Innovation implementation is known to pose significant challenges, as evidenced by high failure rates that can range from 20% to 90%. This issue became particularly apparent during my internship, where I witnessed firsthand the complexities involved. Implementation involves activities that aim to equip organisational members with the necessary skills, consistency, and commitment to effectively use a new innovation that is designed to address specific problems. This raises the question: Is the failure attributed to the innovation itself or the activities associated with its implementation?

The purpose of this thesis is to investigate how organisations can improve the effectiveness of innovation implementation. To achieve this, a combination of qualitative research and literature review are conducted, diving into the field of implementation science. Insights from practitioners regarding implementation processes are combined with relevant literature to identify the important causes of implementation failure.

Following the Design Science Research methodology, two artefacts were developed. The first artefact focuses on refining a widely used framework among practitioners, aiming to enhance its effectiveness. The second artefact addresses the evidence-practice gap, which highlights the disconnect between theoretical knowledge and practical application. This artefact synthesises the findings of the study to improve implementation practices.

Ultimately, the goal of this thesis is to enhance innovation implementation by providing practitioners with two artefacts that integrate comprehensive insights from both research and practice. These contributions are intended to support organisations in overcoming the challenges associated with innovation implementation and achieving greater success. ... Read more

Coffee, a beverage consumed by nearly every (young) adult on this planet. Black gold, the drink that keeps you awake and gets you through the day. Whatever the occasion, coffee is always there to accompany you. Coffee drinks consumed out of house are most often consumed with the addition of milk foam. The addition of milk fundamentally alters the sensory experience of coffee, it reduces bitterness, astringency and adds a degree of sweetness. Frothed milk especially enhances the texture and overall mouthfeel of the drink, contributing to a luxurious and novel sensory experience.

This luxurious feeling is especially present when consuming the drink, served with beautiful latte art, in a café. At home, this luxurious feeling is far from achieved by many people. Most often, the coffee drinks with milk are served with thick, airy and dull foam. An affordable product that can reproduce café quality milk from the comfort of your home currently not offered.

The need for such a product was identified during the master elective Build Your Start-up at the Delft University of Technology. This thesis aims to develop a working prototype of stand-alone milk steamer for coffee enthusiasts that allows them to create café quality milk foam at home. The results of this thesis will serve as a starting point for the further development to one day be used by many people around the globe.

During this project, the target group for such a product was formed and product wishes were identified through user research, market analysis and expert interviews. These wishes were combined to identify the required theoretical knowledge about milk foaming and foaming technologies for the further development of prototypes.

Fluid and thermodynamics models were created to aid the identification of promising technologies. Three heating technologies were identified that could showed promise for the creation of a stand-alone milk steamer. These technologies were evaluated using physical prototypes. Eventually, custom nozzles were designed to complete the prototypes. These prototypes were evaluated with experts and deemed very capable of reproducing café quality milk foam.

The final prototype that is revealed during the final presentation will serve as a prototype that serves multiple purposes. It serves as a technology demonstrator which can be further developed. Furthermore, it can be used as a tool to gather funds for the further development of the concept. All with the goal of eventually manufacturing and shipping a product to many customers.
... Read more

The use of Electronic Health Records (EHRs) has seen a breakthrough in clinical research for personalized treatments (Hamburg & Collins, 2010.) Despite the potential advantages of vast EHR data available, constraints of privacy and legislation hinder its use (Rieke et al., 2020.) Health data exists in an interconnected healthcare system (Harris et al., 2009), comprising of stakeholders responsible for health data management within the constraints of GDPR. Data sharing platforms, through the use of secure data sharing practices and encrypted technology, can potentially change the landscape of health data in clinical research (Obermeyer & Emanuel, 2016.)

This project examines the privacy and stakeholder landscape of health data sharing through an evaluation of interaction with patients. It uses a Value-Sensitive design approach (Friedman et al., 2002) to contextualize the privacy values in clinical research for patients, doctors, patient organizations, clinical researchers, pharmaceutical industries and data sharing platforms. Through this examination, it identifies lack of transparent data use and research practices as a hindrance to the use of health data on a data sharing platform. Transparency is examined through a patient-centric lens, wherein information and control over preferences of participation are found to be crucial. This evaluation further identifies roles of researchers and data sharing platforms for a transparent approach.

The project results in a concept termed ‘Negotiated Consent‘, which examines the use of data sharing platforms in offering individuals transparency. This is contextualized within patient consent for recruitment in clinical research, wherein data sharing platforms are responsible for data processing through the use of Federated Learning and Natural Language Processing. The stakeholder landscape for the same is defined in 3 functions for the platform- Access to Health Data, Patient Consent and Recruitment, and Data-Driven Insights. The results are tested through a study of the prototyped user experience of ‘Negotiated Consent‘, wherein participants emphasized ‘feeling more informed and in control’ in comparison to the current informed consent.

