“The adoption of “New ideas and the pace of change in healthcare can lag behind other innovations that consumers experience every day,” says Yves Behar, an industrial designer and founder of the design firm fuse projectPeople, Behar continues, get frustrated when they compare their experience in clinics and hospitals to, say, the consumer experience they have in an Apple store. Behar’s belief that design can have a positive impact on people’s lives leads him to focus on what he calls “design for extreme audiences,” such as children, the elderly, people with neurodivergence, and people with mobility issues.
“A lot of design is focused on the middle, comfortable part of life, when you are happy, healthy and wealthy,” he says. “For me, design is most needed when change is most extreme.” One example is Cheer upan AI-powered learning robot designed for autistic and neurodivergent children. “It turned out to be incredibly helpful for all the kids, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic,” Behar says.
Since its launch in 2022, Moxie has had over 4 million conversations with children, with a reported a 71 percent improvement in social skills such as assertiveness, social engagement, and self-control for those who play with it regularly. Another fuseproject invention, and Behar’s favorite, is the SNOO robotic cribThe crib mimics renowned pediatrician Harvey Karp’s method of calming babies, which involves swaddling, shushing and rocking.
“AI recognizes when the baby is fussy and screaming, and starts creating the noise and movement in response,” says Behar. “It is the first and only medical device that has received FDA approval for its ability to keep babies safely asleep on their backs and prevent SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome).”
This article appears in the July/August 2024 issue of WIRED Magazine from the UK.