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International collaboration wins Australian Design Award for life saving product

01 May 2005

A 2005 Australian Design Award has been won by the Samaritan® PAD (Public Access Defibrillator), a life saving product brought to the market by international collaboration.

The state of the art Samaritan PAD is a small, easy to use portable unit to revive and monitor heart attack patients. It is designed for use by people with only basic first aid training in work site first aid posts, sports arenas, passenger terminals and public and corporate buildings.

Jack Magree, director of CobaltNiche who designed the Samaritan PAD, said there is a booming global market for user friendly advanced medical equipment. In many places, PAD equipment is a requirement in public spaces, because it can significantly increase the survival rate of people who suffer heart attacks.

Global horizons for winning design

The Australian Design Award won by the Samaritan PAD recognises the creative input provided by teams from four corners of the globe. Conceived and marketed by USA based HeartSine Technologies Inc, the product was developed and is manufactured by Irish business partner HeartSine Technologies Ltd. In a world first, the HeartSine software enables the Samaritan PAD electrode pads to calculate the body mass of patients and then deliver the appropriate electric charge.

CobaltNiche was responsible for the revolutionary packaging of the unit, which is shaped like a lifesaving ring. It took six months to develop and the Samaritan PAD is one of the smallest and most advanced portable defibrillators in the world. It weighs just 1 kg and simple voice commands and diagrams guide users on its operation.

Global input to the winning design included technical advice on materials from Australian plastics company Marplex Australia Pty Ltd. “Marplex identified Santoprene™ thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) as the material to bond to the acrylonitrile butadiene styrene polycarbonate case, to give the design flexibility needed to execute a strong aesthetic and meet the functional requirements of an effective moisture seal, and protection from knocks and drops,” said Jack Magree.

“With the soft touch elastomer identified as a cost effective solution, we worked with the Santoprene TPE team in Singapore to refine tooling design and processing techniques for our manufacturing process.

“As an Australian design firm, we have expanded our horizons to work with overseas based clients and suppliers,” said Jack Magree. “This creates the opportunity to work across a wide range of technologies and industries, including automotive, emergency services, information technology/communications, medical, retail, scientific and sport/leisure.

“Our experience proves Australian designers have all the skills and expertise to tap into international markets. While CobaltNiche is a small company of 11 employees, we are working on cutting edge products that promote our design skills and engineering expertise on the world stage.

“With medical products, such as the Samaritan PAD, we must design a single product to meet stringent standards in different countries, where it must pass tough testing procedures. Benchmarking our design skills in this way, and winning international contracts, is important because it keeps our design skills sharp and demonstrates that we are a world class design team,” said Jack Magree.

Australia needs more PADs

"In the case of the Samaritan PAD, we also get the satisfaction of knowing we are involved in delivering a product that can save lives,” said Jack Magree. “Public Access Defibrillators are found in most schools, museums, sports stadiums and other public buildings across the United States. While some Australian public buildings provide them, Australia needs more PADs,” said Jack Magree.

“The Samaritan PAD is already on sale in the United States and Europe, and will become available in Australia by mid 2005. Samaritan PADs are so small and easy to use, a child can operate them, and they save lives. I expect people will increasingly include them in first aid kits at home, in cars and on yachts,” he said.


Further information: Jack Magree
Director
CobaltNiche Design
61 3 9326 3277
www.cobaltniche.com

Peter Kay
Development Manager Santoprene™ Specialty Products
Marplex Australia Pty Ltd
61 3 8368 7621
peter.kay@orica.com