Whilst the study examines a patient-centric approach towards health data sharing for clinical research, it has limitations in addressing the multi-faceted reality of patient’s lives that informs their choices to enrol in clinical research. The further development of patient-centricity in the domain requires examination of motivations through a lens of disease-specific patient groups, demographics, and personal history with diseases (Hong et al., 2020) will lead to richer insights. Furthermore, Negotiated Consent is a proof-of-concept for dynamic consent (Mascalzoni et al., 2022), that demonstrates revision over participation choices within one moment of patient consent.

This project contributes to an understanding of the privacy and stakeholder dynamics for health data sharing. It illuminates a transparent approach to recruitment for clinical research through a collaborative effort that emphasizes on patient-centric approaches. Using a mutually responsible approach, data sharing platforms can lead the way for use of data in clinical research that simultaneously empowers patients to control their data through a negotiated lens. ... Read more

This master’s thesis is an exploration of force feedback in offshore applications with the intention of teleoperating heavy machinery. Specifically, Allseas provided their field joint coating machine handling for offshore pipelay as the subject and scope of this study. The anti-sway use case is identified through literature research, user and expert interviews, and observation of machine handling. Due to the nature of offshore dynamics coupled with heavy machine movement, sway of these machines is relevant to all specifics of handling and placing the machine on the pipe.

Operators rely on their intuition and experience when manually operating these machines. For the proposed teleoperation of machine handling, the operator is now distanced from the machine, removing their sense of control, direct force contact, and now making them trust in automation. This is where a force feedback telemanipulator can increase situational awareness and human machine performance. This is achieved through returning the direct contact forces back to the operator and providing them intuitive control from afar. With more research, rapid prototyping, and machine simulation, Paddy (the teleoperation force feedback test set up) is designed and developed. The proof-of-concept test set up is built using open-source frameworks such as Stanford Hapkit and Vanderbilt Simulink model, but with substantial redesign for offshore anti-sway use case.

To validate the design and use case, a user test with 12 Allseas engineers is conducted. The task is to mitigate the swing of the FJC simulation via the handheld manipulator with and without force feedback. The results imply that the main hypotheses are valid: (1) force feedback yields faster stabilization times, (2) the perceived workload from NASA-TLX scores is lower for force feedback (3) the user requirements and ease of use UMUX-Lite scores is favourable with force feedback, and (4) embodiment and hand placement influences expectations and feeling the feedback mechanisms. Future research could explore different feedback types (assistance vs. error prevention), feedback basis (sway angle vs. angular velocity) or further confirm these hypotheses.

Force feedback is not typically studied in industrial engineering. Thus, design guidelines are created based on this thesis exploration, emphasizing that force feedback is not an add on, but should be considered from the start of the design process. Lastly, recommendations for force feedback in Allseas and other relevant applications are stated for increased situational awareness, task efficiency, and enhanced HMI. ... Read more

2022 SODAQ, manufacturer of the general purpose asset tracker: TRACK, committed itself to take environmental and social responsibility and got rebranded as a ‘World-friendly IoT’ company. A Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) for the current TRACK product, performed by an external company, proved that decreasing the impact of the enclosure might provide a good opportunity to significantly reduce the total impact of the product. However, two new ‘Fast Track’ LCAs showed that the plastic enclosure only contributed less than 5% to the total impact, with the electronics being responsible for the rest. Therefore the goal of the project was to reduce the impact of the electronics.
In this project an attempt was made to find a solution for the most impactful and relevant components such as the PCBA and the PV panel. First sustainability issues of the current TRACK components were identified and then the sustainable opportunities and limitations of alternative technologies were discussed. To show at what point in time the new technologies are expected to become relevant, technology roadmaps were created.
As a conclusion of this world-friendly technology research, a vision for the future of the TRACK line was laid out in a product roadmap. To show how the integration of the more world-friendly components could translate into practise, the TRACK Core 5G concept was designed as a showcase product. The TRACK Core 5G prototype includes a solvent-based recycled polycarbonate (PC) transparent enclosure, with electronics printed on a recycled substrate and a flexible emerging PV panel.
To extend the lifespan of the electronics, circular product design guidelines were applied. The basis of the circular loops is that the components can be disassembled quickly. In the current product the time it takes to replace the battery was relatively long (80 seconds) and the PV panel could not be replaced at all. By using the disassembly strategies and the choice for a 'direct access' design, all electronic components, including the PV panel, can be disassembled in 6-17 seconds.
In order to extend the life of the most impactful components, the chips on the printed circuit board, the theory of modular design was applied. By using the material properties of the flexible PCB, a new strategy for upgrading the PCB was developed which brings down the initial cost and
offers more flexibility. ... Read more

This thesis presents recommendations based on a case study focused on thecircular redesign of a wearable, single use medical device. The study addressesa knowledge gap by offering insights into the circular (re)design for products.The proposed (re)design of the system leads to a substantial reduction of CO2emissions, with potential for further improvements.

