Axium

Assignment

Together with Jamie Luik, Jens Peters, Pol Lobao Florez, and Suzanne de Vries, we designed the Axium for the Products Now course in collaboration with Sunrise Medical. They tasked us with reviewing the existing prototype and developing a refined, functional version ready for
final engineering stages.

The result

The Axium is a Head Control System designed for intuitive wheelchair navigation. Unlike traditional systems, the rotation axis is centered around the user, reducing strain and enhancing comfort for extended use. It features a rail system that allows for precise control, accurately detecting head movements across various positions. A final usertest with Paul Coops, who has a high spinal cord injury, provided valuable insights. He was very enthusiastic about the Axium.

My contributions to the team

During the project, I organized meetings and user testing with two individuals with high spinal cord injuries. I was primarily responsible for designing the ergonomic headrest and played a role in its integration with the rail system, which involved a lot of prototyping.

The process

The development of the Axium involved a lot of trial and error. We began with the initial prototype, as shown in the picture below, and continuously refined our design through multiple iterations. Along the way, we conducted thorough research on our target group, tested different approaches and did a lot of usertesting. Additionally, we visited Sunrise Medical to gather insights and ensure our design aligned with the needs of our client.