automation system. The information is presented in pop-ups. Set-points can be changed, and warnings set. A green colour on the screen and a green light on the console, signals which automation system is active. The automation relieves the operator from routines, and enables to combine with other activities, such as doing paperwork, while monitoring the systems. Final user tests demonstrated enthusiasm by the operators towards the concept. Operators indicated that the concept would give them more control. They would also feel safe using the automation system. Also the usability testing proved that the new interface can be used without training, it is intuitive design. The concept can be taken further into application on the other automation systems. And further lines for improvements are proposed.

This final graduation project is done at Handicare Bathroom Safety BV at Pijnacker. Like their name says, they are a manufacturer of safety products in and around the toilet-, shower- and bath environment. These products have a good balance between comfort, safety and design. With 70 years of experience, they are considered specialists in this field all over the world. For this project the main aim is to design a next generation shower seat for the product portfolio of Handicare; LinidoSolutions. The shower seat must be applicable all over the world, therefore apart from the Dutch market, the United Kingdom and Southern Europe (Spain) is taken into account. The “old” shower seat as it is now provides support in a seated posture while showering. Based on the needs of the user, this seat is also foldable and available with/or without backrest and armrests. This seat was introduced in 2003 and was one of the first shower seats produced entirely out of plastic. This has great benefits for the design, ergonomics, costs and production. Nevertheless, feedback has shown frequently arising problems in production methods and procedures. One of the main concerns of this seat is premature tumbling of the seat surface and fractures near the mount and its connections. The folding mechanism is unreliable and the connection is not solid and strong enough for all situations e.g. a transfer from wheelchair is very critical. This results in a large amount of complaints. With the next generation shower seat these problems have to be resolved. Further research shows that users have specific needs and requirements while showering on a shower seat. This has resulted in several project directions whereof the most promising direction is chosen. From the user research it shows that standing up, cleaning of the buttocks area, cleaning of the lower legs/feet and a transfer from wheelchair to seat is very hard to accomplish. This has to do with the disabilities of these users. Based on the chosen target group, the project direction “improvement of the buttocks area” is chosen. Research shows that cleaning of the buttocks area is not possible and very hard in a seated posture. Users have to stand up to properly clean this area. However standing up is an intensive activity for these people. Current products provide hygiene openings, but are still not optimal and very uncomfortable to sit on. From this perspective the main target group is chosen, which is based on the mobility classification of the user. The user can be divided into five categories; scaled from group A with the most mobile people to group E with the lowest degree of mobility. Target group B is chosen as the main target group for the shower seat. This group can be characterized on performing their daily activities in combination with a little help. This help can be provided by a walking aid and/or home care. This group often uses a shower seat, because they are not able to stand for longer periods of time or have an unstable posture. From this perspective the hypothesis of the final researches is defined: the smaller the seat surface, the larger the accessibility will be”. This means that a user can get enough support by providing a seat surface around the sit bones. Because of this principle an opening is made in the back and front. By supporting the sit bones a better and stable posture is provided, which can increases the comfort and based on this hypothesis two researches are accomplished. First the minimum seat surface is determined and these dimensions are evaluated according to access around the buttocks. Based on the hypothesis three dimensions can be determined: the opening between the sit bones, the length around the sit bones and the width of the seat. The first research elaborates on the minimum dimensions that are necessary to provide a stable and safe posture. 24 Participants evaluate different models and eventually the minimum dimensions are defined. During this research differences between gender and active and passive postures are noticed. Some of these aspects are of great influence to the final dimensions. The passive posture is defining for the length around the sit bones and the active posture in combination with male participants for defining the maximum opening. With the results of the first researches, ideas and sub-solutions are generated to improve the accessibility around the buttocks. On top of this, product improvement is considered. Five focus points are taken into account: the seat surface (improvement of accessibility), the folding construction, height adjustment, forces on the wall and the mounting construction. Eventually this leads to three concept proposals. In cooperation with Handicare the most promising concept is chosen. The final research elaborates on the accessibility of the chosen concept and the defined minimum dimensions. In this research the accessibility around the buttocks, private parts and legs is evaluated. This research shows a significant improvement of accessibility. Most improved is the access of the private parts, participant are very enthusiastic about the hygiene opening in the front. Furthermore, the accessibility of the buttocks area has been improved as well. Although, further research must prove that the opening in the back significantly improves the access of the buttocks for actual end-users as well. Nevertheless, this first research shows potential for implementation in the final design and has great potential in comparison with competitive products. Based on the last research, BILLY is developed and is now the next generation shower seat of Handicare. BILLY is a combination of a regular seat combined with the ease of a hygiene opening. Because the user is now supported on the sit bones, he no longer experiences the hygiene opening as uncomfortable, but enjoys the full range of its conveniences. Furthermore, an extra hygiene opening for private parts is included, which increases the accessibility even more. From this final design a prototype is made to eventually evaluate the product in an actual user context.