Philips Healthdot

The Philips Healthdot, the subject to this thesis, is a medical wearablesensor designed to wirelessly capture bio measurements and transmit them tohospitals. Once used, the sensor becomes inactive and is discarded as waste.While similar reusable sensors exist, only two were identified during research.

Research

Literature research was conducted concerning the circular economy, its designstrategies and business models. A comprehensive analysis of the Healthdot’sproduct journey was performed, complemented by a fast-track Life Cycle Analysis(LCA). The LCA revealed the high CO2 impact of its electronics, highlightingthe importance of extending their usage. Based on the outcomes of theseanalyses, requirements and criteria were defined, which formed the foundationsof the proposed solution.

SecondSense

The proposed solution, SecondSense, consists of two components: SenseFlowand SenseCab (Figure FIXME & FIXME). SenseFlow describes the sensorlifecycle within the system, while SenseCab enables easy reprocessing. In theSenseFlow system, used sensors are collected, cleaned, and placed in theSenseCab for data removal, disinfection and charging.

Life Cycle Analsyis

A comparison between SecondSense and the original Healthdot was conductedusing an LCA (see Figure FIXME). SecondSense shows reductions in CO2 emissionsafter only three uses, with 45% and 60% reductions after five and ten uses. Theanalysis considered worst-case scenario, with a best-case scenario showing CO2reductions upwards of 80% after 10 uses.

Recommendations

The case study outcomes led to the following recommendations, intended as astarting point for designers and engineers developing circular solutions formedical wearable sensors:

1 Gain a solid understanding of the basic principles of the circulareconomy
2 Research circular design strategies and business models for the designchallenge
3 Determine what defines circular economy
4 First, determine how the system is going to be circular, then design theproduct so that it enables this system.
      4a Take additional carewhen determining boundaries
      4b Determine a detailed systemoutline
      4c Analyse the system toformulate requirements
      4d Integrate the classic designprocess into the circular system
5 Use fast-track LCAs for conceptual insights
6 Involvestakeholders in the design process. ... Read more

This report presents the process of designing a volume unit as an addition to the current product system, which will allow the user to control boiling, chilled and carbonated water volumes. This assignment tackles both the user interaction that takes place around the tap over the counter, as well as the functionality and technology implemented below the counter to control the water volumes. One of the drivers of this project is backwards compatibility, making the designed system suitable for all existing taps and reservoirs.

Discover
Research is conducted internally at Quooker B.V. to identify the system characteristics when it comes to Quooker reservoirs, as well as the user interface and usability of the taps and accessories. Externally, competitors and other field applications are considered as inspiration for the design of the project. A set of use cases is obtained through exploration and user interviews, which serve as guideline for the design. Interestingly, users don’t frequently measure water volumes as they rather fill their pots by feeling based on the relative water level in the container. As for technology, after careful literature and desktop research, flow sensors, weight scales, pumps, timers and pressure sensors are considered.

Define
Based on the user needs and wishes, as well as Quooker system limitations, a list of requirements is created to steer the direction of the design process. These criteria include amongst others; usability, performance, aesthetic and cost price requirements. Some important aspects that are considered are limescale, flow rate, mental strain and the properties of special feature water, such as temperature, pressure and water consistency.

Develop
The next step is to explore different design directions. Several options are considered for both the user interaction and flow measurement, as well as possible placements within the current system to establish compatibility. These options are evaluated by users and R&D engineers and the final concepts were chosen; an external knob for over-the-counter user interaction alongside a turbine flow sensor at the inlet of the water system. These concepts are developed and tested within and outside of Quooker B.V. and iterations are made to improve the design.

Deliver
Finally, the part assemblies are laid out and design decisions are presented, as well as where the two units are placed in the system and how they are connected with each other. A cost estimation and preliminary manufacturing plan are presented to prove the feasibility of the design and future recommendations are made to assist Quooker B.V. with the further development of the product. ... Read more

