POWERBREATHE K1
POWERBREATHE K1
INSPIRATORY MUSCLE TRAINING DEVICE
PRODUCT DESIGN . MECHANICAL ENGINEERING . PROTOTYPING . DESIGN FOR MANUFACTURE
VERSATILE DESIGN BRIDGING ATHLETICS AND MEDICINE
| Client | POWERbreathe |
| Sector | Consumer, Medical |
Breathlessness is a problem shared by many people with chronic illnesses such as asthma, COPD and ephysema, and whilst improving lung function is critical for them it is also important for elite athletes. For patients, weak breathing muscles can affect their daily lives and breathing itself can become a hardship. Athletes have extremely strong breathing muscles but are constantly chasing that next step to reach peak performance.
HAB partnered with Smallfry to develop a medical product that could both dramatically improve the lives of patients and tackle the precise standards of professional athletes.
USER CENTRED PROCESS
Using our user centred design process, we worked with HAB and their engineers to identify the unseen needs of patients and athletes. POWERbreathe is designed to suit both the clinical environment patients sit within and the active lifestyle of aspiring athletes.
STRENGTHEN MUSCLES
The resulting product, POWERbreathe, is an electronic inspiratory muscle trainer developed to assist in breathing training. By providing resistance to the airflow as you breathe in, the POWERbreathe helps to strengthen breathing muscles, reduce breathlessness and improve stamina.
THE RESULT
POWERbreathe is completely portable and can be used by anyone, anywhere. The head of the product can be easily removed for sterilisation while using a mechanical interface and an electro-mechanical system to effortlessly re-index the valve on every use. As a result, POWERbreathe bridges the needs of athletes and patients without compromising on the experience of either, winning ‘Best Consumer Product’ at the Plastic Industry Awards.
