“A lot of tech-based products fail to add value and many people think there should be more tech or more fancy features: we believe that often less is more,” says Blender co-founder Ollie McDermott. This philosophy drives Blender's unique approach in the world of product development, especially in the medtech sector.
Blender is somewhat of a one-stop innovation shop in the world of product development, offering services in product strategy, product development planning, industrial design, mechanical engineering, new product introduction and circular design.
Blender has a proven process for new product development, starting with discovery, requirements and concept design, and moving through engineering, prototyping and validation testing, all the way to manufacturing and scale-up support. “Our expertise is focused on areas such as user experience, aesthetic design and design for manufacture,” says Product Design Engineer Miriam Bradley. This comprehensive approach ensures that every project is meticulously crafted from inception to market launch.
“We are a consultancy working across a range of industries. We have a significant knowledge base and a wide network of suppliers, with access to a huge variety of prototyping and manufacturing capabilities. We follow a well-tested but highly adaptable process for product development. When it’s not a medical device this process can be very fluid and fast paced.” says McDermott.
Product development in the medtech sector has unique challenges, and Blender is no stranger to complex problems.
“Quick decisions are sometimes needed in the medical environment: it can be a stressful environment and clinicians have a lot going on, so the focus must always be on the patient and not the technology.” says Bradley. “Medical devices need to be so easy to use that they blend seamlessly into clinical practice. Even if it’s totally innovative technology that is changing clinical practice, the user experience needs to be removing points of friction not adding them. New medical devices must meet the regulatory standards but at the same time break down barriers to adoption.”
“We like to solve problems, and we’re up front about which problems we can solve,” says McDermott. “In the medtech sector, that means adding value to the patient and health professional by making products that are easy to use, high quality and affordable to produce.”
“With our medtech clients, we understand the stringent regulatory landscape, but we don’t step into the formal medical device manufacturer role; we don’t take charge of Design Controls or the regulatory compliance process. Our clients maintain their regulatory strategy while we focus on our strengths. What we bring to a medtech project is a human-centred design approach and decades of combined experience with detailed product design, design for manufacture, commercialisation and new product introduction,” adds Bradley.
A look at their project page shows the breadth of Blender’s skills – a mastitis detection device, a hot water cylinder stand, marine seats, camera systems, packaging, Tullen snips, a starter kit for growing microgreens, a four-wheeled rescue platform, arms for computer monitors, and the Huski range of beverage coolers.
The medtech projects Blender is currently working on are under wraps, but these diverse projects illustrate Blender’s experience.
Intelligence Hub Device:
“In the medtech sector, we helped to design and develop an intelligence hub device for use in operating theatres and clinical areas. It pulls together data in real time, and it is simple to integrate into existing technology,” says McDermott.
Dotterel Konos Microphone
Capturing clear sound in noisy environments is difficult. Dotterel Technologies, a New Zealand-based pioneer in sound technology, sought to challenge this. Their vision was to provide a world-first in adjustable directivity sound capture. Put simply, they wanted to make a single device that efficiently captures targeted audio from any direction with the flick of a switch and eliminates the need for any other microphone. Partnering with Blender, Dotterel was able to adopt a product development approach suitable for their business and quickly move from a proof-of-concept prototype to a market-ready product.
Bovonic Quadsense
This is a simple solution to a complex problem. Mastitis in cows is costly, difficult to detect and treat correctly, and it reduces milking production. Existing detection solutions were expensive, cumbersome, lacked precision and were overly complex. “Bovonic turned to Blender to help bridge the gap between the initial concept and a market-ready solution of a single-button electronic device that anyone could operate, with replaceable batteries and a price point farmers can easily justify” says McDermott.
Bradley is excited by the growth of the medtech startup ecosystem in New Zealand. “There’s so much potential here in Aotearoa for medtech innovation, with heaps of talented people in startups doing awesome things. Opportunities and ideas are abundant, and these kinds of problems are so worth solving as they can make such an impact in people’s lives. Commercialising medical technology is hard, but working together and utilising people’s strengths is key to efficient progress.”
McDermott sums up Blender as real people making real things to solve real problems. “We live to tackle complex problems and create new products and experiences that will make a real difference in the world.”
“As with any consultancy role, we work with our clients to ensure we understand them and their market. This parallels the design of good products; you have to understand users and keep human factors front of mind; removing points of friction and creating delightful experiences.”
Blender is committed to continuous innovation and is passionate about the medtech sector. Wherever a company might be along the product commercialisation journey, Bradley explains the process for engagement: “Get in touch! We’re happy to chat ideas and product strategy over a coffee or a phone call and see how we might be able to help.”
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