A design of a hygienic train urinal, in which hygiene and the psychological and physical aspects of urinating form the main aspects.

This report describes the development of the new Vetus marine toilet concept proposal, the Fix&GO, for the Dutch aftermarket of do-it-yourself small cabin motor yacht owners. The Fix&GO marine toilet combines comfort, cleanability and serviceability in a unique way. It brings comfort into the limited marine lavatory while also providing ease and transparency of installation and maintenance. This Integrated Product Design master graduation project is carried out in cooperation with Vetus N.V. in Schiedam and Delft University of Technology. The challenge of this assignment was to gather market and user data, and apply ergonomics in the design of the marine toilet. Various methods, quantitative and qualitative, are used to come to the final result. The combination of the methods structured in a user centered product development variation of the Pahl and Beitz model is what makes the approach valuable. Two interaction prototype toilet seat studies are preformed to design an ergonomic marine seat.

Many elderly are unable to move any parts of their body anymore. Instead of staying in a care bed all day, they may still experience life. Therefore, they reside in a mobile care seat. Currently, a patient lifter is used to get the elderly into the seat. The corresponding transfer procedure is takes up a lot of time, effort and puts a lot of strain on the elderly and the caretakers. This new design proposes an alternative (already present) transfer procedure, which is quicker and easier. This is achieved by a seat that can stretch and then be erected into a seat again. This seat lets the elderly sit in it, sleep in it and receive care in it.

A design study was carried out for the development of data/power transmission interface of Robert Bosch Healthcare’s telehealth products for elderly care. The scope of the project included the redesign of data/power transmission interface of an existing activity monitoring system (MoMo) and a complete new design of a wireless telehealth platform (NXG), consisting of a handheld tablet device and a docking station. The focus was on creating robust connection for reliable data/power transmission and easy interaction mode for the targeted patients with physical and sensorial impairments. An initial empirical study performed with thirteen elderly participants and existing products with specific connection properties revealed great diversity in physical and intellectual capabilities, levels of experience and disposition towards technology, and varied levels of functional aptitude and preferences regarding different electronic products. The results were used to generate initial design ideas. Based on conceptual prototypes, user evaluation was carried out with seven elderly participants, with the primary objective of finding the link between the sensorial elements and factors that directly influence usability (physical ergonomics, use cues and feedback indicators) and the secondary objective of identifying how these sensorial elements affect perceived aesthetics and the user’s preference. The main findings: a product must provide adequate visual cues to illicit a proper mental model upon initial encounter and provide further visual, tactile or auditory feedback to reinforce, create or correct the initial mental model. Results of the concept evaluation were used to generate the following new major design features: contours of major surfaces of each product serve as primary visual and tactile guidance, while secondary geometrical constraint is provided to ensure consistent docking performance; spring-loaded connectors are chosen for their customizability, greater durability, and inconspicuousness; newly specified contact force requirements are 10-30g per connector pin for MoMo and 30-50g per pin for NXG; feedback indicators are integrated directly into the main appliances rather than their docking stations. Material selection was carried out based on sensorial, metaphysical and technical requirements. A simplified analysis and selection (exploring, assorting, analyzing and selecting) approach was taken for each level of material hierarchy until the specific sub-class of materials was reached. Specific grades of materials were not selected in this project. The final prototypes of this project, but not presented in this report, include product details to match the sensorial, intangible and short-term structural qualities of the production scale. The next step is a small-series production of prototypes with highly accurate representation of aesthetic, tactile and functional qualities. When the form and functional characteristics of the product are confirmed, the design must undergo further optimization to resolve all issues related to production and long-term use.

