“The application “New ideas and the pace of change in healthcare can lag behind other innovations that consumers experience every day,” says Yves Behar, an industrial designer and founder of design firm Design. project fuse. People, Behar continues, become frustrated when they compare their experiences in clinics and hospitals to, say, a consumer experience at an Apple Store. Behar’s belief that design can have a positive impact on people’s lives leads him to focus on what he calls “design for extreme audiences,” such as children, the elderly, the neurodivergent, and people with mobility disabilities.
“Most design is geared toward that comfortable middle stage of life when you’re happy, healthy, and wealthy,” he says. “For me, design is most necessary when change is most extreme.” An example is Moxiean AI learning robot companion for autistic and neurodivergent children. “It turns out to be extremely useful for all children, especially in Covid“, Behar said.
Since launching in 2022, Moxie has had more than 4 million conversations with kids, with reported a 71 percent improvement in social skills like assertiveness, social engagement, and self-control for those who regularly play with it. Another fuseproject invention—and Behar’s favorite—is SNOO robot cradleThis crib mimics renowned pediatrician Harvey Karp’s infant soothing methods, which include swaddling, rocking, and rocking.
“The Artificial intelligence recognizes when the baby is fussing and screaming, and starts making noise and movement in response,” Behar said. “This is the first and only medical device that can has received approval from the FDA for its ability to keep babies sleeping safely on their backs and avoid SIDS [sudden infant death syndrome]“ .
This article appeared in the July/August 2024 issue of British magazine WIRED.