Entrepreneurship, as a driver of economic growth, involves identifying opportunities and creating ventures. However, the success rate of startups is significantly low, with various sources reporting different failure rates. Common reasons for startup failure include lack of market need, insufficient funds, inadequate team, strong competition and pricing/cost issues. Scholars and practitioners have developed numerous theories and tools to assist entrepreneurs, such as the Value Proposition Canvas, Lean Startup and Customer Development. Despite these efforts, the failure rate of startups remains high, raising doubts about the effectiveness of existing tools.
To improve the success rate of startups, academic research could be used. However within entrepreneurship, academic research becomes detached from practical relevance. This is an issue described in academic literature as the ‘Research-Practice Gap’. To address this gap, a “third body” or “design” is proposed as a mediating factor between research and practice. This design could offer prescriptive principles and tools that are useful for entrepreneurs. Currently, such designs are predominantly created by reflective practitioners rather than scholars. This offers certain problems in practice, such as their lack of rigor, limited generalizability, bias and subjectivity and finally lack of theoretical grounding.
This thesis aims to provide scholars with knowledge how to create learning tools that entrepreneurs actually use. As a result, scholars are able to covert their academic papers into desirable action-oriented learning tools. The first part of this thesis analyses this research-practice gap in three ways. First, it conducts a literature research of relevant literature in the domain of learning within entrepreneurship. Second, it researches the perspective of entrepreneurs on the gap by using a qualitative research study. Finally, the author dives into the role of an entrepreneur by solving a case-study for Stippl. This reveals a first-person perspective into the research-practice gap. The conclusions of these three research methods are combined into 4 important elements to implement when creating a learning tool for entrepreneurs.
The second part of this thesis converts the analysis into a product to use for scholars. This product does not only provide insights of the analysis, but it also supports scholars in using the important elements within their learning tool. In this part, the thesis identifies the necessary requirements for the product and creates three concept ideas. These concept ideas are tested with scholars to create one final product which implements the 4 important elements for scholars to create relevant learning tools.
This thesis aims to provide scholars with the necessary knowledge to create relevant learning tools. The ultimate goal is to improve the success rate of startups by providing entrepreneurs with desirable and relevant knowledge.
... Read more

This research provides a recommendation for Sonion, a company specialised in the development and production of hearing aids, on the production of moulds for the injection moulding machine.

The goal was to develop a process that reduces the cost and the time to manufacture an injection mould while maintaining a similar accuracy as in conventional mould production. Usually, Sonion outsources the production of injected moulded parts, resulting in parts with a tolerance of ~ ±10 µm that cost €15.000 for a 1000 pieces with a delivery time of 6-8 weeks. For Sonion’s development process, which is prototype heavy, this is too expensive and takes too much time. A micro injection moulding machine is acquired to shorten the iteration time of their design process and to reduce cost.

Before and during this research, the possibilities of 3D printing the moulds with a thermal resistant resin were being explored. For that reason, 3D printing with these materials was left out of the scope of this project. Although the accuracy for this method is sufficient, it struggles with the high pressure and temperature it is exposed to while injection moulding.

After identifying many possible manufacturing methods, the most promising techniques capable of withstanding the injection moulding temperature were chosen and validated through testing, research and consulting experts. For a total of six methods, the physical performance (a combination of accuracy, surface roughness and tool life) and the feasibility (iteration time, cost, form freedom and ease of execution) was determined. From the selected six methods, two were recommended for further exploration and investigation; Micro Metal Casting and Powder Injection Moulding. The other methods fell short due to a lack of accuracy, causing iteration time to be too long and the inability to manufacture certain parts of the mould.

The Micro Casting method works on the principle of the lost wax casting and is taken to a higher level by increasing its ability to replicate a shape. Both fully outsourcing the production and in-house production have been tested with similar results; the in-house production being slightly more accurate with a lower surface roughness. Metal moulds can be produced with a tolerance of ±25 µm for a price of around €750 within one to two weeks. It is recommended that for the continuation of this method, first the already acquired moulds are tested and future designs are fully outsourced until higher accuracy and lower surface roughness are required.

Powder Injection Moulding is a method capable of moulding metal parts at a temperature of 190 °C by mixing a fine metal grain with a polymeric binder and therefore could be used to produce a metal injection mould. In theory, the 3D printed moulds should be able to resist this temperature since it is relatively low. After moulding, the part goes into the oven for the polymer to debind and the grains to be sintered together.
A collaboration with the Powder Injection Moulding company Demcon had been setup for testing, but due to misaligning agendas it could not be set in motion. A test with a similar material has been conducted with highly detailed results. It is suggested to explore the possibilities of this method further.
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We live in an increasingly complex world in which policy regulations and system development must balance technology, existing regulations and all the people participating in the system. Currently, digital identities facilitate multiple verification processes in multiple contexts. For example, to give the ability to prove their own identity to buy alcohol or verify within the work environment, for as a healthcare practitioner. Experts and the EU Commission see unmet needs and problems within the digital identity field, which led to the revision process of eIDAS 2.0 to include the missed objectives of the present regulation on electronic identification and trust services, creating the rules for electronic transactions in the internal market. For example, identity theft rises, privacy concerns towards big tech grow, and there is little to no interoperability between sectors and borders (European Commission, 2021).