Subject of this graduation project is a manually propelled wheelchair for children, intended for daily use over a period of multiple years. Products like this are in general reimbursed by local governments which has resulted in a complex and static market situation with numerous stakeholders. A completely unconventional paediatric wheelchair design has been developed that integrally solves the major problems in the current market situation that are faced by stakeholders of paediatric wheelchairs (being end-users, manufacturers, distributors, therapists and (local) governments). Key of the design is an intelligent adjustment principle based on detailed research of anthropometric data regarding growth and correlation of body dimensions combined with a critical market analysis. The research outcomes have been translated into a product design that is suitable for industrialized series-/ mass production. A fully functional prototype of the design was build.

This assignment can be seen as an integration of IPD and SPD assignment. The original assignment received from Philips is to design a new monitoring solution for the Chinese market. This is too broad for designing a product and as a result, need to be concretized obviously. Researches must be done to the healthcare status of Chinese people in order to define the design direction. The target group and the application environment must be decided after the analysis to the target market as well. Researches to the Life style of the anticipated target group was considered to be vital for this assignment since one main design aim is to improve the life quality of the patients. Designing of a new solution started after most the questions had been answered during the phase of analysis. A household monitoring solution for the urban patients with heart failure (stage III) was designed as the final product. This is a system composed of a garment and a glove which enables the doctors to monitor the development of the disease and the health status of the patients in distance and helps the users to find the boundaries of life with regard to their health condition. It also provides protections to the users with its alarming system which connects the users together with their families and the medical institutions in case of emergency.

The goal of the project was to design a personal mobility vehicle for elderly that would deal with the negative image and stigmatizing character of current mobility scooters.

