Bethany Ripley
BSc Product Design
and Innovation
IEng accredited programme,
University of Strathclyde
on ‘Improving Postural Stability for Parkinson’s Disease
patients’. Parkinson’s Disease is a chronic long-term
neurological condition; one that affects more than 10 million
people worldwide. Diminished somatosensation, in addition to
unpleasant tremors, are often associated with an increased
likelihood of falling and poor postural stability
“It has been found that input noise (in the form of
vibrations) can enhance sensory and motor function,” says
Bethany. “This is something that was echoed in my initial
research, meeting a number of Parkinson’s patients who had
undergone a treatment known as ‘vibration therapy’; where
the person is placed in different positions on a vibration
plate around 20 minutes. Although documented as highly
successful, this therapy is often too costly and inaccessible
for many suffering with the disease.
“In light of my research and by way of providing a solution
to the problem, I developed a vibrating insole, harnessing
exercise. By stimulating this refl ex,
you are heightening the user’s
sensory perception, decreasing their likelihood of falling. By
continually stimulating the muscles, the user’s blood fl ow is
improved, in turn decreasing the likelihood of resting tremors
and again relieving a factor of poor postural stability.”
“Looking to the future, I would love to test my product
fully, in order to further prove and refi ne my design; and
ultimately see it being offered to patients via the NHS.”
Since graduating, Bethany has joined Samsung UK as
a product manager, while continuing to work on and develop
this idea in her free time.
Izabela Duszenko
BSc Product Design
RProdDes accredited programme,
University of Sussex
‘POPPi TOYS Deep Sea Friends’ is a
range of educational construction toys
aimed at children age 4-6 years’ old.
It includes a storybook to accompany the product, which aims
to further educate about these creatures, their environment
and how that needs to be safeguarded. The toys are intended
to educate the user through fun and play about deep sea
species and bring the user closer to the natural world; and,
through an accompanying educational story book, inform
about the negative impact our behaviour has on the marine
environment and so help the efforts to stop the plastic that is
entering oceans. “The main aim of this toy is a prevention of
waste through education and empathy,
going back to the beginning of the waste
problem, and the issue of sustainability,”
explains Izabela Duszenko.
The toy is comprised of a central
hollow ball as the main body, pierced
with many concentric holes. Then there
are various, separate body parts such as fi ns, eyes, tail,
teeth etc. All the body parts have an integrally moulded male
pin, split at one point. which fi t neatly into the main ball at
various locations. The whole toy would be made from smooth,
highly coloured sustainable material. “The main aim is that
it would be a pleasing, tactile item and the ball would also
give continuity across the various creatures in the proposed
ranges, a sphere being an organic shape that creates infi nite
opportunities and variety during play.”
Her design process started from simple sketching, using
pencil and paper, and then quick prototyping, which allowed an
instinctive approach to concepts and ideas, before moving onto
more advanced methods. “Research was an ongoing process,
justifying every stage and decision of the design process
and infl uencing the fi nal design,” she adds. “I understood
that designing the product needed input from many different
disciplines and the collaboration of many people.”
Bethany Ripley’s fi nal-year dissertation was
the positive effects of vibration therapy through the inclusion
of multiple low-frequency vibrators. The
insole has been designed to sit discretely
within the user’s existing shoe, avoiding
attracting unwanted attention and
increasing the user’s vulnerability.
The product stimulates the body’s
tonic vibration refl ex — creating a
sustained muscle contraction similar
to those elicited during vigorous
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