This thesis explored the ongoing development process through a systemic approach and the lens of Value Sensitive Design (VSD) (Van Den Hoven et.al., 2015). A research-by-design approach uncovers the values and uniqueness of multiple stakeholders and provides new perspectives on the emergent system dynamics of digital identity. The EU Commission Vision on the EUDI Wallet was used as starting point to explore stakeholder values (Users¹, Relying Parties², Experts / Oversight Perspective³) and engage them in the future by still acting as the experts of their own experiences.
Value tensions and risks are mapped to showcase the future implications of wrongly managed decisions in the process from a system perspective. Based on the systemic approach, a vision for all coming verification processes is created as the development is just a starting process for what is coming next within the wallet development field.
The vision aims to help facilitate a way to include the values and mental models of different parties in the creation process of digital identity verification experiences.

“Creating respectful transaction mechanisms that include the values of all participants by integrating a trusted relationship in the layers behind the app”

The design provides a new value-finding method created in the interview process, and a structure for strategic dialogues (Talking Across The Divide, n.d.). The strategic dialogue set up with the name “Welcome to the Common Ground” can be seen as a transition design towards ‘Design for Behaviour Change’ (Irwin, 2018), as part of an intervention to solve wicket problems (Dorst, 2015). I saw that multiple stakeholders with opposing opinions have to come together to formulate goals towards future practices in which stakeholders’ values need to be balanced by having moral values as the foundation and creating an understanding of each other’s needs for different verification experiences. Therefore the final designs can empower INNOPAY to establish ethical technology design in consultancy practices.

Because: “If values can be imparted to technology and shape the space of actions of human beings, then we need to learn to incorporate and express shared values in the things we design and make.”
(Van Den Hoven et al., 2015). ... Read more

Design Agency Nacar has experienced remarkable success since it was founded in 2006, transforming from a small industrial design studio to a prominent agency with around 120 employees in Spain. Due to their recent growth spurt, it was found that Nacar is currently in a transition phase from being a small-sized agency to a medium-sized organisation. Due to this transition phase, Nacar faces new organisational challenges. This project aims to identify these challenges and develop a sustainable growth strategy that will allow the organisation to maintain its success in the long term.

The central focus of this graduation project is therefore to answer the research question: "How can design agency Nacar create an effective transition strategy?" The chosen approach involves engaging various stakeholders throughout the different phases of the project. This includes direct participation from employees across various business units, with validation from top management afterwards. To guide the research, two sub-questions are formulated to guide the process, aiming to find the obstacles and enablers of the transition that Nacar faces, as well as the organisational challenges Nacar encounters in facilitating the transition.

Nine insights are identified from the research, being obstacles, enablers, or challenges. To refine these insights, they are further categorised into three levels: operational, tactical, and strategic insights. After validating the research insights with top management, the following conclusion could be drawn: “There is a need to create a bridge between the perspective of the employees and the perspective of top management.” In order to develop this bridge, employee participation during the creation of a solution is crucial. Therefore employees are recruited for a workshop to share their input and ideas for the solution, after which a roadmap for 2025 is created, addressing the insights found during the research. By collecting both perspectives in this roadmap, a framework for the transition is created.

However, this roadmap does not provide directions or guidance for Nacar during the transition. Therefore three strategies are created in the shape of routes that can be taken within the roadmap. These strategies each prioritise a different strategic goal for 2025 and provide the path to achieve it. The strategies are validated to ensure they resonate with the perspective of the employees. After this validation, the final solution was created.