The focus of this graduation assignment is on healthy elderly who have just retired from work and are willing to spend money on products that create comfort and ease in their homes. In the context of Health & Wellbeing, propositions should be focused on improving the quality of life of the target group, such as improving comfort due to age related ailments. Medical products, used under supervision of a doctor or medical specialist, are not in scope of this assignment. Furthermore the proposition should be based on the Philips brand pillars: easy to experience, designed around you and advanced. This means that it should be driven by consumer insights and based on end-user research. Also the solution should be accessible to the target group, regardless of their familiarity with technology. The target group of this project contains young seniors between the age of 55 and 70 years. They are healthy or have little limitations only (depended seniors are excluded). At this moment the average age of retirement is 62 years, but will increase in the future. The largest amount of retirees, 4.3 million people, will be reached in 2038. Here, the focus will be on the Baby boom generation born between 1941 and 1955, who are the seniors of the future. On psychological and social field, the emphasis will be on hedonists and inquisitives. These people live in a social environment and are open to new ideas. Most retirees live together with a partner in a single-family dwelling. Most retirees feel fit, although they suffer from little ailments, such as deterioration of hearing, vision and mobility. New technology will be accepted by them when a product is useful, safe, payable and easy to use. They spent most of their money on their homes. Favorite hobbies in home are; internet, reading, cooking etc., however they also spent a lot of time together with their grand(children), family and friends. The product should make life easier and provide a better quality of life. Sense plays an important role in this ambient experience. The five senses are; hearing, taste, smell, touch and sight. Philips has the philosophy: “What’s good for seniors is also good for young people.” This means they choose for a ‘design-for-all’ concept. Seniors do not want to be seen as old seniors and prefer a truthful quality product which is easily accessible. After performing the exploratory phase, the scope of the project is to design a product for healthy retirees between 55 and 70 years. To get insight in the target group a context mapping study is performed, consisting of two parts; sensitizing package and observations & interviews. In total twenty participants contributed to this research. The research focused on activities in the kitchen such as cooking, guests, accidents and special moments. Statement cards are made of the observations and interviews. These are grouped into different themes, thereafter these themes are categorized into three possible design directions. The first direction is; ‘switching between lights’ in the kitchen. It turned out that retirees have difficulties with controlling the different lightings, for example while cooking. ‘Creating atmosphere’ is the second directions. Retirees try to create an ambient environment, especially for their grandchildren, family and friends. The third direction is ‘being in control’. Retirees encounter physically disabilities or are distracted while cooking, which causes accidents. However, they want to keep control. Many ideas were created for these three directions. Ten best ideas are chosen afterwards, according to twelve criteria such as; ambient, interactive, market opportunities etc. The three developed concepts are; 1. Anti-boiling over device, 2.Luminous tile, 3. Smart light. The anti-boiling over device prevents a pan from boiling over. The luminous tile provides functional as well as atmospheric lighting and is easy to control. The Smart light is a combination of the first two ideas but is integrated into the cooker hood. Investigation has shown that the ‘luminous tile’ has the best opportunities, according to the present technology, competitors, opinion of target group and specialists. Using the research results and the literature, the luminous tile is further developed. Finally a prototype is made to test the functionality with retirees. Their opinions and findings are used to finalize the product idea. These adjustments have led to the final product; the Ambitray. The Ambitray is a luminous serving tray in combination with an armature. The luminous serving tray contains a special lighting effect that provides an ambient atmosphere. Serving coffee on this luminous tray will surprise guests. Summer evenings and winter months will be even more cozy by using this product. While having dinner the luminous tray creates an ambient background lighting when standing in the armature. It gives an everyday dinner something extra. Besides the charging function of the armature, it provides a functional lighting too. This lighting can be pointed in each preferable direction and reacts on hand gestures. Without touching the desirable light intensity can be set. The product will never keep you in the dark with the automatically motion and light detection.

Cerebral palsy (CP) is a physical disorder that affects the development of movement and posture, causing activity limitations. It is the most common physical disability in childhood with an incidence of 2-2,5 per 1000 live born children in the Western world. The Sint Maartenskliniek, department Toddler Rehabilitation, in Nijmegen, offers an intervention therapy to children of 2,5 to 8 years old that, due to brain damage (CP) at a young age, are inflicted with a less functional arm (hemiparesis). The children do not naturally use their affected arm in their daily activities, which counteracts the development of the arm and can even increase their disability. The aim of the graduation project was to design a product for the home context that stimulates children with hemiplegic cerebral palsy to incorporate and use their affected hand in daily activities and play. Over time it should become more natural for the children to use both of their hands in their activities. The design approach had an exploratory character as it has not yet been researched how products in the target area would be received by the children and parents. Children, their parents and their therapists were closely involved throughout the project. Besides literature research, observations and interviews, the daily life of the children was mapped by means of a contextual study. It is found that the children do not associate home with the use of the affected hand, like they do in therapy. Such an association should be brought to the home-context. Furthermore the children need external input as a reminder. But to break learned-non-use it is also important to motivate the children and raise awareness. This awareness could also help to build a positive self-image. The insights gained in the exploration phase were used as input to formulate a design vision and as inspiration throughout the rest of the project. It was chosen to design a concept that stimulates conscious competence and to follow a behavioral change approach. According to this approach the concept should consist of a behavior trigger and a motivator. The behavior trigger was characterized as an activating trigger. This trigger should attract the attention of the children and bring the message to act now! The motivator was characterized as reflective reward. The motivator should be fun and meaningful. It should persuade the children into action, but also make them aware of it. Overall it should offer the children an achievable challenge to empower them to feel confident and proud while feeling in control. Several concept directions were evaluated and prototypes were tested in a controlled setting and home-context, finally leading to the proposal for the concept ‘Kjoepie!’. ‘Kjoepie!’ is a package of products that together elicit the use of the affected hand at home. It consists of a tactile cue (vibration bracelet and portable sensors), a visual cue (activity pictograms) and a reflective reward system (reward boards, reward cards and treasure chest). The sensory cues are placed in the surroundings of the children to trigger the use of the hand for daily life activities like opening doors and drawers, switching light switches, dressing activities, eating dinner, playing with blocks or other play activities. When the children receive the trigger they can immediately act upon it. After performing the action or activity the reflective reward will follow. The product parts can be used and combined in a variety of ways. A custom program of use can be set up to match the children’s abilities and personality. This program of use will be set-up by the therapists in consultation with the parents. Development steps are recommended to finalize the design and to optimize the use.

