The Red Dot Award for product design is a prestigious international design competition that honours excellence in product design. Organised by the Design Zentrum Nordrhein, in Germany, it is one of the most renowned design competitions in the world and has been in existence since 1955.
Recognising and celebrating innovative and well-designed products from various industries, including consumer electronics, furniture, fashion, health, and many others, the award is known for its distinct red dot logo, which is a globally recognised symbol of design excellence.
Products that receive a Red Dot Award are considered to have met high standards in terms of functionality, innovation, quality, and aesthetics. The judging panel comprises a group of experts from various design-related fields who assess and evaluate the entries where each category receives its best-in-class and from these there is a Best of the Best competition.
The Technology in Motion TiMbandAir won the Best of the Best competition
Winning a Red Dot Award is a significant achievement for Technology in Motion, giving recognition and credibility to the brand, product designers, and manufacturers. This competition is highly competitive, and products that receive this honour often stand out in terms of their design, usability, and overall impact on the market.
The field of Orthotics has been quite slow to develop. Many ready-made products have been developed which fit the average and can be categorised into small, medium, and large, or into shoe sizes but this doesn’t exactly fit a significant number of babies who see us. Products can be classified as custom, bespoke for each individual or ready-made, based on averages. True custom products are individually specified, designed, and made for each baby and the prescriber is the one who decides materials and the properties that are needed to give the required control. Ready-made products are designed by manufacturers, based on materials knowledge and engineering principles.
There is a new category that fits in between these two and that’s products which are specific to your baby’s needs. Products and manufacturing methods start with design. We ask ourselves, what does your baby need? Then we choose the most appropriate materials and manufacturing methods to create a truly inspirational product.
We use advanced computing and clinical experience to develop an individually made product for each baby. We don’t use library models and each product is designed specifically to match your baby’s own corrected scan.
The TiMbandAir was designed to meet the following requirements:
- Lightweight
- Breathable and ventilated.
- No tools required in clinic.
- Three-layer construction; Comfort, Control, Protection.
- Easy for the baby to wear.
- Easy for the parents to use.
- Easy to adjust without tools.
- Minimising waste (over 85% of the materials used in making a traditional helmet are thrown away).
- Environmentally friendly (plant-based plastics are used).
- Easy to scan, specify, and order.
- Global order and manufacturing capabilities.
- Unlimited development opportunities.
All of these requirements have been met and the company has an ethos of continuous product and clinical design improvement with new features and services being continuously created and introduced.
The Red Dot Judges are leaders in international product design, had these comments on their decision to award the Talee (TiMbandAir) the Best of the Best Award:
“Thanks to its concept of individual adaptation using 3D technology, the TiMbandAir helmet offers impressive new treatment possibilities. Highly appealing and friendly looking, the device captures the therapy of child cranial irregularities, while being extremely light and comfortable to wear. It embodies a highly contemporary and elegant solution. Functionally well thought-out, it is easy to handle and is made with soft material finishes.”
Over 2,000 infants in the UK with flat head syndrome have benefitted from the treatment of using the TiMbandAir. It is regulated, CE marked in the EU and this innovative product has now achieved FDA approval making it available to USA infants.
As contributors to the development of this product, a new era in the design and manufacture of orthotic and prosthetic products is opening, to the benefit of the babies, their parents, and clinicians. There is much more to come.
Other notable Red Dot wins are the TiMbandAir’s sister 3D Ortho Pro products, Piro Ankle Foot Orthoses (AFO’s), Raptor protective face mask, 8sole foot orthotics and Augo trans tibial prosthetic socket.
The innovative TiMbandAir is opening and showing the way that orthotic products will be designed and made in the future, harnessing new technologies and artificial intelligence, this and its sister products are showing the way to the whole industry. Technology in Motion is proud to be the UK partner for Invent Medical, a truly inspirational company of people bringing the best in the world to our babies, parents, and clinical partners.