The transition strategy exists as a combination of the strategy with a business focus and the strategy with a people focus. This combination results in a strategy that aims to introduce a new innovation lab and optimise daily operations to improve the employee experience. Further recommendations are made to support the outcome in terms of advice on implementation and execution.
Overall, this report provides a framework for designing an effective transition strategy that can help Nacar navigate the complexities of change in the future.
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The objective of this project is to develop a suitable design proposal for the future context of ASML’s Training Center, substantiated by research and stakeholder input. Since training demand will increase also with the introduction of new systems, the company entails the creation of a product that will support this dynamic environment by offering the possibility to create a tailor made training journey, while keeping certain dependencies in mind. A combination of representative techniques, such as Hardware, Virtual Reality, Software and Theory will be used to create the most realistic training experience with a strong focus on hands-on capabilities. A supportive literature and user research has been conducted on training context, aiming at methods and psychology, future trends complemented by in-depth interviews conducted with other technology-focused companies to study their practices. Additionally, the user experience was investigated at the graduation company through a combination of interviews, observations and surveys. This extensive exploration phase has resulted in a wide diversity of possible future training focus points such as for example (1) improving effectiveness and practice opportunities of hands-on trainings targeting optimal knowledge retention and (2) increasing on-the-job performance support through mentor guidance and manager evaluation. Incorporating the input of the majority of engineers, as part of the User-Centered Design approach, it could be concluded that focusing on a planning tool, while optimizing the amount of effective hands-on modules, was the most promising direction. Product requirements have been gathered through interactive co-creation and brainstorm sessions with users and business stakeholders. Once the core features were determined, the prototyping phase was launched, consisting of two separate sections. First a UX design was created through wireframing and several conducted rounds of usability testing. Next an effective planning proposal was defined representing a possible training scenario. A balanced merging of these two sections characterizes the High-NA TC planning tool ‘MyTraining’, which enables micro-managing and adapting a training to the needs and preferences of trainees. It supports a flexible environment, where learning by doing is encouraged, and practice opportunities are facilitated. It entails three main functionalities; book training time slots according to own preferences and availability, self-direct the training journey while encountering the planning guidance and explore other training programs for personal development awareness. The tool can be perceived as valuable to the users, since it will boost their motivation through a sense of autonomy, mastery and purpose. Furthermore, their confidence level will be increased through practice opportunities and effective modular training slots. Business benefits for the company are improved field self-sufficiency of the trained engineers, which will impact the quality of service to the customers, and decreased training and preparation time which will free up additional capacity for other valuable business-related purposes.
However, in the current situation the company does not have enough modules to fulfill the growing need of hands-on practice opportunities. The key recommendation is that the company supply should be aligned with the hands-on training demand to support a practice stimulating environment. It can be concluded that this thesis provides a starting point for the company to explore their way of working in the future Training Center, where learning by doing is crucial to satisfy the engineer’s needs and to create optimal field self-sufficiency.

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ContextIn a society where sustainability is becoming more and more relevant, coal-burning kamado barbecues are more popular than ever in the Netherlands. From an ignited barbecue a significant amount of energy is lost through heated air. This brings up an interesting design opportunity; “Is it possible to design a product which proposes a more efficient use of the energy of a kamado barbecue?” This project investigates the possibility to design a product powered by energy lost during the process of a barbecue. It has been executed for the company 200Fahrenheit, a relatively young company that is specialised in ceramic barbecues known as kamados. The company is growing rapidly and where most competitors seem to barely change, the company is eager to invest in innovative products and sustainability in general to stay relevant in the future.Approach The foundation of the process was the classic double diamond design approach, consisting of Research & Analysis, Conceptualisation, Embodiment and Final Product. The outcome of the Research & Analysis phase brought valuable insights from extensive desk research to qualitative interviews with users and vendors. It led to a defined persona with valuable needs, preferences and frustrations. From the embodiment part of the process, the aim was to deliver answers to the high risk/high reward assumptions. The emphasis lied on the functionality and feasibility of the implemented technology, which was crucial for the company to know whether or not it was fruitful to continue developing. Research by design, design by doing and prototyping proved to give insights in a time efficient manner.ResultThe result of the project is a product that is able to keep food warm in a container at the right temperature after it has been grilled. The temperature of the container can be set to match the needs of the user. It was found that most heat energy was lost via the chimney of the kamado, which made this a suitable location to harvest energy. The energy that powers the product is completely recovered from the hot air that exits the kamado when it is ignited, in the form of heat energy collected by water. The water transfers the heat to the container, warming up the container. The electricity used by the system is generated by this residual heat as well using Peltier elements. Peltier elements are small electronic plates that are able to convert a temperature difference to electricity. This temperature difference is provided by the water which is always under 100 degrees Celsius, and the outgoing air of the kamado which when ignited, virtually always exceeds 100 degrees Celsius.The product empowers the user to take advantage of the normally wasted energy. Where kamado users were already putting an incredible amount of effort in their dishes, the product now enhances their dish until the last moment where it is presented to the table, under perfect conditions. ... Read more