A net suspension chair is designed for terminally-ill people in nursing homes that supports the transfers with a sliding sheet. The focus is on comfort and the efficiency of transfers to support the daily activities of the users. When the users are nearing their end-of-life, it becomes hard for them to move their bodies and the regular wheelchairs will feels too hard for them. That's why a net suspension based on the hammock principle is used to decrease the discomfort for users and the chance of developing decubitus, also known as pressure ulcers. To support the transfers with a sliding sheet, the net suspension chair needs to be flattened out. A flattening mechanism is designed for this purpose. The combination of a comfortable net suspension with the ability to support transfers with a sliding sheet is unique for wheelchairs.

This MSc thesis describes the development of an ergonomic multifunctional syringe design for the Dutch dentist. The multifunctional syringe (MFS) design proposal, named the CEwave, combines hygiene, comfort and ergonomic support in an unique way. It brings more comfort and ergonomic support for left, as well as right-handed dentists. And accounts for the small (p5), the average (p50) and the big (p95) hand sizes. The CEwave is a syringe designed with dentists for dentist. Combining comfort and ergonomic support and total product symmetric removable grips for different hand sizes, the CEwave minimizes the development of WMSD.

Since 2000, vacancy in office buildings in the Netherlands rose to nearly 15% (over seven million square meters) of the total amount of office space. In comparison, the regular vacancy rate in a healthy office space market fluctuates around 5%. A certain amount of the vacant office space is structural, meaning it has been available for three or more years. Structural vacancy is seen as a societal problem, leading to downgrading and dilapidation of buildings and whole areas. Redevelopment of existing office buildings for other functions such as housing seems to be an interesting opportunity to gain new incomes. Stichting Tijdelijke Transformatie van Kantoren is an association of small investors and entrepreneurs which developed a concept to convert empty office buildings into housing for students, lofts or even hotels. The concept consists of a sanitation facility which contains a shower, sink, toilet and a kitchen. Together with Poly Products (a leading producer of customized, high quality fiber-reinforced plastic products, facings and constructions), this concept will be developed into a final product to enter the market with. STTK has set a goal to link the growing amount of unused office space to the great need of affordable housing. At the moment, there is a great shortage of student housing in the Netherlands. Knowing this, and the fact that student residences are most interesting for transformation of vacant office buildings as well as considered from yield potential, STTK has chosen to focus on temporary student housing; temporary, because of the lower demands within the building regulations and the faster legal arrangements. Legislation analysis showed that there are a lot of legislations applied on construction within existing buildings. These legislations can be found within the Dutch building regulations. Besides these legislations possible office buildings were inspected. This way was found out that the units need to be transported by elevator, which will limit and determine the sizes of the outer dimensions the parts can be. Knowing that these buildings still have sufficient toilets available that can be reused, the decision is made to exclude the toilet from the design. Also the sinks at these toilet blocks can be used easily. With the competition analyzed, it is stated that there are three competitors within the same market field, these are the Smartcube, the Cubi and the Woonmachine. All three were analyzed thoroughly to look for their weaknesses and strengths. All this resulted in a list of requirements, ready for sketching. Many different ideas were drawn up, clustered and the best three ideas were further developed into concepts and compared. One concept was chosen to be developed into the final product which is called the Honeycomb, named after its shape. Due to its honeycomb shape the units are very compact but give you a feeling of space inside. Besides, they can easily be connected together for the ease of electricity, water supply and disposal; but also to create a playful effect and minimize space consumption. Within the bathroom there is a shower with enough storage for your soap and shampoos. A small sink is placed for styling your hair, shaving or brushing your teeth. A frosted glass door prevents from feeling trapped due to its transparency. The frosted glass makes it impossible for you to see exactly who’s in there but you easily notice when it is in use. The design consists six main parts which can be connected together like big jigsaw puzzle and sealant to get it water tight. This way the bathrooms can be easily reused by cutting the sealant and removing it, and install it the same way at another place. At last an evaluation of the project with several suggestions for improvement is given.

