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Prepare a Conceptual Design for a Medical Device (with Laborie Medical Technologies)
Len Magara
Len Magara
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Prepare a Conceptual Design for a Medical Device (with Laborie Medical Technologies)

Use Biodesign principles & CAD to create a concept of a medical device that is user-friendly and provides enhanced patient comfort.

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Apply now
Thursdays
 at
3:30
P.M.
 ET /
12:30
P.M.
PT
8 weeks, 2-3 hours per week
Intermediate
No experience required
No experience required
Some experience required
Degree and experience required

Description

Many patients are afraid of invasive procedures required for medical diagnosis – to the point that they avoid visiting doctors. Because of that, patients miss an opportunity to discover a disease at an early stage, when it's more curable. So it's important for medical professionals to create devices that are not only effective, but comfortable and non-invasive. In this Build Project, you'll wear the hat of a Design Engineer and prepare a conceptual design for a device that improves patient experience in urodynamics testing and diagnosis focused on alternative test apparatus for a mechanical uroflow. Under the supervision of an experienced Project Leader, you’ll apply bio-mechanical design principles and use CAD software like SolidWorks to visualize your concept for a device that better meets patient's needs. All this will happen in an environment that simulates the operations of a real medical device development team.

Session timeline

  • Applications open
    June 24, 2024
  • Application deadline
    July 21, 2024
  • Project start date
    Week of July 8, 2024
    Week of
    August 5, 2024
  • Project end date
    Week of

What you will learn

  • Learn about team structure, roles & responsibilities, day-to-day work in the Project Leader's team and company within the medical device space.  
  • Learn about the Biodesign process & how to effectively and efficiently design medical devices
  • Learn about the product lifecycle and all the key stakeholders’ influences within medical devices  
  • Learn how to effectively use multidisciplinary engineering design skills and principles to overcome challenges and limitations when designing medical devices.
Build Projects are 8-week experiences that operate on a rolling basis. Selected participants engage in weekly live workshops with a Build Fellow and 2-15 other students.

Project workshops

1
Introduction to Medical Device Design
2
Project Planning & Biodesign Introduction
3
Block Diagrams & Project Problem Statement
4
Concept Generation, User Needs & Product Requirements
5
Concept Selection, Block Diagram Updates & Requirements Refinement
6
Design Concept Refinement & Requirements Freeze
7
Concept Optimization & Draft Final Deliverables
8
Final Concept Presentations

Prerequisites

  • Beginner SolidWorks/Fusion 360 user: you should be able to create simple shapes and models in CAD.  
  • Basic knowledge of engineering, biology, and chemistry: you must have completed at least one introductory engineering design course (mechanical/biomechanical preferred), one biology course & one chemistry course.  
  • Interest in cross-disciplinary research and commitment to put effort into iterative design process.
  • Other prerequisites: before the project starts, you'll need to get a school-supported SolidWorks account. Otherwise, there's also an option to use a free version of Fusion 360. You also need to have MS Office Suite (Word, PowerPoint & Excel) installed on your computer.

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About the expert
Len Magara
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Len
's Linkedin

Len Magara is a Biomedical Engineering Fellow at Open Avenues, where he works with students leading projects in Urological Medical Devices.

Len is a Sr R&D Engineer at Laborie Medical Technologies where he designs, develops and launches new medical devices within the urodynamics and diagnostics space.

Len has 7 years of experience in Medical Device Design & Development and he has taken various medical products (capital equipment, disposable injectors, drug delivery & electromechanical devices) from a concept to a product for patients. He holds a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering and a master's degree in biomedical engineering.

He is an avid movie-goer and most weekends Len will go to the cinema if there’s something interesting on. He also loves rugby in all forms and though he's a Zimbabwean his favorite team is the New Zealand All Blacks.