The Courier, Express and Parcel market (CEP) in the Netherlands causes 85.000 tons of single use packaging to be turned into waste on a yearly basis (Thuiswinkel.org & Kennis instituut duurzaam verpakken, 2020). This combined with an annual projected growth of 10% in online orders urges society to rethink ecommerce packaging (Topsector Logistiek, 2020). This graduation project is performed for Goodcase. The startup aims to accelerate the shift towards a sustainable diet by offering sustainable foods from Dutch startups directly to the customer. The goal of this project is to find the most sustainable way of transporting perishable goods for Goodcase. BOKS is the frontrunner in a new era of packaging in ecommerce. It is part of a system where material resources are circulating within a closed loop: the circular economy. This paradigm puts emphasis on designing out waste. Switching from single use to reusables fits in this philosophy. This switch is critical to sustainably deal with the resources our planet has to offer. Switching to BOKS prevents the creation of excessive waste and therefore decreases the environmental impact of insulative ecommerce packaging.BOKS is specifically designed to assist webshops transporting perishable goods directly to their customers. These foods need to stay under 5 °C during transport. The optimal configuration of BOKS is designed using a parametric thermodynamic model.The walls of BOKS are filled with a 25 mm organic hemp layer. The insulative principle of hemp is similar to wool; small air pockets in the material prevent heat from transferring through. Due to this insulation layer the products stay cooled consistently for up to 36 Hours. Within this timeframe two delivery moments can be achieved with a success rate of 99.9%. This is what makes BOKS the most reliable way of sending cooled perishable goods!BOKS is designed for contin-use, it should flow from stakeholder to stakeholder. A fast track life cycle analysis model is used to minimize its environmental impact. It could be reused up to 100 times and therefore saves up to 37.1 kg of single use packaging, insulation and buffer materials. The folding mechanism results in a 40% volume reduction which makes BOKS efficient in logistics and more manageable to handle for its users. The CO2 emissions per trip are 68.32% less compared to a single use cardboard box. This in combination with 40% recycled materials in the outer layer, BOKS is a sustainable contender for transporting perishable goods!BOKS flows from Goodcase Packaging to the webshop, where it is subsequently packed and delivered to the logistics party. They deliver it directly to the customer, who returns it at their local supermarket or drop-off point. From there on, the BOKSES are shipped back to Goodcase Packaging in bulk. At Goodcase Packaging they are cleaned and inspected before sending them out for their next loop!BOKS is designed with all aforementioned stakeholders in mind. It was found that a reward program is crucial to incentivise each stakeholder to keep passing BOKS on. This reward program aims to actively involve both the webshop and the customer.BOKS has been tested and proven to perform up to most of the requirements. However, further development is required to make the concept of BOKS ready to be used in the real environment. ... Read more

It is time to break the taboo on something that every person does every day: excretion. Using the toilet for micturition and defecation is familiar to everyone. However, discussing personal troubles with going to the toilet is frowned upon. Constipation complaints and urine retention are common, especially among the elderly. There are multiple ways of countering these complaints, with this report focusing on taking the right body posture while sitting on the toilet. This posture consists of raising the knees above hip height, aiming for more pelvic floor muscle relaxation.This report explores a new product design that helps people to fight constipation and urine retention complaints, by assisting them to get an ergonomically beneficial toilet posture. First, the current scenario of this problem and its environment was explored thoroughly, in order to create the full relevant picture. Information was gathered from the target group, medical professionals from ErasmusMC Rotterdam (i.a. urologists and pelvic floor therapists), nursing home staff and other IDE experts. Existing solutions are not fulfilling, or even dangerous, especially for elderly users. Therefore, the target group in this project is focused on the elderly. Through solving sub problems, researching technical possibilities and pinpointing wishes and demands, possible design directions were explored. Eventually, the EasyRaise was chosen as the proposed concept that aimed to solve the problems best. The EasyRaise consists of a platform that effortlessly lifts the legs of the user upwards to the user’s personal perfect height. The user operates the platform by him-/herself with a wireless remote and is informed by a medical expert on the desired optimal height of the platform. Hand support can be included to help the user get on and off the platform and provide help with standing up and balancing. The remote can be stored on the hand support extension. The proposed concept of the EasyRaise went through three types of evaluation. A physical prototype was created to test the working of the lift mechanism. Target group participants were asked to assess the functionalities and desirability of the concept. Finally, ErasmusMC staff were invited to share their medical insights on the EasyRaise, and whether they would recommend it. The EasyRaise leads to increased quality of life and decreased health costs, as autonomy is enhanced and medicines like laxatives are diminished. The report is concluded with a set of recommendations and conclusions that elaborate on the steps needed to take this concept to the next development stage. ... Read more

“A ruptured AAA [Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm] is the 15th leading cause of death in the country, and the 10th leading cause of death in men older than 55” in the United States, states Singh (n.d.), in the Society for Vascular Surgeons. Such Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms (AAA, see Figure 2.2) are increasingly treated by endovascular surgery, during which stent grafts are placed in the ballooned vessel through access sites such as the femoral (thigh) arteries, a procedure called Endo Vascular Aneurysm Repair (EVAR). 10% of patients has an aneurysm near significant arteries (Mayo Clinic, 2019), called a complex AAA, requiring stent grafts fitted with fenestrations (FEVAR, see Figure 2.1) or side branches (BEVAR).   After puncture of the femoral artery, an introducer sheath is placed in the vessel, functioning as a re-usable access point to the arterial system. The sheath prevents blood from flowing out of the artery and enables entrance of tools such as guide wires, catheters and smaller sheaths into the arteries. However, treatment of complex AAA requires introduction of multiple tools (up to 5) through the sheath simultaneously, compared to just one or two during EVAR. With every additional tool being introduced, the valve’s capability of adequate closure is reduced even more. This results in leakage that can lead to significant blood loss for the patient.   The Pentaport is a new, safe gateway for complex endovascular aortic repair (Figure 2.3). It functions as an add-on for commonly used sheath models. A leakproof ‘plug & screw’ connection facilitates safe and easy fastening to large-bore introducer sheaths. The Pentaport minimises blood leakage. Preventing severe blood losses of 2L or even more during one surgery, spares a heavy attack on the patient’s condition and eliminates the need for costly consequences, such as cell-saving or blood transfusion. In addition, it prevents the need for lengthy recatheterisation efforts (up to 60 minutes) and possible harm to the patient’s arteries. The design was evaluated and proof of concept was achieved, through functionality tests in simulated environments and usability tests with medical specialists.   ... Read more