This master thesis shows the process of the design and implementation of new products and services for blind and deaf people. In the analysis phase interviews are done with blind and deaf to gain insight into the targetgroup regarding their needs and problems. Focus is on problems with mobile communication or that can be solved with mobile communication. In the development phase business model drawing is done with many internal and external stakeholders to develop a feasible business model. Finally the new product and service are implemented and continue their development throughout the implentation phase. The final product is a spoken manual that helps blind people to unpack, install and use their iPhone 4S and the standard VoiceOver functionality. The service is a complete sign language communication package for deaf, with a unique subscription, a smart phone and dedicated software that allows deaf users to have a mobile sign language conversation or have an interpreter with them via the mobile phone.

In this graduation report the design of a new generation incubator covers is described. In the Netherlands about 8% of all infants are born premature each year. A little 3000 of these infants are extremely premature; they are born before 32 weeks of pregnancy. Premature infants have to spend the beginning of their life in an incubator. The premature infants, of whom the vital functions are either disturbed in a life-threatening way or inconstant, are admitted on a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). These infants are continuously observed, nursed and medically treated. These treatments can be experienced as unpleasant or even painful. Premature infants are at great risk for short and long term complications. The immaturity of the nervous system has a large impact on the development of the infant. The last three months of a normal pregnancy are crucial for the development of the brain. However, even if an infant is born preterm, his brain still develops. Unfortunately there are some factors that can have a negative influence on the development, for example sensory perception and stress. On a NICU the infant is currently confronted with too much or inappropriate stimuli like sound and light, which cause stress. The infant needs all his energy to grow; dealing with outside stimuli is harmful for his development. The NICU has an incubator cover in use to protect the infants from too many light impulses. However, due to the hygiene requirements these covers are washed so many times that they are worn-out. Furthermore, the irregular shape of the Giraffe® Omnibed demands a custom-made product. In order to develop a new product to protect the infants from external stimuli a lot of research had to be done. Next to literature research and expert meetings, a qualitative explorative research was carried out. The gathered information led to a list of requirements. Five of those requirements were used for further elaboration. Subsequently, ideas were generated on the basis of those requirements. From the final ideas, three ideas were chosen to function as the basis for the concepts. From the four concepts that were created, one concept was chosen for elaboration. The end result of this project is a mock-up of a new incubator cover that fits the Giraffe® Omnibed incubator. The cover is made of fabric in combination with magnets and ferromagnetic material. The product was evaluated and recommendations are given to improve the new incubator cover.

