BDA 18/19 Finalist Shortlist               

It’s the shortlist time for Blackwood Design awards 2018/19 and we’ve got a fair few fantastic concepts and products that our judges will debate and discuss at the University of Edinburgh next week!

First of all for those in the Best New Product category we have:

RambleTag

The simple, practical and effective RambleTag – a guide aid for those with visual impairment. With it’s humble beginnings as an elastic knee brace and luggage handle prototype to a fully fledged product that can be found in football clubs and airports across the land. It adds a safer element for a visually impaired person and their guide than linking arms.

The Small Item Gripping Aid from Active Hands

The small active gripping takes Active Hands’ already proven premise but smaller! Consisting of two parts – a glove and a Velcro palm pad with a plastic clamp capable of holding small items.

You can hold a paintbrush, mascara wand, pens and pencils, a razor, toothbrush – with the Velcro attachment these can all be easily interchangeable - all ideal for enabling personal care and aiding independence in daily living.

Be My Eyes

Be My Eyes is bringing sight to blind person and low vision people. 

A person that signs up as a helper gets a notification whenever a visually impaired person needs help – it could be to describe a photo, give directions or solve a problem - using a videocall can assist to the best of their ability.

It is a wonderful example of pooling digital goodwill.  

For Best New Concept:

Enayball

Creators of Enaybal Pete and Eli believe in the power of creativity, and believe that it is a human right. With this clever device a wheelchair user is able to turn their wheelchair into a mark making object, this allows a person to work on a floor placed canvas creating amazing pieces of art that previously would never be able to.  

Air Cradle

An interesting and innovative solution to helping someone into a sitting position. Using a series of simple manoeuvres and an air fillable chair a user can lift someone safely, securely and comfortably from a bed into a chair all without a hoist.

David E. T. Garman Concepts Ltd believe this product will revolutionise the way we move people.  

and finally for Best Collaborative Project by a University or Institute of Higher Learning we have: 

Cognitive Assessment from Activities of Daily Living

Scott Alexander MacLeod  

Heriot Watt University  

Scott Alexander Macdonald is a PhD student working in the area of Ambient Assisted Living – detecting and analysing the daily activities of older people with Alzheimer’s Disease and cognitive impairments.

Scott is developing a system for cognitive assessment utilising robotics and sensors – allowing for a thorough yet nonintrusive assessment of older persons faculties, their abilities and finally further independent living.

Flexible Tablet Holder

Edinburgh Napier University  

Aoife Keeling, John Aisthorpe, Jonathon Duguid, Michael Andrew 

A flexible tablet holder from a group of student product design students as part of their design module.

Easy to manoeuvre and designed with Blackwood’s bespoken tablet based care system in mind, it allows absolute freedom and comfort to the user. With the capacity for wireless charging, a magnetic handle and the option to attach to a wheelchair it proves a simple solution to current market alternatives.