A colossal amount of people around the world do not have access to basic health care. In order to reach the unreachable, humanitarian organizations assemble medical units that provide health service to the most outreach communities. Although, these units experience numerous challenges and drawbacks when it comes to traveling, questioning the effectivity and efficient of such operations. With advancement in new air mobility solutions, it is investigated whether it is time to push forward technological improvements in the humanitarian sector and allow the penetration of major aerospace companies in its market. The project focuses on designing a product-service that permits the immunization of remote communities by avoiding the obstacles of the current methods of transportation, and setting a new path in humanitarian aid. In collaboration with Embraer S.A., the product is based on the latest EVE eVTOL vehicle and has been adapted to fulfill the needs on the field. Equipped with supportive equipment and an integrated auxiliary station system, the vehicle provides a resource for the structuring of a service that puts immunization programs at its core. The service, known as Embraer Humanitarian Air Service (EHAS), is initiated in Kenya where its implementation is projected and planned to reach new heights. With well defined operation planning, business logistics and financial projection, the project demonstrates the potential of using eVTOL solutions in humanitarian aid, and defines a possible course to achieve profitability. ... Read more

Vibration exposure is a significant problem in the construction industry. However, the consequences remains underappreciated and largely unaddressed because vibration exposure is difficult to measure and the symptoms often appear after decades of exposure. These symptoms, collectively called hand-arm vibrations syndrome, include loss of sensory and motor function in the hands. Prolonged exposure can lead to these symptoms becoming permanent and severely debilitating Avoiding construction workers are often reluctant to report discomfort and are in a weak position of negotiating better work conditions. The companies on the other hand find adhering to the vibration exposure limits difficult because there are no viable means of reducing exposure. In this thesis a protection device is developed that is specifically aimed to alleviate these problems concerning hand-arm vibrations. Special consideration is taken to directly address vibration exposure. To this end, experiments are done to explore and validate a vibration mitigation technology. A prototype is then developed to implement the result towards a useable protection device. ... Read more

A strategy and concept design for charging LEFVs in city logistics. Tiler Cargo is a wireless charger for electric cargobikes: Parking equals charging. Bulk charging batteries in the commercial domain result in chaotic situations with dozens of adapters and requires human responsibility to thoroughly perform charging procedures, resulting in reliability and scaleability problems, not to mention fire hazard.
A Vision for LEFV 2031 and an accompanying Roadmap describe the expected developments in the domain of light electric vehicles and wireless charging in the (near-)future.
The charger enables the customer to fluently integrate the cargobike into their fleetmanagement system through wireless connectivity. Remote monitoring enables Tiler and the customer to keep track of the bicycle and the batteries, preventing unpleasant surprises. Tiler Cargo is the connecting element for incorporating the cargobike into sustainable city logistics. ... Read more

Legionella is a serious thread to public health. For a lot of facilities, obligated water safety plans need to be executed to minimise the chances of a legionellosis outbreak. Unfortunately, these water safety plans are not always executed properly.
With the stoppage sensor of Octo Facility Management, there is an opportunity to create a difference in public health, by making it more convenient to execute these water safety plans. Tap points within these facilities need to be weekly flushed for at least two minutes to make sure there is no stagnant water in the water pipe system. The sensor registers if a tap point is used, eliminating the tap points that already have been refreshed during the week. This method can save a lot of water, time and money, and also creates a much better overview of actual risks of legionella contamination in buildings. Subject to this graduation project was to improve the technical performance and usibility of the sensor.
The new generation sensor is improved in usability, by creating a vision for the installation process and general use of the product. Guiding the user with a step-by-step guide through the installation process, the user is able to install the sensor without the help of Octo. The sensor itself is designed in a way that it is easy to install and easy to understand by colour coded clamps.
With the use of a reference sensor the sensor output can be validated to meet the legionella prevention regulations. New use of data can also initiate the discussion in how the regulations can be interpreted differently. ... Read more