This report gives a detailed account of the development of a new sanitation system for diversion and dewaterization of human waste. This work has been elaborated as part of the Reinventing the Toilet Challenge for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which is part of a strategy to promote safe and clean sanitation in developing countries. This system is composed of two main elements, a diverting toilet and a dewatering system. The diverting toilet adheres to the toilet ritual and its elements of the particular characteristics of urban slums in Delhi. It is a squatting pan with a pour-flush system with the main characteristic of urine and faces separation. After re-direction, faecal material goes through a 3 stage process for water extraction; mix, dewatering and storage. During the first stage the faecal material is conditioned with a flocculant in order to facilitate water extraction. The dewatering process (second stage) is a dual process. It includes a gravity drainage and a screw compression unit. Finally, a third stage where sunlight and heat from the plasma unit are used for waste dehydration.

Analysis of the absenteeism among KLM pilots showed that much more KLM pilots (5,8%) are reporting absenteeism due to back problems than the average KLM employees (4,4%). Besides, KLM Operations receives yearly a lot of complaints concerning the comfort of the cockpit seats. Since the absenteeism of pilots due to back problems cost KLM yearly a lot of money it is desirable to reduce the amount of back injuries among pilots. This project describes solutions how the high prevalence of back injuries among KLM pilots can be reduced and how the comfort experienced while sitting in the cockpit seat can be improved. First of all an assessment of the back injuries and the discomfort experienced by KLM pilots is executed by a literature study. Next an extensive analysis is executed to determine the relation between the cockpit seat design and the reported back injuries and discomfort. A product analysis is executed to analyse the possibilities for KLM to solve the problems. A market analysis is executed to find out which solutions are available on the market to solve the problems. Next several concepts are developed and tested to solve the problems. The analysis showed that the high prevalence of back injuries among KLM pilots is caused by an unsuitable seat design and the sitting behaviour of pilots, who prefer to sit slouched. The seat pan and backrest contour do not provide a good sitting posture for pilots. They both initiate a slouched sitting posture, which is in literature described as the main risk factor for developing back injuries. Extensive analysis of the regulations for cockpit seats showed that it is realisable for KLM to redesign the cockpit seat cushions to provide a good sitting posture for their pilots to reduce the risks for developing back injuries. Several concepts for seat pan and backrest cushions are developed to provide a good supported and comfortable sitting posture for all pilots. Prototypes are built for the several cushion concepts and tested among KLM pilots. The best concept for the seat and backrest cushion is elaborated to a final product that meets the regulations which makes implementation of the cushions inside the present generation aircrafts possible. Besides, the change in sitting behaviour should be realized by giving all pilots an instructional workshop and half-yearly back check. Besides, it is advised to pilots to do fitness training at the hotel of destination. An instructional booklet is developed to increase the knowledge of pilots concerning their own influence on the development of back injuries and to give advise how to prevent back injuries. Apart from the short term solution for KLM there is developed a vision for the 2nd and the 3rd generation cockpit seats to prevent back injuries and improve comfort. The first tests with the new seat pan and backrest cushion show promising results. Based on these results it is expected that implementation of the new cushions in combination with proper instruction and a half-yearly back check will result in a reduction in the amount of absenteeism due to back injuries in the long term. More extensive testing of the seat pan and backrest cushion is advised to test the durability of the cushions and the opinions of more pilots, since test in the flight simulator resulted in very few responds. Since it is hard to realise a change in behaviour it is essential to frequently repeat the things pilots have to do to prevent back injuries. Although the project is executed to prevent back injuries among KLM pilots the analysis shows that the new cushions have to be implemented in all IPECO/Boeing cockpit seats in general, since the analysis showed that the unsuitable seat design which increase the risk for developing back injuries is not caused by the specific anthropometry of KLM pilots but by the general seat pan and backrest contour that does not correct support the human body. It is therefore expected that not only KLM pilots deal with a high prevalence of back injuries but all pilots flying Boeing aircrafts.