A Look Inside the Design Process
What does a jump rope have to do with DO’s NPWT device?
More than you would think! Project Engineer Cai Green recently used a jump rope handle to experiment with a part of our Negative Pressure Wound Therapy (NPWT) device. Designed to operate without relying on electricity, the DO NPWT device uses weights to create vacuum pressure; but if too much weight is used, the vacuum becomes too strong and a patient could experience pain, reduced blood flow, and injury. To mitigate this risk, the team had a design challenge: How can they prevent too much weight from being hung on the device?
Here’s what Cai had to say: “Our main concern was that people had easy access to the handles, which stick out from the body of the device, and could hang something from the handles and add more weight to the system than intended. To minimize this, I needed something that you could pull on in one direction but not provide a force in the other direction. A jump rope came to mind because they are inexpensive and have handles that come with them. So, I ordered a jump rope off the internet and threw it on our prototype for an initial proof of concept.”
We love how creative and resourceful our team is in the product design process, ensuring we are developing the most sustainable products possible with excellence. Our ultimate goal? To transform lives and share the love of Jesus. We love that we get to have a little fun along the way!
