vent - a CPAP Device

Sleep Apnea —

Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder characterized by brief interruptions in breathing during sleep, often due to airway blockages. This can result in poor sleep and daytime fatigue. Treatment options include the use of devices like CPAP machines and lifestyle changes.

Respiratory Therapy —

CPAP therapy effectively treats sleep apnea by maintaining open airways with continuous air pressure. This minimizes disruptions, enhancing sleep quality and reducing daytime fatigue. Regular, personalized monitoring by healthcare professionals is vital for its success.

Project Scope —

During the course of therapy, we decided to concentrate on patients who have not had their diagnosis for a long time. Successful therapy often fails because patients cannot get used to the treatment with the mask and the pressure it creates.

Concept —

Our main focus was to massively simplify the device. During the course of the analysis of the current devices, we encountered a very large amount of information that does not provide any added value for successful therapy. The operation was also unnecessarily complicated and not user-friendly.

Functions —

Most buttons work autonomously. A few, such as the pressure increase function, have a simultaneous animation on the integrated e-ink screen. In our concept video you can clearly see what feedback you get on the screen when you click a corresponding button.

Autogenic Feedback —

A highlight of our design is the autogenic feedback, which is intended to support the patient in overcoming the initial feeling of discomfort when the pressure increases and thus successfully start the therapy.

The ball should serve both as feedback that translates the increase and decrease in pressure into movement (pressure increases, ball becomes larger and visa vera) and as a regulator of the pressure. If you press the ball, the pressure increases and vice versa. Back in the device, the ball serves as a potentiometer for setting the time.

Design Principles —

An important feature of our design was the integration of the CPAP machine into a private bedroom. Many patients complain that using the device at home makes them feel like they are in the hospital, or even worse. We therefore carefully weighed up how much our CPAP device is perceived to be medical and also exudes a comfortable aesthetic.