Innovate UK
Collaborating with clinicians to accelerate childhood continence toward net-zero
Background
Lucid’s development work involves ongoing engagement with clinicians in multiple specialisms. Collaborating with bladder and bowel specialists, our team discovers, designs and delivers innovation contributing to a healthier more sustainable future.
Incontinence has significant environmental impact. Containment with pads, pull-ups and nappies drives largely non-recyclable, negative calorific value waste to landfill, with significant greenhouse gas emissions.
Innovate UK’s Sustainable Innovation Fund sought ideas with net zero potential. Lucid’s successful application investigated the impacts of childhood incontinence and potential solutions, collaborating with the Charity Bladder and Bowel UK’s clinical team.
Objectives included:
Analysing carbon impact of potentially achievable improvements in continence.
Competitive IP and regulatory landscape scoping.
Developing demonstrator concept solutions and evaluating with carers, clinicians and children.
Building the business case for development and launch.
Discovery
To evaluate human, market, organisational and technical challenges Lucid’s designers met with carers, clinicians, affected children and potential sales and marketing partners.
We undertook a preliminary carbon impact assessment, mapped human and data interaction in clinical protocols, analysed research outputs and user feedback with competitor and analogous systems.
Prioritising opportunities to improve access and adherence in a viable product, Lucid’s team defined a modular development approach for a connected, moisture sensor, interactive app and web-portal called Brontie.
Design
Creating and working through options with UX and UI wireframes, storyboards, clickable and working prototypes, stakeholders provided valuable feedback.
Prototype electronics, software and mechanical parts were made and tested in-house at Lucid.
Delivery
Application software development followed ISO 62304, with formative human factors engineering studies ensuring risk management compliant to ISO 14971.
Results
Brontie is in Lucid’s commercialisation pipeline - ongoing work focussed on:
Usability
Preliminary studies and development of web connection to support user acceptance and adherence.
Brand impact
The dinosaur-related “Brontie” brand is specifically to engage 4-10 year olds.
Regulatory and safety
ISO 13485 medical device design and manufacturing accreditation at Lucid.
Sustainability and social impact
Further analysis of environmental impact in trial use scenarios.