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Amsterdam-based designer Satyendra Pakhalé who, under his eponymous design studio, envisions creative solutions in the realm of industrial design, architecture, healthcare, and mobility, among other arenas, recently unveiled a curation of five products at the World Design Capital 2022. Showcased as part of the exhibition Design + Health, it will remain on view until April 16, 2023 at The Valencia Museum of the Enlightment and Modernity in Valencia, Spain. World Design Capital (WDC) is an initiative by the World Design Organization—an international NGO dedicated to promoting the profession of industrial design and communicating the role and scope of the discipline in creating products, services, systems, and experiences that improve the quality of life. The WDC initiative is a biennial event that recognises cities that innovate and design with the intent of catalysing social, cultural, economic, and environmental development. With an array of programmes spread across the annual calendar, the World Design Capital, designated every two years, presents innovations that are sustainable and improve daily life.
Design + Health, curated by writer and designer Ramón Úbeda, comprises a mix of products from various creative disciplines such as architecture, fashion, graphic design and industrial design, among others. It illustrates the importance of design in our everyday lives, while also delineating its evolution with time, new calamities, and social emergencies. With a dissected view of the past and the present, audiences are offered a chance to witness creative solutions to social upheavals and health emergencies across the globe.
Among the thoughtful creations displayed at the Design + Health exhibition are five healthcare and smart design products by Satyendra Pakhalé Associates. These include Modular Vaccines Carrier (MVC), the TBI DO2-3000 Implant System, Watch Me X Nomadic Environmental Sensors, DMT PY 2031 System - Modular Dental Tech, and HAAT Bag. “Our healthcare design projects, presented at the World Design Capital 2022, address the needs of the people around the world, with its core conception rooted in 'secular-humanistic and culturally engaging design approach' a timely need around the world,” Pakhalé says.
The Modular Vaccines Carrier (MVC) was developed to easily transport vaccines over long distances. Most cold vaccine boxes that already exist across the globe are bulky and hence, difficult to carry when scaping larger distances. Pakhalé thoroughly researched the cold chain—a series of coordinated steps taken in temperature-controlled environments to manage, store, and transport vaccines and other life-saving products. Following this, he designed MVC, which takes into consideration the requirements of each step in the cold chain. The features of the product ensure that it can be reused without any loss in its efficiency. While its outer shell is sturdy enough for rough handling, its inner profile holds an optimal number of vaccines. A concave curved kink on the outer base of the box ensures ease in placing it on head tops, bicycle backs, and other such surfaces while transporting it from one place to another. This is one of the hidden details which help users if necessary but not an incentive for head transport. This invention was especially apt during the pandemic.
Pakhalé’s TBI DO2-3000 Implant System comprises three plates—Distal Femur Plate, Proximal Femur Plate, and Periprosthetic Femur Plate—that can be implanted in place of different parts of the femur or thigh bone. The femur is the largest bone in the human body, found in the upper part of the leg. As a bone that bears all the pressure exerted on the hip and the knee joints, it is built strong. However, with age and accidents, the femur often suffers fractures. The three implants designed by Pakhalé take into consideration the three-dimensional contours of the thigh bone. Crafted out of titanium alloy using additive manufacturing, the implant system is aesthetic, fulfils utilitarian purposes, and can be easily implanted by surgeons. “It is appalling to see the current implants that are made in precious metals but the manner in which they are put together on bones is dreadful, not only for their bad fitting but also for their aesthetic appeal. We perceive these implants as an ‘Internal Jewellery’ tailor-made in long-lasting titanium,” the Dutch designer asserts.
Another innovative design by the Netherlands-based firm is Watch Me X Nomadic Environmental Sensors. This health monitoring digital lifestyle collection comprises three objects that monitor the pollen count, the air-pollution level, and the UV radiation check. All three are portable and can be worn on clothes and bags as accessory items. The DMT PY 2031 System, on the other hand, is a series of dental instruments such as dental mirrors, periodontal probes, and dental explorers. Pakhalé’s version of dental instruments come with a triangular cross-section grip, which facilitates a better ergonomic grip. It also has a more optimal length-weight ratio, as compared to existing dental objects.
Lastly, the HAAT Bag, shaped like a tote bag, comprises integrated hand gloves that can be used whenever one has to touch a surface. Since touching hard surfaces became one of the sources of infection during the COVID-19 pandemic, this small innovation helped avoid contaminated surfaces without having to carry another object around. “Looking at the trash created by discarded disposable gloves littered by masses around the world during the current pandemic gave birth to an idea to create ‘HAAT Bag’. It is an elegant, playful approach to avoid contamination,” Pakhalé explains. Made out of antimicrobial textile, the bag comes with lapel-like glove extensions that are provided on each side of the easy-to-carry all-purpose bag. One can simply insert their hands in these gloves before touching any external surface.
Design + Health is on view from November 11, 2022 to April 16, 2023 at The Valencia Museum of the Enlightment and Modernity in Valencia, Spain.
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