A subsidiary of the US company Sanmina commissioned us to develop design concepts for a spirometer. The medical device is used to test lung function and is “operated” by both the patient and doctor. The patient holds the device and blows into the mouthpiece while the doctor reads the measured values. A comfortable positioning results in a right-angled arrangement of the two axes – blowing direction and reading direction – which is the basis of our designs.
The two-part structure of this design results from a combination of the two basic functions and their basic bodies – a flat cuboid as a display and an oval mouthpiece with a cylindrical extension, which also serves as a handle and gives the patient a secure grip…
…while also giving the display on the table a slight desk bevel for better readability.
Another design approach shows both functional areas – mouthpiece with handle and display – integratively and in a form that is perceived as one piece. The circular mouthpiece accentuates the clear and basic geometrically oriented design language.
A “soft bend” marks the transition area between the display and the mouthpiece and allows the device to be dynamically “jump-ready” and safely picked up on the table.
Here again, the slight slope of the display helps to read the values. The status LED and control element are located on the side facing the patient and are easy to see and feel.
